Document type: answer to Question 5241 published in the Journal officiel de la République française
Authors: question: Ian Boucard (Les Républicains - Territoire de Belfort) Answer: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
Question: Mr. Ian Boucard draws the attention of the French Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty to the implementation of the provisions relating to the management of stray cats introduced by Law 2021-1539 of 30 November 2021. Indeed, Article 11 of the above Act made provision for the publication, within six months of the Act's promulgation, of a report on the matter of stray cats that would, in particular, quantify the problem, estimate the cost of capture and sterilization, and formulate sustainable and practical recommendations to address the issue. However, over a year since the promulgation of this Act, it would appear that this report has still not been published nor placed before Parliament. Similarly, it would appear from the information report on the enforcement of Law 2021-1539 of November 30 2021, submitted by the Economic Affairs Commission in December 2022, that the experimental work provided for in article 12 of the same law has not been implemented either. The issue of local authority management of stray cats was hotly debated during the review stages of the bill because of the importance of the topic, not only because of the ethical concerns it raises, but also due to its implications for public order, public health and funding. The Deputy also regrets that more of the funds allocated to animal protection as part of the France Relance plan were not channelled towards the implementation of this experimental work provided for in the Act, in order to engage local councils in an upward spiral of local cat sterilization with the support of national governmnt. Given the delay in implementing these measures, he would like to know what concrete follow-up will be made to these legal provisions and to what extent the State intends to support local authorities in implementing ethical and sustainable policies for sterilizing stray cats.
Answer: The issue of stray animals is a major concern, given the health and animal welfare issues it raises. Current legislation provides for stray animals to be impounded under the authority of local mayors. An alternative, consisting of the capture, sterilization and release of groups of cats, is authorized under article L. 211-27 of the French Rural and Maritime Fishing Code. This solution has the advantage of avoiding the repopulation of sites. However, it calls for monitoring of the released population and requires a substantial budget for the capture, veterinary interventions and proper feeding of the animals. Its funding relies variously on town halls and animal protection associations. Finance for these operations appears to present a major obstacle to the implementation of the system. Law 2021-1539 of November 30 2021 to combat animal abuse and strengthen the bond between animals and humans asked the Government to produce two reports on the subject of stray cats. The first, setting out a quantified picture of the stray cat population in France and containing further recommendations and funding proposals, is being prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty. It will be based on interviews with local actors, local elected officials, animal protection associations, and veterinarians. It will also seek to identify various areas for the improvement and financing of actions to reduce the stray cat population. The second report will concentrate on actions taken at inter-municipal level; work on it will begin in the first half of 2023. Prior to the publication of these reports, and in order to act quickly, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty has initiated several actions to combat feline abandonment and straying. To this end, a budget of 29 million euros has been allocated to animal protection associations that take in abandoned dogs or cats or sterilize stray animals. 416 sterilization programs have been financed through the Recovery Plan, to a total of more than 5 million euros. In addition, the sterilization of private cats is encouraged by Vétérinaire pour Tous association, which has also received funds through the Recovery Plan. Last, in May 2021, the Minister of Agriculture created the Observatory for the Protection of Domestic Carnivores (OCAD), which will monitor and evaluate the circumstances of pet carnivores in France in order to guide public policies in the area of animal protection. Given that the first issue to be addressed by the OCAD is the abandonment of dogs and cats, the subject of stray cats will be treated there.
