Source: European Parliament
In 2021 an obligation for all establishments keeping animals, including dogs, to be registered was introduced in the Animal Health Law[1].
Operators of these establishments must keep and maintain records on the health status of these animals. Furthermore, for disease prevention, such establishments must receive regular animal health visits from a veterinarian.
This legislation also strengthened traceability rules for dogs by making the individual identification of these animals mandatory in the case of cross-border movements.
Official controls in these establishments are the responsibility of Member States’ competent authorities, which must also ensure its effectiveness.
The Commission proposed in 2023 the first EU Regulation on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability[2]. The proposal requires that breeding establishments producing above a threshold notify their activity to Member States’ competent authorities and that these establishments are approved before starting their activities.
The approval must be granted with a certificate, following an on-site inspection by the competent authority that confirms that the establishment meets the animal welfare requirements of the regulation.
This proposal requires that the competent authorities maintain a list of breeding establishments of dogs and cats, made publicly available. Penalties to operators breaching the proposed Regulation are set by Member States.
The Commission proposal sets requirements that aim to prevent illegal breeders from reaching the EU market, thus promoting responsible adoption from legitimate breeders. For reasons of subsidiarity, awareness campaigns for the public are to be launched by Member States and are commonplace.