Feel-good turn for dogs and cats: EU decision brings new protection!

Feel-good turn for dogs and cats: EU decision brings new protection!

Brüssel, Belgien - On June 3, 2025, the MPs of the European Parliament made a decisive decision to improve the well -being of pets. New minimum standards for the well -being of dogs and cats were adopted with a clear majority in the agricultural committee. The SPÖ-EU MP Günther Sidl described this step as overdue in order to eliminate the suffering of dog puppies and kittens in Europe. The new regulations are aimed exclusively at commercial sellers and, above all, are intended to contain illegal trade in animals.

The central requirements of the new law include mandatory registration of dealers: inside and an EU-wide chip and database obligation to make the origin of the animals understandable. According to the animal welfare organization "Four Paws", the origin of 79 % of the dogs requested in Europe cannot be traceable, which underlines the urgency of such measures.

targeted measures for better animal welfare

The regulation, which represents a compromise on the "dog and cat regulation", aims to counteract illegal breeders, breed and sell animals under unreasonable conditions. One main point of the new regulation is the chip obligation for breeders, which is intended to ensure the traceability of the animals. Private individuals are not affected by this provision, since similar obligations already exist in many EU countries.

The new standards also arouse resistance, especially on the part of the European People's Party. Sidl criticized their negative attitude and pointed out that this was not about annoying bureaucracy, but about improving living conditions for animals. Compared to the high costs and the bureaucratic effort for "farm cats", about which ÖVP-EU MP Alexander Bernhuber expressed concerns, compliance with these standards should generally contribute to improving animal husbandry.

outlook on the plenary vote

The vote today only marks the first step. A plenary vote in the European Parliament is expected before summer. According to this, the Parliament, the Council of Member States and the EU Commission have to agree on a final text. The debate about minimum standards for the attitude, care and breeding of pets is far from over, and critics like the green EU MP Thomas Waitz warn that the law is not stricter enough, especially when it comes to exceptions for dogs abroad

The new regulations are part of a more comprehensive framework that improves animal welfare in the EU as a whole. The EU actively pursues measures to improve living conditions for pets, supplemented by existing guidelines that affect the protection of wild animal species and regulating wildlife trade. Measures to combat illegal animal trade, which are strengthened by the current regulation, are therefore an important step in the right direction.
Further information offers OTS , and additional details are in a report of the Kleine Zeitung as well as on the website of the European Parliament