Mutilation ban and microchips: The new EU laws around cat and dog welfare

The European Union is home to more than 72 million dogs and 83 million cats, according to the European Commission, which so far has only regulated health requirements for them related to travel within the bloc.

But an uptick in trafficking pushed the EU to propose a set of common rules for breeding, housing and handling the animals, whose sales generate an estimated €1.3 billion annually.

The European Parliament in Strasbourg voted on a text put forward by the commission in 2023, which introduces minimum welfare criteria for dogs and cats in kennels and shelters.

Lawmakers also voted to ban the keeping or selling of dogs and cats in pet shops, a provision not included in the original text, meaning buyers would have to buy them directly from breeders or kennels.

“With this proposal, we would create the first-ever minimum rules, giving member states the possibility to go beyond these standards,” said the text’s rapporteur, Veronika Vrecionova of the hard-right ECR group.

Approved with 457 votes in favour and 17 against, the bill says all dogs and cats should be identified with a subcutaneous microchip when they are sold – a system already in use in some member states – and registered in an EU database.

That would increase traceability and tackle illegal traffic, predominantly of dogs, with animal protection groups singling out eastern EU countries like Romania and Bulgaria.

Painful mutilations, like cutting tails or ears, will also be banned in most cases, as will electric, choke and spiked collars without safety stoppers.

The law also prohibits inbreeding and the breeding of animals with accentuated traits, such as overly short legs, that could affect their welfare.

The measures enjoyed broad consensus among political groups but the extent of their application had been the cause of contention, leading to some amendments.

An exception for breeders keeping a small number of animals, which had upset some on the left, was weakened by parliament, which lowered the threshold for breeders to qualify.

Yet other exemptions opposed by animal rights activists remained.

The ban on mutilations for example is less stringent for hunting dogs. Similarly, coercive collars will still be allowed to train police, military and border patrol dogs.

“This text lays some interesting foundations, but it does not go to the heart of the matter,” said Christophe Marie of the French animal protection group Fondation 30 Millions d'Amis.

The legislation must still be approved by EU member states before coming into force.