Answer given by Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission
13.9.2021
The issue raised by the Honourable Member relates to breaches of EU legislation.
The animal health requirements for movement of dogs and cats between Member States, when they are moved to be sold (commercial movement) or when they move with their owner (non-commercial movement), are laid down in Regulation (EU) 2016/429 (Animal Health Law — AHL)[1] and its supplementing legislation.
The AHL provides that regulation (EU) No 576/2013[2] laying down the animal health requirements applicable to non-commercial movement of pet animals applies until 21 April 2026.
This legal framework provides that dogs and cats moved to another Member State are individually identified and accompanied by an individual identification document containing the relevant animal health requirements.
The individual identification of the dogs and cats is indicated on the individual identification document, creating in this way a link between the animals and the documentation accompanying them and therefore ensuring traceability.
The AHL replaced and further strengthened the traceability requirements by introducing the following new elements:
— Compulsory registration of establishments breeding dogs and cats, regardless of whether animals are to be moved to other Member States or not;
— Compulsory registration of transporters engaged in the transportation of dogs and cats between Member States; and
— Approval obligation for shelters and assembly centres from which dogs and cats are moved to another Member State.
This legal framework provides a suitable basis to competent authorities of Member States to fulfil their responsibility of controlling movements of companion animals.
- [1] Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’) (OJ L 84, 31.3.2016, p. 1).
- [2] Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 on the non-commercial movement of pet animals and repealing Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 (OJ L 178, 28.6.2013, p. 1).