in-cyprus 26 November 2025
Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement on the first-ever EU-wide standards for the breeding, housing, traceability, import, and handling of dogs and cats aimed at curbing abusive practices and protecting animal health.
The draft bill includes several key measures that will affect pet owners, breeders, and commercial operators across the bloc.
Mandatory microchipping and registration
The core element of the deal is the mandatory microchipping and registration of all dogs and cats kept in the EU, including privately owned pets, in interoperable national databases.
The implementation deadlines are staggered:
- Sellers, Breeders, and Shelters: Have four years to comply.
- Private Pet Owners (Dogs): The measure will become mandatory after ten years.
- Private Pet Owners (Cats): The measure will become mandatory after fifteen years.
Curbing abusive breeding practices
The agreement introduces strict rules designed to eliminate cruel and unhealthy commercial practices:
- Inbreeding Ban: Breeding between parents and offspring, grandparents and grandchildren, and siblings and half-siblings will be prohibited.
- Extreme Traits Ban: There will be a ban on breeding dogs or cats to give them exaggerated or excessive physical traits that lead to significant health risks.
- Show Prohibitions: Animals with these exaggerated traits, as well as mutilated dogs and cats, will be prohibited from being used in shows, exhibitions, or competitions.
- Handling Bans: The practice of tying a dog or a cat to an object (tethering) will be prohibited, except when medically necessary. The use of prong and choke collars without built-in safety mechanisms will also be banned.
New rules for non-EU imports
To close loopholes, the new rules are extended to cover not only commercial imports but also non-commercial animal movements (pets entering with their owners) from non-EU countries.
- Dogs and cats imported from third countries for sale must be microchipped before entering the EU and registered in a national database.
- Pet owners entering the EU would be obliged to pre-register their microchipped animal on a database at least five working days before arrival, unless they are entering from specific exempted countries or are already registered in EU databases.
Rapporteur Veronika Vrecionová (ECR, CZ) stated that the new rules are a clear message that “a pet is a family member, not an object or a toy,” and will make it harder for illegal operators to hide.
The provisional agreement must now be formally approved by both the Parliament and the Council before the new rules can enter into force.
The measures respond to public demand, as around 74% of EU citizens believe pet welfare should be better protected. The trade in dogs and cats has recently grown significantly and is estimated to be worth €1.3 billion annually.
