EU passes first animal welfare rules banning harmful breeding practices
Brussels: The European Parliament has approved the bloc’s first set of animal welfare rules aimed at ending harmful breeding and ownership practices for dogs and cats.
The measure passed with 558 votes in favor, 35 against, and 52 abstentions. Already green-lit by the European Council, the law will take effect for breeders and organizations that sell or adopt animals in four years.
The legislation bans all breeding practices that cause physical deformation for aesthetic appeal, including “exaggerated traits.” The law did not list specific breeds. It states that breeding strategies driven by marketing can cause dogs and cats to develop “excessive conformational traits” that lead to significant health problems. Breeders must exclude such traits from breeding programs.
Legal experts say courts may have to determine whether popular breeds like pugs, bulldogs, or most purebred domestic cats fall under the ban over the next decade.
The law also prohibits inbreeding of first-order relatives or those once removed, along with hybridization with non-domestic animals.
Beyond breeding, the rules target how cats and dogs enter the EU market. The text outlines welfare requirements for animals imported from non-EU countries without established welfare standards. It also regulates sales by breeders posing as private owners and by breeders who source animals from shelters or persons where welfare standards were not observed.
