Document type: Answer to o a question, published in th Journal Officiel de la République Française
Authors: question : Mrs Sandra Delannoy (Nord (3rd district) - Rassemblement National). Answer: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty.
Question: Sandra Delannoy draws the attention of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty to the worrying proliferation of stray cats in France, particularly in rural areas such as the Avesnois region, where the situation is causing serious health, animal welfare and social consequences. According to the One Voice Association, there are now over 11 million stray cats in France. Left to their own devices, these animals reproduce rapidly, cause a public nuisance in communities (meowing, smells, disease transmission) and are all too often euthanized in the absence of a formalized sterilization and care system. Current legislation, notably Articles L. 211-22 and L. 211-27 of the French Rural and Maritime Fishing Code, gives mayors the option, but not the obligation, to implement sterilization campaigns. This approach, which is purely optional, gives rise to major disparities between local areas, leaving many communities powerless to deal with the situation. In areas such as the Avesnois, the uncontrolled proliferation of stray cats is leading to a clear ecological imbalance: the resurgence of foxes, attracted by these cat colonies, is becoming a growing source of concern for local residents. Such predators no longer hesitate to attack and devour the stray cats. This situation reflects a vicious circle in which lack of action by the authorities both encourages animal suffering and aggravates the nuisance in rural areas. Initiatives by associations (such as those by the 30 Millions d'Amis foundation and the SPA) have proved effective in the sterilization, identification, release and ethical supervision of cat populations. However, their success largely depends on local decision making and the capacity of voluntary groups, which creates major disparities between local areas. She therefore asks whether the government intends to make the sterilization and identification of stray cats compulsory at national level, and what possible immediate measures it proposes to address the growing presence of foxes in rural areas and prevent the proliferation of stray cats from bringing about an ecological imbalance that is damaging and cruel for the animals concerned.
Answer : The straying of animals is a major concern, given the health and animal protection issues it creates. Under current legislation, stray animals are impounded under the authority of the mayor. As an alternative, under Article L. 211-27 of the French Rural and Maritime Fishing Code (CRPM), cats living in groups can be captured, identified, sterilized and then released. This solution has the advantage of preventing the recolonization of sites. It does, however, require that the released population should be monitored and funds are needed for capture, veterinary procedures and feeding. Funding is provided by the local authorities, possibly with the support of animal protection associations. The challenge of financing these operations appears to be a major obstacle to the implementation of the system. The Finance Act for 2024 provides for an exceptional sum of three million euros ringfenced for the sterilization of stray cats by local authorities. In this context, the Ministry of Agriculture launched a call for projects to support stray cat management projects run by communes and voluntary public inter-communal cooperation establishments (EPCIs). This grant was awarded as part of the pilot project provided for in the Law of November 30, 2021 to combat animal abuse and strengthen the bond between animals and humans. There is indeed provision made in this law for the establishment of agreements between the State and mayors or chairs of local authorities and EPCIs for the purpose of improving the management and care of stray cat populations, bringing together the skills and resources of each signatory with this objective in mind. To apply for this grant, the communes and EPCIs concerned were able to respond to this call for projects, from September 2 to October 10, 2024. As a result, 164 successful communes have benefited from this grant. An assessment of the actions carried out within this framework will be conducted once the funding periods agreed with the successful applicants have come to an end. It is intended that the attention drawn to best practices should enable a more sustainable system to be put in place. However, at this stage, no new funding stream has been earmarked to repeat this experiment, due to budgetary constraints. In addition, the sterilization of cats owned by private individuals is encouraged by the Vétérinaire pour Tous association, a beneficiary of the France Relance plan. All veterinary care establishments are also required to display information to raise awareness of the need to sterilize cats, in accordance with Law no. 2021-1539 of November 30, 2021 to combat animal abuse and strengthen the bond between animals and people.
