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The Council of the EU and European Parliament have reached an historic agreement centred on individual animal welfare and traceability, effectively shutting the door on illegal pet trade with the adoption of the Union’s first-ever regulation on dog and cat welfare. Brendan McGurk KC was instructed by Four Paws in seeking to persuade the Commission as to the existence of and proper legal basis for, a regulation imposing mandatory identification and registration (“I&R”) requirements for all kept dogs and cats (with the exception of farm cats). That led, in 2023, to the Commission introducing a proposal for new rules on the welfare and traceability of dogs and cats. The initiative sought to establish EU-wide minimum standards for the first time, covering – among other things – the accommodation, care, traceability and treatment of these animals.
The draft ‘Regulation on the Welfare of Dogs and Cats and their Traceability’, agreed on 25 November 2025 by the Council and the Parliament, sets out the first ever EU standards for the breeding, housing, traceability, import and handling of cats and dogs. This comprehensive traceability framework will allow animals to be tracked through official channels, facilitates the tracing of pets to their owners, and makes it far more difficult for illegal breeders and sellers to operate in the shadows. Robust measures will be introduced to regulate online sales. Under the mandatory registration-verification system foreseen, an animal’s due registration to the seller must be confirmed before any animal advertisement can go live, ensuring the advertised animals are reliably linked to those offering them. Currently, 79% of dogs come from unknown sources because no verification exists. This new upfront check will block illegal sellers and puppy mills, significantly reducing the online trafficking of pets.
Brendan’s advice has helped bring about the adoption, in particular, of Article 17 of the new Regulation, the terms of which are set out below. In essence it will require every cat and dog in the EU to be microchipped. It applies to privately-owned pets as well as breeders. Each chip carries a unique code that can be scanned and linked to the owner’s contact details, facilitating identification and traceability. Until now, microchipping has only been mandatory when pets travel between EU countries or enter the bloc. Until the new Regulation, national rules varied widely across Europe.
“Article 17
Identification and registration of dogs and cats
Operators shall ensure that dogs and cats born in their establishments are individually identified within 3 months after their birth and in any event before the date of their placing on the market.
Operators of selling establishments, shelters and operators responsible for dogs and cats in foster homes shall ensure that dogs and cats that enter their establishments or come under their responsibility are individually identified within 30 days after their arrival at the establishment and in any event before he date of their placing on the market.
The implantation of the transponder shall be performed by a veterinarian. Member States may allow the implantation of transponders by other persons than veterinarians provided that they have laid down rules on the minimum qualifications that such persons are required to have.
Dogs and cats which have been individually identified by means of an injectable transponder containing a microchip, in accordance with Union or national law before [the date of application of this Regulation] shall be considered compliant with the requirements in this paragraph, provided that the microchip is readable.”