The European Union (EU) has reached a provisional agreement to create, for the first time, common minimum rules on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats, and this will change the way animals are sold, donated and monitored, affecting breeders, stores, shelters and also those who buy or adopt.
According to the Spanish portal Noticias Trabajo, the understanding was reached between the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament, but it is not yet definitive: it needs formal approval from both institutions to enter into force.
The declared objective is to stop illegal trade, reinforce animal protection and create more uniform rules in a market where, until now, requirements vary greatly from country to country, including in Portugal.
Microchip and registration: the change that will reach almost everyone
The basis of the new package is clear: all dogs and cats in the EU must be microchipped and registered in interoperable national databases (i.e. able to “talk” to each other), with online access.
For commercial activity, the rule is more immediate: before being sold or donated, animals will have to be microchipped and registered, which makes “anonymous” circulation and sales without a clear origin difficult.
For owners who do not sell animals, the timetable is longer: the European Parliament points to mandatory adoption after 10 years in the case of dogs and 15 years in the case of cats, a transition designed to avoid disruptions and allow adaptation.
Limits on creation and stops abusive practices
The agreement also tightens the welfare side, with rules that seek to reduce intensive breeding and health problems associated with breeding. Among the measures is the prohibition of close consanguinity (parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, siblings and half-siblings).
Another sensitive point is breeding aimed at “extreme traits”: the text provides for brakes on the reproduction of animals with exaggerated conformational characteristics when this implies significant risks to health and well-being.
There are also measures that impact competitions and exhibitions: animals with extreme traits or mutilations should be left out of competitions, shows and exhibitions, in an attempt to discourage patterns that harm the animals themselves.
Imports, “travel” and deadlines: why there is so much talk about 2028
For entries coming from outside the EU, and according to , the proposal reinforces traceability: dogs and cats imported to be placed on the market will have to be registered on a national basis within five working days after entry.
And there is a detail that could affect those who travel: the agreement points to a database of “travelers”, with pre-registration by the owner at least five days in advance in non-commercial movements, to help detect suspicious patterns and close loopholes used in trafficking.
As for the calendar, the key idea is this: breeders, sellers and shelters will have four years to prepare, but the application to guardians (without commercial activity) is much later, and everything still depends on final formal approval. This is why there are those who associate the most visible impact with the 2028 horizon, although it is not a “change from one day to the next”.
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