What changed between the adopted text of 19 Jun 2025 and the adopted text of 28 Apr 2026

Removed:Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 28: deleted

Removed:Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 29: 29. ‘responsible ownership’ means the commitment of a dog or cat owner or future dog or cat owner, to perform various duties focused on the satisfaction of the health, behavioural, environmental and physical needs of the dog or cat, and to minimize risks that the dog or cat may pose to the community, other animals or the environment.

Removed:Article 4 – paragraph 1 – introductory part: With the exception of the provisions laid down in Article 5 this chapter shall not apply to:

Removed:Article 4 – paragraph 1 – indent 1: – a breeding establishment where at most two litters per calendar year are produced for placing on the market shall only be subject to the obligations laid down in Article 5, Article 6(1), (1a) and (1b), Articles 6a, 7 and 8, Article 11(2), (3) and (4), Article 12(3), (4) and (7), Article 13(2), points (b), (c) and (d), Article 14(2), (3), (4) and (5a), Article 15 and Article 15a(1).

Removed:Article 4 – paragraph 1 – indent 2: deleted

Removed:Article 4 – paragraph 1 – indent 3 a (new): – foster homes keeping at any given time five dogs or less or ten cats or less.

Removed:Article 5 – title: General welfare principles

Removed:Article 5 – paragraph 1 – introductory part: Operators and animal caretakers shall apply the following welfare principles with respect to dogs or cats bred or kept in their establishment:

Removed:Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a: (a) dogs and cats are provided with water and feed of a quality and of a quantity that enables them to have good and appropriate nutrition and hydration.

Removed:Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point b: (b) dogs and cats are kept in an appropriate and clean physical environment which is secure and comfortable, especially in terms of space, air quality, temperature, light, protection against adverse climatic conditions and ease of movement, preventing overcrowding.

Removed:Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c: (c) dogs and cats are kept safe, clean and in good health by preventing diseases, functional impairments, injuries, and pain, due in particular to management, handling practices, breeding practices or mutilations.

Removed:Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point e: (e) dogs and cats are kept in such a way as to optimise their mental state by preventing or reducing their negative experiences in duration and intensity, as well as by maximizing opportunities for positive experiences in duration and intensity, preventing the development of abnormal repetitive and other behaviours indicative of negative animal welfare, and taking into consideration the individual dog's or cat's needs in the different domains referred to in paragraphs (a) to (d).

Removed:Article 6 – title: General welfare obligations

Removed:Article 6 – paragraph 1: 1. Operators and animal caretakers shall be responsible for the welfare of dogs or cats kept in their establishments and under their control and to minimise any risks to their welfare. / In the case of foster homes, the responsibility shall lie with the operator on whose behalf dogs or cats are kept. Such operators shall provide the foster family with adequate information on the animal welfare requirements and obligations as well as the individual needs of the dogs or cats, and shall ensure and verify that the relevant obligations set out by this Regulation are complied with in foster homes.

Removed:Article 6 – paragraph 1 a (new): 1a. Operators shall not subject any dog or cat to cruelty, abuse or mistreatment, nor shall they breed, train or medicate them to participate in activities resulting in cruelty, abuse or mistreatment to themselves or to other dogs and cats, including dog fighting.

Removed:Article 6 – paragraph 1 b (new): 1b. Operators and animal caretakers shall not abandon dogs or cats.

Removed:Article 6 – paragraph 3: deleted / (deleted) / (deleted)

Removed:Article 6 – paragraph 4: deleted

Removed:Article 6 a (new): Article 6a / Breeding strategies obligations / 1. Operators of breeding establishments shall ensure that their breeding strategies prioritise the health and welfare of the animal, and minimise the risk of producing dogs or cats with genotypes or phenotypes associated with detrimental effects on their welfare / 2. Operators of breeding establishments shall not use for reproduction dogs or cats that have excessive conformational traits leading to a high risk of detrimental effects on the welfare of these dogs or cats, or of their offspring. / 3. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 23 supplementing this Regulation by laying down the characteristics of the genotypes and phenotypes referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, and the excessive conformational traits referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, which shall be excluded from reproduction, taking into account scientific opinions of the European Food Safety Authority as well as social and economic impacts. The delegated acts concerning the excessive conformational traits shall be adopted by 1 July 2030. / 4. Unless approved by the competent authority based on a specific need to preserve local breeds with a limited genetic pool, the breeding between parents and offspring, between siblings, between halfsiblings or between grandparents and grandchildren shall be prohibited in the management of the reproduction of dogs and cats.

