The European Parliament approves a resolution calling for legislation that better respects animal rights, with a focus on combating illegal trafficking of pets and encouraging adoption over purchase.
The European Parliament has taken a historic step forward in animal protection by approving a resolution to combat the illegal trafficking of dogs and cats, bringing to the fore their nature as "sentient beings" with dignity and rights. The resolution calls on the Commission and member states to adopt, by 2024, measures to counter the illegal trade in pets as part of future legislative activity, but it does not stop there, also setting out a series of guidelines for progress in the field of animal rights.
The fight against the illegal trade in pets — a cause of suffering for dogs and cats bred with no regard for health and welfare — has in practice become a source of illicit profit for individuals and criminal organisations that have found a lucrative and low-risk business in the black market for domestic animals. The lack of precautions in the weaning of puppies also means that the clandestine sale of sick animals without the necessary vaccination plan encourages the spread of diseases that in some cases can be transmitted to humans.
Read also: In Puglia un moderno disegno di legge per i diritti animali
The European Parliament's non-legislative resolution will need to be translated into binding rules that take into account how, in some cases, it is countries within the European Union itself — in particular eastern European and Balkan nations — that are selling animals bred without respect for the most basic health and hygiene standards; animals that will then flood into those countries with more advanced legislation on animal rights protection, such as Italy. It is no coincidence that the Guardia di finanza and forestry authorities have frequently stopped vehicles at borders carrying "pedigree" puppies destined for direct sale in shops or at trade fairs.
With stricter rules applied across all 27 EU member states, the hope is to curb this trafficking, which finds in social media and online enthusiast groups yet another prime vehicle for the unregulated trade in animals lacking health certificates and documents proving their breed and freedom from hereditary diseases. To this end, member states are called upon to regulate online pet advertisements in order to put an end to misleading publicity, by introducing mandatory requirements for individual platforms.
An important point of the resolution is the recommendation to prioritise the adoption of abandoned animals. The phenomenon of stray animals is unfortunately widespread at every latitude, and there is not always legislation in place — as there is in Italy — that provides for the protection of homeless animals, who are taken in and housed in facilities supported by the community. Often, where the lifelong care of strays is not guaranteed, they are put down if, within a period that varies from country to country, they are not taken in by a family. In doing so, the European Parliament has emphasised the need to adopt rather than purchase, thereby protecting the lives of abandoned dogs taken in by kennels and shelters.
The resolution aims to give uniform and precise rules to EU countries on breeding practices, intervening first and foremost in relation to so-called puppy farms — that is, breeding operations aimed not at selecting breeds according to standard, but solely at producing animals to be put on the market with no rules or limits, perhaps simply following the fashions of the moment.
The resolution therefore calls on the competent authorities of member states to strictly enforce EU Regulation No 576/2013 on the non-commercial movement of pet animals, ensuring the rehoming of all animals seized in the context of illegal trade. It also calls on member states to adequately support rescue centres by organising adoption campaigns. Finally, emphasis is placed on the identification and registration of dogs and cats, which is to become an obligation across the whole of Europe. The microchip must always be implanted by a vet, and all persons who have played a role in an animal's life must be entered into the databases — not only owners, therefore, but also vets, breeders, sellers and transporters, so as to be able to trace a complete chain of custody valid at every moment of the puppy's life.