What changed

Amendments 280 and 307

Recital 3 a (new)

Amendment: (3a) While several Member States have already introduced positive lists at national level to regulate the private ownership of animals, the absence of a common Union framework of welfare provisions on breeding, keeping and placing on the market of pet animal species other than dogs and cats, as well as divergent national rules, leads to inconsistencies, gaps in enforcement, confusion for consumers and, often, to serious animal welfare consequences for species that are unsuitable to be kept as pets, as well as risks to biodiversity, human health and safety and nature conservation.

Recital 3 b (new): (3b) There have been previous calls to establish a science-based Union-wide list of animals that have been assessed as being suitable to be kept as pets, under appropriate welfare conditions, without causing harm to populations in the wild, and therefore to European biodiversity, or to human health and safety. In doing so, it is essential to ensure an assessment of the impact on animals, including their welfare, behaviour, dietary needs, and veterinary care, in order to avoid situations that could cause unnecessary suffering, inappropriate living conditions, or endangerment of species.

Recital 7: (7) Illegal trade in cats and dogs from outside the EU has been increasing. Current EU rules on the movements of dogs and cats into the EU, such as the provisions of Regulation 576/2013 and of the Animal Health Law, do not contain sufficient tools to prevent this illegal trade. This means that additional rules to fight illegal trade in dogs and cats are required. Existing animal health rules require that, both for commercial and non-commercial movement of dogs and cats entering into the Union, the animals must be identified with a microchip. To reinforce these traceability provisions, the owners or persons responsible for dogs and cats entering into the Union should ensure their registration in one of the Member States’ databases at the place of destination. This will provide for greater control on the movements of those animals.

Recital 6 a (new): (6a) This Regulation introduces mandatory registration, reinforced controls on online sales, and enhanced traceability of dogs and cats, with transition periods of up to 10 years in order to allow the relevant authorities to prepare. It further stresses the importance of Union-wide standards for responsible breeding to prevent detrimental health and welfare impacts on dogs and cats. This Regulation addresses these issues by establishing clear welfare requirements and ensuring that breeding practices uphold the highest standards.

Recital 7: (7) Illegal trade in cats and dogs from outside the EU has been increasing. Current EU rules on the movements of dogs and cats into the EU, such as the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 and of the Animal Health Law, do not contain sufficient tools to prevent this illegal trade. This means that additional rules to fight illegal trade in dogs and cats are required. Existing animal health rules require that, both for commercial and non-commercial movement of dogs and cats entering into the Union, the animals must be identified with a microchip. To reinforce these traceability provisions, the owners or persons responsible for dogs and cats entering into the Union should ensure their registration in one of the Member States’ databases at the place of destination. This will provide for greater control on the movements of those animals.

Recital 24: (24) WellThe distress and suffering of dogs and cats during training activities by untrained or poorly educated handlers can have detrimental effects on the behavioural patterns of dogs and cats, with possible risks to human health and safety and the environment. Therefore, well trained and skilled staff are essential for improving the welfare conditions of animals.animals, including when breeding, keeping and handling dogs intended for military, police and customs services. Competencies in animal welfare require knowledge of the basic behavioural patterns and needs of the species concerned. Animal caretakers should have the competencies in animal welfare relevant to their tasks and the animals they handle, in order to avoid inflicting pain, distress and suffering on dogs and cats. Animal caretakers and relevant authorities, including government agencies should regularly update their competences through training programmes.programmes promoting training methods such as ‘operant conditioning’, prioritising positive reinforcement, instead of methods based on punishment.

Recital 36: (36) Procedures with the purpose of altering the appearance of or preventing certain behaviours of cats and dogs, such as ear cropping, tail docking, removal of claws and resection of vocal cords, have a serious negative impact on the welfare of cats and dogs. These procedures cause pain and prevent cats and dogs from expressing innate behaviours. For this reason, they should can only be allowed if performed by a veterinarian and only when necessary for medical reasons. However, for certain breeds, f.e. for hunting dogs, such procedures could be allowed for prophylactic, diagnostic and/or therapeutic reasons, and only if carried out by a veterinarian. In specific contexts and regions of Europe, tail docking may also be justified to prevent tail injuries, provided it is based on a full and thorough medical evaluation.

Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point b: (b) the traceability of dogs and cats placed on the Union market.

