It should have been a breakthrough for animal welfare. But after the vote in yesterday’s agricultural committee of the EU parliament, there is a bitter disappointment in many places: instead of hard measures against the billion dollar trade with dog puppies and cat barn, only a widely compromise should come that some politicians also celebrate as a success.
The plan sounded promising: clear rules for breeding, online sales and attitude, minimum sizes for housings, ban on painful interventions – but ultimately only meshes and lazy compromises remain in the eyes of animal rights activists.
Even so -called “hobby breeders” will remain excluded from compliance with animal welfare ministers in the EU. This means, for example, that you do not have to offer the animals access to clean water, neither sufficient food or safe and hygienic handling conditions, writes the animal protection organization “Four Paws” in a broadcast.
Non -consusable of
“A historical opportunity was played,” says Veronika Weissenböck “Four Paws” alarm. In particular outrageous: a mandatory labeling with chip and registration in a database for dogs and cats is included, but only applies to animals of controlled breeding companies! “This means that illegal trade in Europe remains de facto legal, because the origin of animals of dubious ‘hobby breeding’ is still not transparent. Neither for the authority nor for the buyer,” said Weissenböck.
EU law “Tandless like an old hunting dog”
The green EU MP Thomas Waitz also finds clear words: “This is a knee for unscrupulous stores. The fight against illegal animal trade is only half-hearted. That is betrayal in animal welfare.”
The conservative ÖVP, on the other hand, is facilitated by the compromise found for the EU animal protection regulation, his Mandatar Alexander Bernhuber indicates the prevention of a “chip obligation for farmers”, and that this saves unnecessary costs and bureaucratic efforts.
Interest conflict
Of course animal rights activists see it differently: “With its applications and change requests, the ÖVP has contributed considerably to the fact that this law is now toothless,” says Thomas Waitz.
No big nest
Also “Kroon” animal expert Maggie Duckfellner wonders: “What is not a practice if cats need to be chopped? When everyone knows, where a puppy comes from? When criminal dealers can finally no longer act in the dark? Practical closeness.”
How it goes on
After the vote in the EU parliament agricultural committee, the draft of the new PET regulation will probably be voted in the plenary meeting in July. Only then does the so-called trilogue procedure, in which the Parliament, the Council of the Member States and the EU committee must negotiate a definitive legal text.
Various central points that were not taken into account in the currently available committee text – including the mandatory traceability of dogs and cats, also in areas such as scientific research, as well as further protective measures for stray populations – must be re -introduced into the plenary mood.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
