Document type: Answer to question no 7524, published in the Journal Officiel de la République Française
Authors: question: Mme Béatrice Roullaud Seine-et-Marne (6th district) - Rassemblement National. Answer: Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry
Question: Béatrice Roullaud draws the attention of the French Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry to acts of animal torture committed by organized gangs on the islands of Réunion and Mayotte. Indeed, it is with absolute horror that we observe and denounce the practices of rare cruelty indulged in by young people, often minors, with regard to stray or stolen dogs: after having "stored" them in squats or camps hidden in the forest, they chain them up or put them in cages to then indulge in the most dreadful abuses: strangulation, burning, disemboweling, mutilation, the gouging out of eyes, decapitation, etc. This scourge, which has been affecting these islands of Reunion and Mayotte since 2015, has recently intensified: by way of example, in two years, over 1,000 reports of abuse, i.e. almost 10 a week, have been received by the Reunion-based association APEBA (Association pour l'éducation à la bienveillance animale), which has rescued 150 animals from squats and storage in the wild. However, the animal protection associations in La Réunion and Mauritania, who are on the front line when it comes to the atrocities discovered every day in the field, feel particularly abandoned and helpless, as they have no financial support for the collection and care of tortured animals, cannot fight the crimes of these extremely violent gangs alone, and complain of a lack of criminal prosecutions. Given that animals have, since 2015, been considered to be "living beings endowed with sentience" (Article 515-14 of the French Civil Code), the political inaction in the face of this alarming situation is hard to understand. Without massive involvement from the public authorities and local communities to re-establish a rule of law, dogs and cats will continue to be slaughtered with impunity in overseas Departments. And there is indeed cause for alarm, given that 98% of studies on the subject establish a link between acts of cruelty committed against animals and aggressive behavior towards humans. "The death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism" (Hannah Arendt). She therefore asks what measures the government intends to take to curb this scandal of animal torture, through actions in the worlds of both education and the law.
Answer: The fight against animal abuse remains a priority for the Government, which has undertaken numerous actions in this direction in recent years. Law no. 2021-1539 of November 30, 2021, aimed at combating animal mistreatment and strengthening the bond between animals and humans, has already made it possible to toughen the penalties incurred in cases of animal mistreatment. Article 521-1 of the penal code has been amended. In addition, a national division to combat animal abuse was set up in 2023 by the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas France. Comprising 15 specialized agents (gendarmes, police officers and a veterinarian), this division deals with large-scale cases and alarming signs of abuse, such as pet trafficking, in conjunction with the national veterinary and phytosanitary investigation brigade of the Ministry of Agriculture. In this way, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry and the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas Territories are working together to combat these unbearable acts of cruelty. More generally, 4,000 gendarmes are currently undergoing training as part of a national partnership with the Society for the Protection of Animals, and animal welfare referents have been appointed in all gendarmeries and police stations. These referents work in liaison with the departmental directorates responsible for population protection, the French Office for Biodiversity and animal protection associations. Since the publication of the national plan for the well-being of companion animals on May 22, 2024, this partnership has been extended to the ministries in charge of the environment and justice, to reinforce the fight against mistreatment, abandonment and the management of animal straying. Funded by the France Relance plan, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation also carried out an audit of animal straying in the French overseas departments and regions. The report, submitted to the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, is currently being finalized and will be presented to local stakeholders. The recommendations will be carefully studied, and will provide food for thought for government action in these departments. This action will rely primarily on local associations. For example, the sterilization of stray animals, to avoid overpopulation, and raising awareness of the need to respect animals, from an early age, seem to be major factors in the fight against animal abuse.
