On 16th December, the Council of the EU adopted Council Conclusions on animal welfare which include the following:

INVITES the Commission to assess the need for and impact of new legislation covering all animal species kept in the context of an economic activity for which specific animal welfare legislation does not exist at present, in particular cattle at least six months old, farmed rabbits, pullets, dogs and cats but also, turkeys, broiler and laying hen breeders, sheep, goats and farmed fish.

An EU Dog & Cat Alliance spokesperson said: 

“We estimate there are 66 million pet dogs and 75 million pet cats living in the EU but there is very little to protect them in law. The EU Dog & Cat Alliance has long been calling for EU legislation to protect dogs and cats and the adoption of the Council Conclusions on animal welfare is a hugely welcome step in the right direction. We look forward to seeing the European Commission’s plans for assessing the need for legislation to protect dogs and cats.”

Background info:

• Today (December 16), the Council of the EU has published draft Council Conclusions on animal welfare. Crucially, these invite the European Commission to assess the need for new legislation covering dogs and cats kept in the context of an economic activity.
• The cruel puppy smuggling trade sees dogs illegally imported across EU borders, facing journeys of up to 33.5 hours in often squalid and cramped conditions, to be sold on for huge profit. Those involved in the industry are known to make more than £100,000 per year at the expense of the dogs’ welfare. For more information, see the Dogs Trust’s latest investigative report into the trade.