Filenews 6 October 2025 - by Vasos Vassiliou
The ban on the sale of dogs and cats in pet shops is just around the corner, something that Cypriot legislation (K.D.P. 95/2021) allows, as indicated by Ecologists MP Charalambos Theopemptou, who notes that based on data from the European Commission in 2023, the estimated value of sales in the EU amounted to €1.3 billion per year.
The changes come with the preparation of a pan-European framework for the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats. As Mr. Theopemptou explains, the proposal is a Regulation so it will be applied, as it is, throughout the EU. It establishes minimum standards for farms, animal shops and shelters for which there are already Regulations in Cyprus, which are not implemented.
Mr. Theopemptou states that the proposed Regulation establishes the mandatory microchipping of dogs and cats and the mandatory registration in "national registers" that will "talk" to each other at EU level.
The changes being discussed in the EU are:
1. The establishment of minimum standards of well-being for facilities: spaces, lighting, ventilation, access to water/food, socialization, breeding rules and restrictions on painful practices. Facilities should be inspected regularly, with an annual veterinary visit and record-keeping.
2. Identification & registries: every dog and cat must be microchipped, and registered on a national basis before being placed on the market. The databases will become interoperable across the EU to easily trace origins and transfers from all EU countries.
3. Online classifieds: a free European identification/registration verification system will be set up so that the interested party can check that the animal is legally registered before buying or adopting. The details will be determined by implementing acts.
4. Imports from third countries: rules are strengthened to allow only animals from equivalent welfare conditions and microchipped.
