Document type: answer to question 11032 published in the Journal officiel de la République française of 19/09/2023
Authors: question: Anne-Laurence Petel (Renaissance - Bouches-du-Rhône ). Answer: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty
Question: Ms. Anne-Laurence Petel draws the attention of the Secretary of State for Biodiversity at the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, to the advisability of introducing a keeper's licence when acquiring an animal. In France, 2023 has once again been unfortunately marked by an alarming number of animal abandonments: the Société protectrice des animaux has reported 20,000 abandonments since the start of 2023, including 12,000 in the summer. The result is that animal shelters are uother small companion animalsceptably overburdened. To combat this scourge, the law of November 30, 2021 initiated a legislative draft aimed at making future pet owners more responsible, by introducing a certificate of commitment and knowledge prior to acquiring an animal. Nevertheless, in view of the persistent risk of abandonment, it now seems imperative to strengthen the legislative framework by introducing, in addition to the aforementioned certificate, a possession permit for acquiring an animal. While the majority of French people are in favor of this system, several countries have recently introduced it, such as Belgium since 2022. Although Article 522-2 of the French Penal Code provides for a ban (permanent or otherwise) on owning an animal for anyone convicted of intentionally harming an animal, there is currently no way of verifying whether a person has been convicted of such offences at the time of purchase. She would therefore like to know whether the Government intends to pursue the legislative evolution initiated by the law of November 30, 2021, by introducing a possession permit prior to the acquisition of an animal.
Answer: The reduction of abandonments is a priority goal in combating pet abuse. A plan to combat pet abandonment was launched in December 2020. Numerous actions have been undertaken in recent years, including changes to the country's legislative and regulatory framework following the adoption of Law no. 2021-1539 of November 30, 2021 to combat animal abuse and strengthen the bond between animals and humans. The adoption of this law has already made it possible to impose tougher penalties for abandonment or any other act of animal abuse. Since then, three implementing decrees have been published. Decree no. 2022-1012 of July 18, 2022 on the protection of companion animals and equidae against animal abuse sets out the terms and conditions for the publication of online sales offers and the monitoring and control procedures in force since July 1, 2023 for domestic carnivores. In addition to these controls, mandatory awareness-raising messages to be included in advertisements will be defined by decree. This measure is intended to restrict trafficking in dogs and cats, and reduce ill-considered acquisitions based on nothing more than a simple advertisement on a website. The decree also specifies the procecedures for the introduction of certificates of commitment and knowledge that must be requested from all new pet buyers since October 1, 2022, and from all equine owners since December 31, 2022. These legislative and regulatory achievements are substantial, and form part of a wider scheme implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and financed through the France Relance plan. A total of 35 million euros (M€) has been earmarked for the fight against abandonment, by improving the conditions in which abused animals are cared for and supporting sterilization campaigns. Over 500 projects have been supported across France. 30 million was allocated directly to animal protection associations that look after abandoned animals, to enable them to expand or renovate their accommodation, or to conduct sterilization campaigns for stray cats and dogs in partnership with local authorities. Funding has also been provided for the medical care of animals belonging to the destitute or homeless to encourage veterinary provision for these animals and, more particularly, to encourage sterilization as the first step in preventing the abandonment of unwanted young animals. Additionally, to optimize the work of animal protection associations, aid has been allocated to national associations entrusted by the Ministry of Agriculture to train and raise the awareness of local associations. Moreover, to complement these actions, an additional €1m has been earmarked to support animal protection shelters and associations under the 2023 Finance Act. In the absence of reliable data on abandonments, and due to the lack of knowledge of the circumstances that can lead to the abandonment of an animal, the first Observatory for the Protection of Domestic Carnivores (OCAD) was established in 2021, with a steering committee that includes all categories of stakeholders in the care of pets, including the voluntary sector, professionals, scientists and representatives of national and local authorities and public bodies. OCAD's mission is to provide recommendations on public policy, and it has already begun the initial task of gathering and analyzing the information needed to provide an independent scientific assessment of pet abandonment. Last, since the summer period is marked by a sharp rise in pet abandonment, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty this summer launched its third awareness-raising campaign to prevent abandonment.
