Keystone-SDA
The Ministry of Agriculture launched a communication campaign on Friday to combat the abandonment of dogs and cats in France. At least 200,000 of them are affected each year.
(Keystone-ATS) The fight against animal abuse, “which manifests itself particularly in summer”, “constitutes a priority for the government,” said the ministry in a press release.
He launched on Friday “#stopabandon”, a “communication campaign (…) broadcast on all of his social accounts on Friday: Facebook, Instagram, X”.
The Ministry of Agriculture hopes through this “dissuade abandonment” and “enhance alternative solutions. »»
“An animal is a responsibility, it is not a toy” and abandoning it “it is an offense which is punished with a fine and very severely”, said on Friday morning the Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, on France 2, confirming that “200,000 animals are abandoned each year at the time of the holidays”.
According to figures from the national reference center for animal welfare, relayed by the ministry, 207,000 dogs and cats were abandoned in France in 2021.
Reinforced surveillance on the Internet
“All that is linked to activity around animals will be subject to enhanced regulations, reinforced sanctions,” continued the Minister.
“And then we will also control everything that happens on the internet in terms of animal sales to obviously end behaviors that are harmful to animals,” she added on Friday.
To combat animal mistreatment, since January 1, 2024, animals are no longer allowed to sell dogs or cats in stores, but online sale remains authorized.
A “practice that can lead to drifts,” said the Ministry of Agriculture on Friday.
A better regulated area
The ministry published in early July a ministerial decree supervising professional activities related to pets, in particular health and animal protection rules.
He also prepares a decree, with a view to a publication by the end of the year, making it possible to sanction the pet stores which would continue the sale, for consideration or free, of dogs and cats in their establishment.
According to a report in March of the 30 million friends Foundation, “stores have simply transformed their sales into online sales stores, the customer pays and then recover the animal”.