Document Type: Text No. 607 (2025-2026) submitted to the Senate on May 11, 2026
Authors: Mr. Daniel SALMON and several of his colleagues
Preview: Ladies and Gentlemen,
Among the forms of animal abuse perpetrated by humans, one is particularly troubling: the use of genetic selection that leads to the development of diseases or functional disorders, causing lasting suffering for the animal. The establishment of breed standards for dogs in the 19th century and for cats, primarily in the 20th century, has proven to be a trap in which the health of individual animals has taken a back seat to the “beauty” of the breed. (…)
In France, purebred dogs registered in the French Stud Book (LOF) account for about a quarter of the canine population (2.4 million out of 9.7 million). Among them, hundreds of thousands suffer from breed-specific hereditary diseases. (…)
Among cats, the problem is less acute but nonetheless concerning. In 2023, 60,000 cats were registered in the Official Feline Pedigree Registry (LOOF), with 646,000 registered between 2003 and 2022—just over 4% of an estimated population of 15 million cats. Large-breed cats (Maine Coon, Sacred Birman) accounted for more than 80% of purebred cat births in 2020. They are at high risk for multiple orthopedic conditions and also suffer from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Brachycephalic breeds account for approximately 25% of births (Persian, British Shorthair). They suffer from brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, just as dogs do. (…)
The level of scientific evidence attesting to animal suffering is very high, which has justified the positions taken by numerous national and international veterinary bodies, such as the European Veterinary Federation (FVE), the European Federation of Companion Animal Veterinarians (FECAVA), and, in France, the Veterinary Academy and the French Association of Companion Animal Veterinarians (AFVAC).
The current French legal framework does not allow for an effective response to this situation. (…) At the European level, some countries have developed relatively structured frameworks to combat overpopulation. (…)
This bill is part of the ongoing European initiative following the adoption by the European co-legislators of a new regulation that prohibits the breeding, competition entry, and exhibition of dogs and cats with extreme physical characteristics recognized as harmful to their health and well-being. This regulation will be supplemented by a delegated act scheduled to take effect in 2030, which will precisely define the genotypes and phenotypes in question—that is, the breeds or morphological types that will be subject to the ban—as well as the scientific criteria for identifying them. France, which has helped make this European legislation an ambitious tool for the protection of companion animals, has every interest in anticipating this development by enacting national legislation now. Such an initiative will enable our country to influence discussions regarding the drafting of this act, contribute its scientific and veterinary expertise, and ensure rapid upward harmonization of practices. Indeed, this proposed law goes further than the European regulation by specifically prohibiting the marketing and advertising of such animals.
That is why Article 1 of this proposed law seeks to amend the Rural and Maritime Fisheries Code to provide a wording that would:
– to prohibit the breeding, raising, sale, and importation of companion animals resulting from genetic selection or manipulation that leads to characteristics significantly impairing their well-being, as well as to prohibit advertising and commercial communications aimed at promoting or glorifying such animals;
– to ban the sale of dogs and cats that appear to be of a specific breed ten years after the law is enacted, to allow breeders time to adapt. Only animals registered in the stud book will be able to claim breed status after this period;
– to delegate the implementation of the principles set forth above to a decree issued by the Council of State. A review every five years is planned, as scientific knowledge on the subject is constantly evolving;
– to ban breeds deemed inherently too risky for the animals, following the example of Norway and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. These breeds would be included in a list revised regularly based on evolving scientific knowledge as well as market trends. This provision takes precedence over the one defined in the first paragraph of item 1;
– to make the breeding of purebred cats and dogs contingent upon screening tests for hereditary conditions that they are likely to transmit. The list of affected conditions and the screening procedures are set forth in a single decree issued by the Council of State, subject to revision every five years, in order to ensure the consistency of the regulatory framework and to avoid any discrepancies between parallel texts;
– to specify the conditions under which breeding is authorized;
– to prevent conflicts of interest between veterinarians and breeders. Indeed, public health veterinarians and their designated breeders often have close ties;
– to make the veterinary certificate issued upon the transfer of a cat or dog a tool for enforcing the principle prohibiting commercialization. Thus, when issuing this certificate, the veterinarian would be responsible for verifying that the animal does not have any hereditary conditions based on the tests conducted in accordance with Section IV of Article L. 214-6-2. If the animal does have such conditions, the veterinarian would not issue the certificate, thereby effectively preventing the sale. A five-year transition period is proposed to allow breeders to adapt;
– to require that, upon obtaining the pedigree (confirmation for dogs; Level 1 of the breeding animal qualification system for cats), the breeder must provide a health certificate issued by a veterinarian attesting to the absence of genetically inherited breed-specific diseases;
– to add to the legal notices in sales advertisements the requirement to publish the results of mandatory screening tests for dogs and cats, whether or not they are recognized breeds;
– to make the sale of an animal as a purebred contingent upon the presentation of a certificate of registration in the pedigree registry, effective ten years after the law’s enactment, consistent with the transition period provided for in the third paragraph of Article L. 214-3-1;
– to punish, with one year of imprisonment and a fine of 15,000 euros, any violation of the prohibitions set forth in Articles L. 214-3-1 and L. 214-3-2, breeding in violation of Section IV of Article L. 214-6-2, as well as the sale of dogs or cats that appear to be of a specific breed in violation of the third paragraph of Article L. 214-3-1.
Article 2 proposes to expand the scope of legal action that animal protection organizations can take, enabling them to better ensure compliance with regulations.
