Animal welfare in danger: Despite the millions of sales, no control for hobby breeders!

Animal welfare in danger: Despite the millions of sales, no control for hobby breeders!

In Austria, thousands of hobby breeds for dogs and cats are registered. These breeders: Inside, only have to report to the district administrative authority without a mandatory control. These lax regulations create an environment in which illegal business can thrive, report animal welfare organizations such as "four paws". According to a parliamentary request from December 2022, there are 3,751 dog and 2,611 cat breeders in seven federal states, except Vienna and Tyrol.

Only 26 of these breeders are approved and are subject to legal controls. In view of these figures, it is not surprising that the state avoid millions of tax revenue. The reason for this lies in the fact that both sales from hobby breeds and their possible profit expectations are not taxable. "Four paws" estimates that the annual turnover from the sale of dog racial puppies over 61 million euros and the sale of cat puppies is over 36 million euros-everything tax-free. Veronika Weissenböck of "Four Paws" describes this development as a blatant grievance.

criticism of legislation and its consequences

The animal welfare organization also criticizes that buyers are often cheated. Often sick or traumatized animals with fake documents come to them. The current legislation, which is referred to as "lax", enables such practices under the guise of hobby breeding. A newer amendment to the Animal Welfare Act has further softened the regulations on hobby breeding; Previously, hobby breeders were allowed to hold a maximum of two reproductive bitches and four cats. Now only a limitation of the throwing numbers applies.

The lack of control gives off -veterinarians: inside there is hardly any ways to check compliance with the hobby breeding conditions. "Four paws" therefore demands that not only breeders who are subject to approval should be subject to strict requirements. The required measures include regular, mandatory checks and minimum breeding -specific minimum standards for posture conditions.

regulations for animal husbandry

The Austrian Animal Welfare Act (TSchG), which came into force on January 1, 2005 and was most recently amended in 2022, already contains essential regulations for the protection of pets. For example, dogs and cats may not be sold or issued in zoo shops, and the import and the imparting of animals with agony traits are prohibited. A violation of these provisions, such as the suspension of animals or the reasonless killing, is also prohibited.

Legislation also stipulates that animal owners: inside must have the necessary knowledge and skills in order to comply with the legal provisions. This also includes that the animals are kept in a species -appropriate manner, which includes space, freedom of movement and social contacts. The submission of animals to minors under the age of 16 is only allowed with the consent of the legal guardians.

These legal regulations and the improvements required by "Four Paws" should help improve the situation for animals in Austria and to prevent illegal practices in hobby breeding that affect both animal welfare and tax matters.