As the European Commission’s proposal on the welfare of dogs and cats and their traceability makes its way through Parliament, the mandatory identification and registration of all companion animals remains a crucial element of the legislation.
Under current amendment proposals, certain animals are at risk of being excluded from the mandate to microchip and register pets. Leaving gaps in the legislation will allow the illegal pet trade to continue unabated, resulting in lost revenues for tax authorities and continued burden on the public sector related to maintenance of unwanted and abandoned animals.
With almost 6 million dogs in demand each year across the EU, 79% come from unverified sources. With a conservative estimated purchase price of €800 per puppy, dogs coming from unverified sources constitute up to 3.8 billion euros in lost revenues and VAT annually. Moreover, with 78 million cats in EU households, and some purebred’s prices reaching shocking €50,000, cats are an important element of this proposal.
Uncontrolled trade and breeding of dogs and cats leads to striking costs of managing free roaming populations. Feral and abandoned pets constitute 30% of all dogs and cats worldwide, with the number of abandoned and homeless dogs and cats in Europe most likely underestimated to be over 100 million animals. In Italy alone it costs 180 – 200 million euros of public funds to keep abandoned dogs in shelters. If we look at the cost across the European Union, the numbers are staggering.
The lack of EU-wide requirements could be costing EU Member States, municipalities and citizens up to 25 billion euros per year, an equivalent of 0.15% EU GDP. However, this money could be saved if the European Parliament acts responsibly when handling the current legislative proposal.
Currently, 24 EU Member States require mandatory microchipping of dogs and 7 EU Member States require microchipping of cats, with more countries anticipated in the coming years. In some cases the obligation is extended to stray animals should they have not been registered earlier. An EU-wide system should be put in place to ensure animals are traceable and that information on ownership, health and disease are readily available cross-border.
Average annual ownership costs can add up to €1,120 for cats and €1,305 for dogs. The one-off cost of microchipping costs around €40 per animal, just 3 – 3.5% of the annual ownership cost for a dog or cat. Therefore making microchipping mandatory is extremely feasible, and helps spread the cost of animal management from the demand side to the supply side. With adapted transition periods and local solutions in place, this highly practical solution is within reach.
By developing a sound and reliable identification and registration system across the EU, costs related to acquisition of animals from unknown sources and management of unwanted animals will go down over time, resulting in more responsible breeding and keeping.
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