The French Senate overwhelmingly passed a comprehensive animal rights bill on the 18th local time. Starting from January 1, 2024, pet stores will ban the display and sale of cats and dogs in their windows. However, the new bill still needs to be sig...
The French Senate overwhelmingly passed a comprehensive animal rights bill on the 18th local time. Starting from January 1, 2024, pet stores will ban the display and sale of cats and dogs in their windows. However, the new bill still needs to be signed by French President Emmanuel Macron before it can be implemented.
French Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie tweeted that pets are neither toys nor consumer goods, and praised this as a major improvement in the fight against abandoned pets.
According to the new bill, pet stores and other places are prohibited from selling cats and dogs from 2024. Those who want to breed must purchase them directly from breeders or adopt them from animal shelters. In addition, in order to prevent impulsive purchases from causing abandonment, in addition to being able to cancel the contract within 7 days of purchase, the purchaser must also sign a document proving that he or she has knowledge about breeding.
Statistics show that about half of French people keep pets. Pet food industry groups point out that there are nearly 22 million pet cats and dogs raised in France, and about 100,000 animals are abandoned every year.
The new bill stipulates that animal abusers can be sentenced to up to 5 years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros.
In addition, traveling circuses will ban wild animal performances from 2028, and dolphin and killer whale performances will be banned from 2026. It will also be illegal to keep wild animals, and mink farms will be closed immediately after the bill is implemented. However, when interviewed, representatives of the circus industry group responded that the circus did not abuse animals and that it was an arbitrary law and would launch a protest.
