EPO Statement on the European Parliament amended proposal on dogs & cats
Whilst acknowledging the importance of the EU proposal for a regulation on the welfare of dogs & cats & their traceability, EPO raises its concerns regarding the handling with regards to pet stores following the adoption by the European Parliament on June 19th, 2025 of its amendments.
As the voice of the pet sector at EU level, EPO would like to acknowledge the importance of such a proposal, for both the welfare & traceability of dogs & cats while raising its concerns regarding the handling of registered pet stores.
This proposal – the first of its kind at EU level – marks a milestone for the pet sector, aiming to improve the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats within the internal market and imports, while seeking to establish harmonized EU standards for breeding, housing, and handling in commercial settings, and to combat illegal trafficking by making identification and registration mandatory.
However, our sector is extremely concerned by the handling of pet stores in the adopted amendments of the EP of June 19th, 2025 – which bans the sales of dogs and cats at store level. More specifically, Amendment 289 that was added prior to the vote which completely disregards the final report from the EP AGRI Committee of June 10th, 2025 which acknowledged the role of pet stores as “selling establishments” – thus acknowledging the role of legitimate & registered pet operators….
EPO finds it hard to believe that the intention behind this regulation is to introduce a new category of registered pet operators—allowed to sell dogs and cats under the new provisions—simply to avoid banning an entire segment of activity from the European market. This comes at a time when the sector is already structured around registered pet stores, which sell dogs and cats, alongside registered breeders and shelters.
In this regard, EPO now calls the Council to consider acknowledging all stakeholders from the pet sector, including the private one with retailers, whilst finalizing this important regulation, this to ensure a WIN-WIN implementation of a tangible regulation.
In a context of multiple crises at all fronts (in the EU and beyond the EU), it is essential more than ever to safeguard the EU economy by preserving all existing registered operators of the pet sector while improving the welfare conditions of dogs and cats.
You can read the complete statement here
