Keywords: Adoption

Press release from the Ministry announcing the launch on May 22, 2024 of a national pet welfare plan. Based on awareness-raising and provision of information, this national plan aims to prevent and combat the abandonment and abuse of pets, and to improve the management of canine and feline strays.

In this article, the Director of OABA (Œuvre d'Assistance aux Bêtes d'Abattoirs) explains why the number of abandoned animals (goats, horses and cattle) taken in by the association has risen in recent years.

Notice from the French Ministry notifying providers of communication and advertising services to the public that a system for authorizing the publication of advertisements for dogs, cats and ferrets is now operative. Access to this tool should enable the above providers to comply with regulations.

Answer from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty to a member of parliament asking the State to grant financial help for animal shelters in the form of subsidies or tax benefits, for example by lowering employer contributions for employees.

Answer to a question from a Member of Parliament asking the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty about the precise assessment of the improvements that the law on the abandonment of pets has been able to bring about and the concrete measures that the Government is planning to take in order to curb these abandonments and encourage animal welfare.

On December 7, 2023, the European Commission brought forward only its proposed revision of the legislation on the protection of animals during transport, postponing the other long-awaited proposals to revise what is now outdated European animal welfare legislation. A group of MEPs has called on the European Commission to provide a precise timetable for the implementation of the legislative proposals that are still pending (farming, slaughter, labelling).

Answer to a parliamentary question from a French Member of Parliament asking MASA about the measures planned by the Government to combat animal abandonment, such as awareness-raising, communication, and support for rescue associations and shelters.

Answer to a parliamentary question concerning the number of abandoned pets, for which France holds the European record. The questioner had asked whether the government was planning to introduce a price freeze for pet products and a price scale for veterinary services, whether a campaign to sterilize stray animals was planned, and whether the budget allocated to animal shelter associations would be increased.

Answer to a question on the effects of inflation on pet owners. It asked about the possibility of government measures to provide financial support to associations in view of the increase in the number of abandoned pets. It also asked whether veterinary fees could be fixed and  veterinary medicines made more widely available.

First EU legislative proposal concerning the welfare of dogs and cats in kennels, shelters and pet shops. It includes compulsory microchip identification and registration for animals sold in the EU, compulsory licensing of breeding establishments, a harmonization of the regulations on housing, breeding and care; awareness-raising among buyers of the care, feeding and veterinary needs of pets; adequate training in animal care and welfare for those employed as carers by such establishments; a system to allow buyers to check the identification and registration of animals supplied via online platforms; and a requirement for imported animals to meet the same welfare standards as those bred in the EU.