Mandatory microchipping of all dogs and cats kept in the EU and a ban on their sale in pet shops are among new proposals put forward by a European Parliament committee.
With around 44% of Union citizens keeping a pet, the trade in dogs and cats has grown considerably in recent years and is worth €1.3 billion a year, according to the Commission. Around 60% of owners purchase their dogs or cats online. In the absence of unified minimum animal welfare standards for dogs and cats across the member states, the Commission proposed these new rules in 2023.
The first ever minimum EU standards for the breeding, housing, and handling of cats and dogs would also Registration of dogs and cats imported for both commercial and non-commercial purposes.
MEPs want all dogs and cats kept in the EU to be individually identifiable with a microchip.
They also demand that microchipped dogs and cats be registered in interoperable national databases. Microchip identification numbers, along with information about the corresponding national database, should be stored in a single index database managed by the Commission.
Keeping or selling dogs and cats in pet shops must be prohibited, say MEPs.
MEPs want to extend the rules to cover not only imports for commercial purposes but also non-commercial movements of the animals. This is to close potential loopholes that would allow dogs and cats to enter the EU as non-commercial pets only to be subsequently sold.
Dogs and cats imported from third countries for sale would have to be microchipped before their entry into the EU, and then registered in a national database. Pet owners entering the EU would be obliged to pre-register their microchipped animal on an online database, at least five working days before arrival.
Breeding between parents and offspring, grandparents and grandchildren, as well as between siblings and half-siblings, must be prohibited, stress MEPs. MEPs also want a ban on the breeding of dogs or cats that have excessive conformational traits leading to a high risk of detrimental effects on their welfare, as well as a prohibition on these animals – and mutilated dogs and cats – being used in shows, exhibitions, or competitions.
Tethering, except when necessary for medical treatment, and the use of prong and choke collars without safety tops must be prohibited, add MEPs.
Adopted text (19.6.2025) – European Parliament
EP Research Service: Welfare and traceability of dogs and cats
