Breeders and puppy sellers to be registered under new EU law

DogWorldNewspaper wrote:

Breeders and puppy sellers to be registered under new EU law

Created: 06/05/2015


ALL BREEDERS and puppy sellers would have to be registered from 2020 under a new European animal health law to be voted on in the autumn.

The Eurogroup for Animals put forward the proposal in a bid to tackle back-street breeding, and it has won support from MEPs, the European Commission and member states.

If the new animal health law is passed later this year it is expected that member states will introduce further legislation to ensure pet breeders and sellers are registered.

Recent reports suggested that a third of all puppies bought are believed to come from puppy farms.



Poses real threat

Eurogroup’s director Reineke Hameleers said: “We have seen an explosion in the illegal trading of pets over the past few years. It’s a trade based on secretive and inhumane breeding which poses real health and welfare threats, not only to the animals involved, and which has led to crises in dog and cat populations in many parts of the EU.

“By working with MEPs, Member States and the EC, Eurogroup has ensured that all pet breeders will need to register themselves thanks to new wording in the proposed Animal Health Law. While this won’t solve the problem overnight it should bring these shadowy practices into the light and will allow for proper regulation at national level.”

Mr Hameleers praised the Ulster SPCA who had helped expose the nature of puppy farming in a recent TV documentary, The Dog Factory.

“The great work undertaken by the USPCA in exposing the true, horrific nature of puppy farming should serve as a wake-up call to all who seek to become pet owners, wherever they are in Europe,” he said.

“We hope that our collective efforts of our network will make this practice a thing of the past in years to come.”

The KC said it had serious concerns about all breeders being registered, and believes the move would not solve the problem.

“We firmly believe that a more stringent framework needs to be developed to tackle puppy farming and unscrupulous breeders, but we would have serious concerns about all breeders needing to be registered as this would likely penalise responsible breeders while having little to no effect on those who breed solely for money and without due concern for health and welfare,” said KC secretary Caroline Kisko.

“The KC supports the intention of the Eurogroup for Animals in lobbying at an EU level on the need to work together and do more to tackle the problem of puppy farming and the illegal trading of puppies, but given the poor understanding and poor enforcement of existing breeding legislation and regulations on pet travel and importing we have real concerns that these proposals will not actually reduce the problem.

“Measures such as the requirement for dog licences in Northern Ireland, which works in a similar way, have low compliance rates and are neither easily enforceable nor effective in protecting dog welfare.

“Furthermore, we believe that legislation needs to strike a balance to ensure those responsible dog breeders who work hard to ensure they produce healthy and happy puppies are not unfairly penalised and that irresponsible puppy farmers are prosecuted and put out of business.”

A self-regulated dog breeding industry would be better placed to strike the balance rather than a Government-regulated approach, the KC believes.

“We would support the introduction of a welfare measure for the compulsory identification of dogs through microchipping, in a consolidated Animal Health Law, to align with the new law being enforced in the UK from 2016.”

A spokesman for Dogs Trust, a member of the EU Dog and Cat Alliance, said the group was calling for EU-wide compulsory identification and registration of dogs and cats on a database linked to an EU database ‘as a priority’.

“We welcome the proposed Animal Health Law as it provides framework legislation under which this could be introduced,” she said.

“We believe that the EU-wide identification and registration of dogs and cats would provide much-needed traceability when animals are sold across EU borders. This would help to protect dog and cat health and welfare, as well as protecting public health and ensuring better consumer protection.”

The RSPCA called it a positive step. “The trade and excessive breeding of pets, especially dogs, across Europe has become an increasing concern for animal welfare organisations, including the RSPCA, in recent years,” a spokesman said. “The registration of all pet sellers and breeders by 2020 is a positive step that we hope will improve welfare standards across the continent.

“The key to the legislation’s success will, however, be dictated by effective and harmonised implementation and enforcement. We wait with interest to see how DEFRA and the other devolved authorities propose to introduce mandatory registration of breeders.”

DEFRA said the proposals were part of a broader package of measures which have been under consideration and negotiation since 2013.

“Negotiations are taking place between the UK and the EU on this, and a ministerial vote – including that of UK representatives – will take place on the final text of the regulations at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting later this year.” he said.

LyndaW wrote:I agree that production of dogs in particular should have more control, but where would this leave people whose bitches or female cats have been "caught unawares"?  

Lorraine wrote:I fail to see how good ethical breeders can be penalised by these proposed laws - but any law is only as good as the policing of it.  There are no funds to do that, or any provision for the funds within the proposed legislation, to allow for that to happen.  Another wasted opportunity.