Removed:Article 7 – title: Notification and registration of establishments

Removed:Article 7 – paragraph 1 – introductory part: Operators shall notify to the competent authorities of their activity, providing at least the following information:

Removed:Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point c: (c) the type of establishment: breeding establishment, selling establishment shelter or foster home;

Removed:Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point e: (e) the capacity of the establishment expressed as the maximum number of dogs and cats which can be kept in the establishment.

Removed:Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new): Operators shall notify the competent authority of: / (a) any changes concerning the information referred to in paragraph 1; / (b) any cessation of activity and also specifying a deadline by which the activity must be closed, which should be no later than one month after the cessation, and also providing information on the fate of the animals; / Without prejudice to any additional information required under this Article, operators are not required to notify again the information already submitted in accordance with point (b) of Article 84(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429. / The competent authority shall maintain a register of establishments and may use for this purpose the register provided for in point (a) of Article 101(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429.

Removed:Article 7 a (new): Article 7a / Approval of breeding establishments / 1. Operators of breeding establishments shall only place dogs or cats on the market after approval of their establishment by the competent authority. / 2. The competent authority shall perform on-site inspections to verify that the establishment meets the requirements of this Regulation. Member States may allow such inspections to be carried out remotely provided that the means of distance communication used provide sufficient evidence for the competent authority to perform reliable inspections. The competent authority shall only grant a certificate of approval to a breeding establishment that meets the requirements of this Regulation. / 3. The competent authorities shall maintain a list of the approved breeding establishments and make it publicly available.

Removed:Article 8 – paragraph 1: 1. Operators shall provide to the acquirer of a dog or cat written information necessary to enable him or her to ensure the welfare of the dog or cat including information on responsible ownership and on the specific needs of the dog or cat in terms of feeding, caring, health, housing and behavioural needs, as well as information on its health, including vaccination status.

Removed:Article 8 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1: 2. When operators and the natural or legal persons advertise the placing on the market of dogs and cats, via online platforms at least the following warning shall be displayed, in clearly visible and bold characters:

Removed:Article 8 – paragraph 2: “An animal is not a toy. Buying or adopting an animal is a life-changing decision. As an animal owner, you are obliged to ensure its health and well-being needs are met at all times. Taking care of an animal requires financial resources. It is forbidden to abandon the animal once it is in your care.”

Removed:Article 9 – paragraph 1 – introductory part: 1. Animal caretakers, with the exception of supervised volunteers and interns, shall have the following competences as regards the dogs and cats they are handling:

Removed:Article 9 – paragraph 1 – point b: (b) ability to recognise their expressions including any sign of suffering and to identify and take the appropriate mitigating measures to be taken in such cases;

Removed:Article 9 – paragraph 1 – point c: (c) ability to apply good animal management practices, to use and maintain the equipment used for the species under their care and to minimize any risks to the welfare of the animals, preventing suffering;

Removed:Article 10 – title: Advisory welfare visits

Removed:Article 10 – paragraph 1 – introductory part: 1. Operators shall:

Removed:Article 10 – paragraph 1 – point a: (a) ensure that by ... [1 year after the date of application of this Regulation] or within the first year from the date of the notification of a new establishment, the establishments under their responsibility receive, at least once a year, an unannounced visit by an official veterinarian, hired by the competent authority, for the purpose of identifying and assessing any risk factor for animal welfare, advising the operator or the natural or legal person responsible for the shelter on measures to address risks for animal welfare, health and the environment and, if the findings indicate severe risk factors, a report to the competent authority in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and a follow-up visit within two months;

Removed:Article 10 – paragraph 1 – point b: (b) keep the records of the findings of the visit of the veterinarian referred to in point (a) and of their follow up actions and keep those records for at least 5 years, from the day of the visit, and shall make them available to the competent authorities and visiting veterinarian upon request.

