Keith Taylor, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Madam President, I have two questions for the Commissioner to consider. In October last year the UK RSPCA brought a successful legal action against a criminal gang which was smuggling puppies into Great Britain. The gang was making over GBP 35 000 a week selling sick and dying dogs while pretending to be bona fide traders. Whilst the gang was successfully prosecuted, this clearly is not an isolated case. Does the Commissioner agree that this highlights the degree to which this trade is criminal and represents cross-border organised crime, tax evasion and fraud?

Secondly, correctly identifying the age of a puppy or a kitten as meeting the legal requirement of 15 weeks is almost impossible at present. Unless there is a mandatory registration within the first few weeks of birth, does the Commissioner agree there will be continuing difficulty in establishing animals’ exact ages?

Both of these examples, I believe, underline the clear need for the introduction of a harmonised national system for the identification and registration of pets in each Member State, so please support the resolution when we get a chance to vote on it at the second plenary in February.