I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to address the committee in respect of its further scrutiny of COM (2023) 769 proposal on improving the rules relating to the welfare of cats and dogs and the traceability in respect of these animals. I am joined by my colleagues Dr. Choiseul and Dr. McCarthy. The proposal before the committee was published by the European Commission in December 2023 and is available online.
I will describe the background and context for the proposal and I will then outline the main elements of it. Within the context of the EU farm to fork strategy, the Commission has looked at revising and updating existing animal welfare legislation. The results of a Eurobarometer survey conducted in 2023 which showed that 44% of EU citizens own companion animals and 74% consider that the welfare of companion animals should be better protected were cited in support of the decision to include dogs and cats in the scope of this legislation. Currently, there is a lack of harmonisation across the EU on issues such as dog and cat breeders, pet shops, shelters and traceability. There are also serious concerns about the illegal trade in dogs and cats. In 2020, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the illegal trade in companion animals calling for harmonised EU mandatory identification and registration of cats and dogs and improved protection of consumers purchasing companion animals via online listings. Although EU legislation is already in place for the protection of dogs and cats used for scientific purposes, the transportation of dogs and cats, and the movement of dogs and cats in the context of animal diseases, there is currently no EU legislation on the welfare of dogs and cats and no specific EU obligations for the sale of dogs and cats via online platforms. This proposal is intended to address those gaps. The scope includes the breeding, housing and handling of cats and dogs in breeding establishments, pet shops and shelters, and the identification, traceability and registration of dogs and cats.
There are many elements to the proposed regulation - I will touch on the key headline points, which are the general welfare principles for breeding establishments, selling establishments and shelters. There will be restrictions on breeding animals with extreme physical characteristics which cause them suffering, as per Articles 5 and 6. Regarding breeding, there will be a minimum age for breeding and a restriction on the frequency of pregnancies. There will be mandatory approval and registration of these establishments, as per Article 7. Information on responsible pet ownership must be provided to those acquiring a dog or case, as per Article 8. Required competencies and training for animal caretakers are set out in Article 9. There will be an annual advisory visit by a vet for welfare purposes, as required under Article 10. Standards for providing feed and water to dogs and cats are set out in Article 11. Minimum standards for housing are set out in Article 12. Requirements to take care of the health and behavioural needs of dogs and cats are set out in Articles 13 and 14. Certain painful practices are prohibited, with allowances in some circumstances, for example, ear cropping is banned but the notching of cats' ears in the context of trap-neuter-return programmes is permitted. The use of muzzles is prohibited other than for the welfare of the animal or for public health or animal safety reasons. Applying electric currents to dogs or cats will be prohibited under Article 15.
On the identification of pets and national databases, all cats and dogs placed on the market would have to be microchipped and registered in a national database. These databases need to be interoperable. This means that it will be easy to search across these approved databases using a new single search portal, to be developed by the Commission. For online sales, suppliers will have to provide information on the identification and registration of dogs and cats through a website connected to national databases. This will allow buyers to verify the authenticity of the animals they purchase. All of this is contained in Articles 17 and 19. On entry into the EU, the proposal clarifies that welfare conditions for pets entering the EU for the purpose of being placed on the market must be equivalent to those set by the proposal in Article 21. Technical requirements for feeding and weaning puppies and kittens, housing, space allowances, breeding frequency and behavioural needs are set out in the Annex.
Regarding timelines, it is proposed that the regulation will apply from two years after it enters into force and is published, with the exception of: health requirements, which will be three years after entry into force; caretaker training, which will be after four years; microchip regulations and microchip databases, which will be after four years; approval and inspection of breeding establishments, which will be after five years; housing, which will be after five years; online platforms requirements and automated checks, which will be after five years; and the common EU index microchip database, which will be after five years. I would like to point out that this is based on the current draft. These timelines and details of other provisions may change during the legislative process.
Since January 2024, a series of Council working party meetings have been held in Brussels at which member states have discussed the text published in December. The Belgian Presidency has been reflecting on the feedback and discussions. The latest drafts take on board many of the points made during these discussions. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine attends these meetings because they come under the Council working party on animal and veterinary questions. Some of the policy areas under discussion are under the remit of the Department of Rural and Community Development. Officials from both Departments are in regular and frequent contact to discuss and consider the proposals and revised texts which have been circulated. In this way, we have ensured a co-ordinated approach. Council discussions are approaching their conclusion under the Belgian Presidency.
On the Parliament side, the file was attributed to the committee on agriculture and rural development as the committee responsible. The Commission presented the proposal to the committee on 18 March. With the upcoming European elections and the new Commission due, it is difficult to predict the speed at which the trilogues may commence and proceed.
The Department has responsibility for five general areas relating to dogs: the pet sales register; pet passports; the movement and trade of dogs internationally; the microchipping of dogs and the provisions of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013, which applies to dogs. The Department of Rural and Community Development has policy responsibility for dog breeding establishments and the control of dogs. A number of the proposed actions align with current Department policies on dogs, cats and animal welfare. Examples include: the recently launched responsible dog ownership campaign; regulations on microchipping and registration of dogs; recent initiatives on the control of dogs; responsible pet ownership initiatives suggested by the advisory council on companion animal welfare, ACCAW; the initiative led by ACCAW on promoting innate health characteristics in pets and dissuading advertisers from using images of brachycephalic dogs. They also include new regulations introduced by the Minister in September 2023 strengthening the ban on ear cropping of dogs and the recent announcement by the Minister of his intention to ban the use of remotely-controlled hand-held electronic shock collars on dogs and cats following a public consultation on this question and advice from the advisory council on companion animal welfare. It is important to note that this will not affect collars linked to boundary fences or anti-bark collars.
On the Department’s engagement with charity shelters, at our recent annual seminar for charities in receipt of departmental grant funding, training was provided on raising standards in relation to animal health and biosecurity, at the request of the charities. The Minister has supported animal charities with record assistance of €6 million awarded to 101 animal welfare organisations last December. This funding recognises the importance of the role such charities play in education, awareness raising and dissemination of knowledge to improve animal welfare. This is particularly relevant for encouraging responsible pet ownership, which can help to reduce the number of dogs abandoned or surrendered to charities. The animal welfare grants process for 2024 is currently open for applications. Some of the provisions that set out minimum standards for establishments may require investment or have cost implications for breeding establishments and shelters but this depends on the conditions in which a given breeding establishment or shelter may currently house, keep and take care of animals in its care.
I hope I have given members of the committee a useful short overview of the proposed regulation. My colleagues and I will be pleased to answer any questions the committee members may have.
