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Welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability

TA-10-2025-0135 · P10_TA(2025)0135 · PE766.982

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Parliament's amended version of the proposed regulation on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability lays down rules for breeding, keeping, placing on the market and importing dogs and cats, including identification and registration requirements. It prohibits certain practices, sets housing and care standards, requires approval of breeding establishments, and mandates traceability through microchipping and databases. It also regulates imports, online sales, and calls for national measures on information campaigns and prevention of abandonment.

Key points

  1. The regulation applies to breeding, keeping, placing on the market and entry into the Union of dogs and cats, but excludes animals for scientific purposes or clinical trials, and certain private keepers and agricultural holdings.
  2. Operators must follow welfare principles, not abuse or abandon animals, and ensure breeding strategies avoid detrimental genotypes and excessive conformational traits.
  3. Breeding establishments need approval from competent authorities after on-site inspection, and a public list of approved establishments must be maintained.
  4. Operators must provide written information to acquirers on responsible ownership and the animal's needs, and online advertisements must display a warning.
  5. Animal caretakers must have specific competences, and establishments must receive annual unannounced visits by an official veterinarian.
  6. Feeding and housing requirements are set, including daily access to outdoor areas for dogs, prohibition of keeping dogs or cats in containers except in specified cases, and a ban on keeping or selling dogs or cats in pet shops.
  7. Health measures include daily inspections, veterinary treatment, and euthanasia only by a veterinarian with operator consent; euthanasia in shelters as population management is prohibited.
  8. Breeding restrictions include minimum ages, a maximum of three litters within two years, a one-year recuperation period after three litters, and a ban on breeding after two cesarean sections.
  9. Mutilations are prohibited unless medically indicated and performed by a veterinarian; certain handling practices like using prong collars are banned.
  10. Dogs and cats must be individually identified with a microchip and registered in a national database; deadlines vary from 3 to 10 years after entry into force.
  11. Online platforms must facilitate compliance with identification and registration proof requirements, and a free public verification system must be set up.
  12. Imports into the Union require compliance with welfare rules, listing of third countries and establishments, and registration in a Member State database within two working days of entry.

Who is affected

  • Operators of breeding establishments, selling establishments, shelters, and foster homes must comply with welfare and traceability rules.
  • Veterinarians are responsible for implanting microchips, performing euthanasia, and conducting welfare visits.
  • Online platforms intermediating the sale of dogs and cats must adapt their interfaces to require proof of identification and registration.
  • Importers of dogs and cats into the Union must ensure registration in a Member State database within two working days of entry.
  • Member States must establish databases, approve breeding establishments, and lay down penalties for infringements.

Figures and deadlines

  • One litter per species per household per 18 months for private keepers excluded from scope.
  • Maximum of two litters per calendar year for small breeding establishments.
  • Foster homes keeping five dogs or less or ten cats or less are exempt from certain rules.
  • Identification of dogs within 3 months after birth, cats within 30 days after arrival.
  • Registration within two working days after identification.
  • Dogs must be identified within 5 years, cats within 10 years from entry into force.
  • Maximum of three litters within a period of 2 years for bitches and queens.
  • Recuperation period of at least 1 year after three litters.