Q: Angelo Ciocca (ENF, IT) - Black market in pet animals (2017-01-18)

In 2016, the EU urged Member States to adopt legislation to make it illegal to import, export, sell and purchase animals in breach of the laws of the country of origin or transit.

Unfortunately, especially in Italy, the abduction of pet animals, in particular dogs — known as ‘dognapping’ — has increased hugely over the past few years and it is calculated that, nationally, some 17 000 dogs are abducted each year, particularly in Lombardy and Rome. Most of these animals are sold on the black market for pets, a trade in which dogs, cats and other domestic species are mistreated and kept in inappropriate places, without any health checks or anti-parasite treatments.

In order to curb the existing black market, can the Commission say how it intends to close the EU regulatory loophole regarding conditions of sale and health monitoring of pet animals in the EU?

A: Mr Andriukaitis on behalf of the Commission (2017-02-26) While the cross-border movement of dogs is regulated by EU animal health legislation, the sales of dogs within a Member State are of the sole competence of that Member State. It is therefore up to the Member States to consider what national rules on domestic sales are necessary.