Verbatim report of proceedings

Wednesday, 12 February 2020 - Strasbourg

The illegal trade in companion animals in the EU (B9-0088/2020)

  Vlad-Marius Botoş (Renew). – Madam President, two weeks ago, I had the pleasure to organise a debate in my hometown of Arad, Romania, regarding this issue, with animal lovers. I am glad to see that pets, our best friends, have come to the attention of the European Union and that today we are voting on a motion on this.

It is time that we stopped the illegal pet trade. Trade in cats and dogs must have at the centre the welfare of the animals and the joy they bring to their new owners, not just financial gain. They become part of our families. They are not just objects to buy. Because of that – because of the role they play in our lives – I think it is time to do much more for them. We cannot stop at regulating the trade. We need to consider the lives of the pets too. There are many dogs and cats that are abandoned when humans do not want them anymore. It is a sad reality and any NGO dealing with abandoned pets can give you many sad details about this ugly side of being a pet. This must be regulated, too.

What do we do with the litters of the dogs that the owners do not want? What do we do with the kittens found in sealed bags, discarded at the side of the road? They are not in the trade market. We have to think of European legislation to protect them, too. These unwanted puppies and kittens also deserve our attention. We should be doing something for them.

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