Amendments 282 and 311

Article 1 – paragraph 1 – point b

Amendment: (b) the traceability of dogs and cats bred or kept in the Union or placed on the Union market.

Article 2 – paragraph 2 b (new): 2b. Notwithstanding paragraph 2 of this Article, the requirements relating to identification and registration laid down in Article 17 shall apply to all dogs and cats held under the responsibility of natural persons.

Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 5: 5. ‘placing on the market’ means the sale, offering for sale, distribution or any other form of transfer of ownership or responsibilityresponsibility, ofwhether dogsin return for payment or catsfree inof thecharge, courseexcluding occasional and irregular donations of asmall commercialnumbers activity,of whetherdogs inand returncats forby paymentnatural orpersons freeby means other than via the intermediation of charge,an online platform, as well as the advertising of dogsanimals orfor catsthe online;above purposes;

Article 4 – paragraph 1 – indent 1: – breeding establishments keeping up to four bitches and producing in total three litters or less per establishment and calendar year;

Article 4 – paragraph 1 – indent 1: – a breeding establishment where at most two litters per calendar year are produced for placing on the market shall only be subject to the obligations laid down in Article 5, Article 6(1), (1a) and (1b), Articles 6a, 7 and 8, Article 11(2), (3) and (4), Article 12(3), (4) and (7), Article 13(2), points (b), (c) and (d), Article 14(2), (3), (4) and (5a), Article 15 and Article 15a(1).

Article 6 – paragraph 2: 2. Operators shall ensure that dogs and cats are handled by a suitable number of animal caretakers to meet the welfare needs of dogs or cats kept in their establishments.

Article 8 – paragraph 22: –“An subparagraphanimal 2:is “Asnot a toy. Buying or adopting an animal is a life-changing decision. As an animal owner, you are obliged to ensure that its health and well-being needs are met at all times. Taking care of an animal requiredrequires financial resources. Abandonment of pets goes against responsible care.” Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as imposing a general monitoring obligation on the provider ofIt theis onlineforbidden platformto withinabandon the meaning ofanimal Articleonce 8it ofis Regulationin (EU)your 2022/2065.“care.”

Article 10 – paragraph 1 – point a: (a) ensure that the establishments under their responsibility receive a visit by a veterinarian... by[1 year after the date of application of this RegulationRegulation] or within the first year from the date of the notification of a new establishment, for the purposeestablishments ofunder identifyingtheir andresponsibility assessingreceive, anyat riskleast factoronce fora theyear, welfarean ofunannounced thevisit dogsby andan catsofficial andveterinarian, advisinghired by the operatorcompetent onauthority, measuresfor tothe addresspurpose of identifying and assessing any risk factor for animal welfarewelfare, andadvising tothe followoperator upor onthe actionsnatural takenor bylegal person responsible for the operatorshelter inon responsemeasures to recommendations madeaddress byrisks visitingfor veterinarian;animal thereafterwelfare, thehealth visitsand fromthe aenvironment veterinarianand, shallif takethe placefindings whenindicate appropriate,severe basedrisk onfactors, a risk analysisreport byto the competent authorities;authority Memberin Statesaccordance maywith provideRegulation for(EU) that2017/625 theand advisorya welfarefollow-up visitsvisit arewithin annual;two months;

Article 12 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 a (new): Keeping or selling dogs or cats in pet shops shall be prohibited.

Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point e a (new): (ea) if available, relevant health related information shall be provided to the acquirer of a dog or a cat, including information on vaccination, allergies, health conditions and on responsible ownership in accordance with articleArticle 8(1). / Point (a) shall not apply to breeding establishments where livestock guardian dogs are kept during the periods when such dogs are used for herding or training purposes.

Article 14 – paragraph 2 – point d: (d) procedures for hygienic, health or reproductive purpose;

Article 14 – paragraph 2 – point e: (e) medical treatment.

Article 15 – paragraph 1 a (new): 1a. The medical indication for the mutilation and details of procedure to be carried out,shallout, shall be documented by a veterinarian. This document shall be retained by the operator until the dog or cat, along with this document, are transferred to another establishment or owner. The operator of the establishment responsible for the dog or cat when the mutilation was performed by the veterinarian shall retain a copy of the document for three years. / By way of derogation, Member States may allow ear cropping by notching or tipping cat ears in the context of marking stray cats when neutered under trap-neuter programmes.

