Thanks to Flanders, a European framework for the welfare of cats and dogs will become a reality

EU-wide minimum standards for breeding and trading cats and dogs will be introduced for the first time. Flanders made use of the EU presidency to put animal welfare on the European agenda and this is now paying off: after months of work behind the scenes, representatives of the EU Member States have now concluded a historic agreement. For the first time, there will be minimum standards for all breeders in the EU, clear agreements on microchipping and a ban on inbreeding and mutilations, among other things. “We first established animal welfare as a fully developed competence at the Flemish level. And now we are extending this to the European level,” says Flemish Minister for Animal Welfare Ben Weyts. “For the first time, there will be EU legislation aimed at more and better welfare of pets. This is a historic step for the European Union and for the 72 million dogs and 83 million cats in the EU, of course.”

Flanders has been pursuing an ambitious animal welfare policy for the past 10 years, increasingly feeling the need for a European approach. Flemish Minister for Animal Welfare Ben Weyts therefore made use of the European presidency to put animal welfare high on the European agenda. After all, there are so many challenges that overarch the individual Member States. An example is the trade in cats and dogs, which is often organised internationally, with breeders who breed animals in Eastern Europe that end up with Flemish families. Until now, there has only been limited European legislation, for example, to prevent the spread of rabies and other diseases and to protect laboratory animals. The protection of the millions of cats and dogs kept as pets was primarily governed by national regulations, which varied significantly from one country to another. As a result, there were insufficient guarantees for animal welfare, as well as inadequate assurances of fair competition and consumer protection.

EU-wide standards like those in Flanders

Thanks to the agreement, EU-wide standards for breeding and trading cats and dogs will be introduced for the first time. Flanders provided the blueprint for this. It includes clear standards for breeders and traders regarding the general living conditions of their animals, from sufficient clean drinking water to regular walks or access to an outdoor area, a restriction on the number of litters per animal, mandatory recognition for more than four breeding animals, a ban on mutilations (such as ear cropping or tail docking), a mandatory microchip for every animal, and so on. These are all practices that have already become widely implemented in Flanders thanks to Ben Weyts’ policy.

A European heart for animals

“I am proud that Flanders has taken the lead on this. The EU is showing today that it wants to work not only for cold trade interests or geopolitics, but also for animals,” says Weyts. “A great many Europeans have a big heart for animals and it is time for the EU to reflect that. We are now laying a good foundation to develop an animal policy further at the European level in the coming years. Flanders has already shown in recent years that this can be done.”