Document type Answer to question n°12993 published in the Journal officiel de la République française
Authors: question: Boris Vallaud (Socialistes et apparentés - Landes). Answer: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty.
Question: Mr. Boris Vallaud draws the attention of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty to measures to promote animal welfare, and in particular the fight against animal abandonment. According to the French Reference Centre for Animal Welfare , 100,000 dogs, cats, other pets and horses are abandoned every year in France. Abandonments are more frequent in the summer, and have exploded since the end of the covid-19 crisis, increasing by 40%. Changes of situation, financial problems, loss of employment, unwanted litters, difficulties living together, weariness, allergies, expanding or reconfigured families, illness, death and holidays are all causes of abandonment. Since 2015, the French Civil Code has defined animals as "living beings endowed with sentience", and acts of abuse are punishable by law and considered by the French Penal Code to constitute an act of cruelty. Despite compulsory identification and a ban on the display of animals for sale in shop windows (applicable only from January 1, 2024), France remains the European country with the highest number of abandoned animals. He therefore asks what measures the government intends to take to adopt a roadmap to combat abandonment, including awareness-raising, communication, assistance and support for shelters and animal protection associations, in order to reduce abandonment and encourage animal welfare.
Answer: Reducing abandonment is a priority objective of ministerial policy to combat animal abuse. In this regard, a plan to combat pet abandonment was launched in December 2020, following which numerous measures were put in place. The adoption of Law no. 2021-1539 of November 30, 2021 to combat animal abuse and strengthen the bond between animals and humans has led to the toughening of penalties for abandonment or any act of animal abuse. Since then, four implementing decrees have been published. Of these, Decree no. 2022-1012 of July 18, 2022, on the protection of pets and equidae against animal abuse, sets out the requirements for the publication of online advertisements for the sale of animals, as well as the monitoring procedures applicable with regard to domestic carnivores since July 1, 2023. It also sets out the procedures for putting in place the system of certificates of commitment and knowledge that must be requested from all new pet buyers since October 1, 2022. In addition, mandatory awareness-raising messages to be included in advertisements have been defined by decree since June 28, 2023. The aim of this measure is to limit trafficking in dogs and cats, as well as ill-considered acquisitions based on a simple advert on an online site. These legislative and regulatory advances are substantial, and form part of a wider scheme implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty and financed through the France Relance plan. In this context, 30 million euros (M€) have been directly allocated to animal protection associations caring for abandoned animals, to enable them to expand or renovate their shelters, or to conduct, in partnership with municipalities, sterilization campaigns for stray cats and dogs. Over 500 projects have been supported and subsidized throughout France. In addition, to optimize the work of animal protection associations, aid has been allocated to national associations to whom the Ministry of Agriculture has entrusted the task of training and raising awareness among local associations. Under the Vétérinaires Pour Tous scheme, the care of animals belonging to those with restricted means or homeless is also financed, to promote veterinary care for these animals and encourage sterilization. Campaigns dedicated to this type of veterinary care are specifically organized with funds from the Recovery Plan. In addition, to add to these efforts, a further €1m has been earmarked to support animal protection shelters and associations under the 2023 and 2024 Finance Acts. The 2024 finance law also provides for the allocation of 3 M€ to local authorities to help them pay for the sterilization of stray and domestic cats. In the absence of reliable data on abandonment and the circumstances that can lead to an animal being abandoned, the first Observatory for the Protection of Domestic Carnivores (OCAD) was set up in 2021. Its steering committee brings together all those involved with pets, from associations to professionals, scientists, and representatives of national and local authorities. OCAD's mission is to make recommendations on public policy, and it has already embarked on an initial project to gather and analyze information useful for analyzing and defining pet abandonment. Finally, as the summer period is marked by a sharp rise in pet abandonment, the French Ministry of Agriculture has launched an awareness-raising campaign for the third year running to prevent abandonment.
