Document type : news item from Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
Author: French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
Preview: The French Observatory for the Protection of Domestic Carnivores (OCAD) was set up by the country's Minister for Agriculture in May 2021. Its purpose is to discover, monitor and assess the situations of dogs, cats and ferrets in France, with a view to providing an objective account of the facts and contributing to the development of public policies on animal protection.
The OCAD steering committee brings together all actors involved in animal protection: representatives of associations, pounds, breeders, pet shops, veterinarians, stud book managers, manufacturers, the French Association of Mayors, the French Reference Centre for Animal Welfare (FRCAW) and the French Ministry of Agriculture, and is responsible for specifying the overall directions of OCAD's work.
The FRCAW is the expert body responsible for carrying out work commissioned by the OCAD steering committee. The latter then discusses the expert opinions delivered at its request and formulates views on the matter in question.
The OCAD also draws on information from databases that collect data relevant to the expert appraisal body's analysis: the French national domestic carnivore identification database (I-CAD) and the national animal operators database, set up under the French "Animal Health" Act. Further databases may be added to the list as the OCAD's work progresses.
The terms of reference for the collaboration between the various members of the steering committee are set out in a framework agreement, signed by all members.
All expert reports produced by the FRCAW for the OCAD are available on the FRCAW website: https://www.cnr-bea.fr/expertise-avis-travaux/#animaux-ocad
The first mission entrusted to the OCAD by the Minister for Agriculture is on the subject of abandonment, an issue that must first be assessed before actions can be put in place to combat its occurrence. An initial report was submitted to the members of the steering committee on March 4, 2022. A summary of the Steering Committee's views on this first appraisal was approved by the committee's members in March 2023.
Synthèse des avis du comité de pilotage de l’OCAD