Article 15 – paragraph 3 a (new): 3a. By way of derogation from paragraph 3: / (a) the practices referred to in point (c) of paragraph 3 may be performed for medical reasons and limited to the minimum period necessary; / (b) the practice referred to in points (b), (c) and (d) of paragraph 3 may be performed or public health, public safety, security in which cases the duration shall be limited to the minimum time necessary and the dog or cat shall be supervised. / Member States may grant derogations from paragraph 3 for dogs intended for use in military, police or customs services.

Article 17 – paragraph 1 b (new): 1b. Operators of selling establishments, shelters, and those responsible for unwanted, abandoned, stray, lost or confiscated dogs and cats that enter their establishments or come under their responsibility shall ensure that dogs and cats are individually identified within 30/1530 days after their arrival at the establishment and in any event before the date of their placing on the market.

Article 17 – paragraph 1 e (new): 1e. From ... [5 years from the date of entry into force of this Regulation], all dogs kept shall be individually identified in accordance with paragraph 1. / From ... [10 years from the date of entry into force of this Regulation], all cats kept shall be individually identified in accordance with paragraph 1.

Article 19 – paragraph 2 b (new): 2b. The Commission and the competent authorities of Member States shall co-operate to establish and maintain a publicly accessible database of animal shelter establishments across the Union, ensuring transparency and accountability in the adherence to animal welfare law.

Article 21 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 2: deleted

Article 21 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 2: In case the dogs or cats entering into the Union are not yet registered in a Member State database as referred to in Article 19(1), they shall be registered in the database of the Member State of entry by a veterinarian at the Union border. The registration shall be made in the name of the owner or person responsible for the animal and it shall record the establishment of origin listed in accordance with paragraph 2. Member States may allow the registration by persons other than veterinarians, provided that they have measures in place to ensure the accuracy of information inserted in the database.

Article 25 – paragraph 1: 1. This Regulation shall not prevent Member States from maintaining or adopting any stricter national rules aimed at a more extensive protection of the welfare of dogs and cats, kept in establishments and to their traceability, provided that those rules are not inconsistent with this Regulation and do not interfere with the proper functioning of the internal market. Before Member States shall inform the Commission about such national rules. The Commission shall bring them to the attention of the other Member States.

Article 26 – paragraph 1 a (new): 1a. By 2... [2 years from the date of entry into force of this Regulation], the Commission shall assess the possibility of registering dogs and cats, in accordance with Article 21(3), upon their entry into the Union, and shall present a report on its main findings to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.

Article 26 – paragraph 2 a (new): 2a. By ... [5 years after the date of entry into force of this Regulation], the Commission shall: / (a) carry out an evaluation and a review of this Regulation, including an assessment of a possible maximum age for the breeding of dogs and cats; / (b) carry out an assessment of the situation of stray animals; / (c) establish a list of animal species allowed to be kept and placed on the market, where a prior impact assessment has shown its added value and feasibility; / (d) assess the potential extension of the scope of this Regulation to include other animals by amending this Regulation; / (e) assess the possibility of using alternative means of identification which are less invasive than the implantation of a transponder; and / (f) present a report on the main findings of points (a) to (e) to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the Committee of the Regions.

Article 27 – paragraph 2 a (new): Considering the administrative burden of animal shelters and organisations responsible for the management of populations of stray dogs and cats in addition to the existing economic constraints, Member States may explore the capabilities of streamlining resources recovered from infringements of this Regulation to support and cover the administrative and operational costs of shelters and organisations responsible for the management of stray populations of dogs or cats.

Annex I – point 1 – point 1.1 – point b: deleted

Annex I – point 2 – point 2.2 a (new): 2.2 a.2.2a. Dogs shall have access to an outdoor area or shall be walked daily for a minimum of 1 hour per day in total, or to allow exercise, exploration and socialisation

Annex I – point 3 – point 3.4 a (new): 3.4 a.3.4a. Any bitch or queen that has undergone two cesarean sections shall no longer be used for breeding

Annex I – point 3 – point 3.4 b (new): 3.4 b.3.4b. Before any bitch aged 8 years or more and any queen aged 6 years or more, is used for breeding, it must have been physically examined by a veterinarian who confirms in writing that, at the time of the examination, there are no counter-indications to pregnancy. The operator shall keep the written confirmation referred for a period of at least 3 years