Removed:Article 10 – paragraph 2: 2. By [24 months from the date of entry into force of this Regulation] the Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 23 supplementing this Article to lay down minimum criteria to identify and assess the risk factors by the veterinarian during the advisory welfare visits, including on follow-up actions.

Removed:Article 11 – paragraph 1: 1. Operators shall ensure that dogs or cats are fed in accordance with the requirements laid down in point 1 of Annex I.

Removed:Article 11 – paragraph 2 – introductory part: 2. Operators shall ensure that dogs or cats are adequately fed and hydrated by supplying:

Removed:Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point a: (a) clean and fresh water, ad libitum;

Removed:Article 11 – paragraph 2 – point b: (b) feed in sufficient quantity and quality to meet the physiological, nutritional and metabolic needs and satiety of the dogs and cats, as part of a diet adapted to the age, breed, category, activity level, and health status of the dogs and cats or cats, with the overall objective of achieving and maintaining good health;

Removed:Article 11 – paragraph 3 – introductory part: 3. Operators and caretakers shall ensure that feeding and drinking facilities are kept clean and constructed and installed in such a way as to:

Removed:Article 11 – paragraph 3 – point a: (a) provide equal access to all dogs and cats;

Removed:Article 11 – paragraph 3 a (new): 3a. Where advised in writing by a veterinarian to do so, the operators may adjust the feeding and watering frequencies. The operators shall keep a record of the advice for its entire duration as advised by the veterinarian.

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 1: 1. Except of natural or legal person responsible for shelters, operators shall ensure that dogs and cats are provided with housing in accordance with point 2 of Annex I.

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 2 – introductory part: 2. Operators shall ensure that:

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 2 – point c: (c) in breeding establishments and selling establishments where dogs and cats are kept indoors, temperature, relative air humidity and gas concentrations are not harmful to dogs or cats and that ventilation is sufficient to avoid overheating;

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 2 – point d: (d) dogs and cats have enough space to be able to move around freely and to express species-specific behaviour according to their needs;

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1: Operators shall not keep dogs or cats in containers.

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1 a (new): Keeping or selling dogs or cats in pet shops shall be prohibited.

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2: By way of derogation, containers may only be used for the transport, short term isolation of individual dogs or cats and during the participation in shows, exhibitions and competitions, for puppies or kittens with reduced thermoregulation capacity or puppies or kittens together with their mothers, provided that stress is minimised and suffering is avoided and the dogs and cats are able to stand and lie down in a natural position.

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 4: 4. Keeping dogs exclusively indoors shall be prohibited. Dogs kept indoors shall have daily access to an outdoor area that allows exercise, exploration and socialisation. In addition, when dogs are kept in kennels, operators shall design and construct individual enclosures to allow dogs to have free access to a confined outdoor space and an indoor space or an individual hut.

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 6 a (new): 6a. Operators of breeding and selling establishments shall use, where necessary, heating or cooling systems to maintain good air quality, an appropriate temperature in indoor enclosures at their establishments, and remove excessive moisture.

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 7: 7. Operators shall ensure that dogs or cats are exposed to light, and are able to stay in the dark for sufficient and uninterrupted periods in order to maintain a normal circadian rhythm. / For the purposes of the first subparagraph, ‘light’ means natural light, complemented, where needed, due to the climatic conditions and geographic position of a Member State, by artificial light.

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 8: deleted

Removed:Article 12 – paragraph 8 a (new): 8a. Paragraph 4 shall not apply to breeding establishments where livestock guardian dogs are kept during the periods when such dogs are being trained for herding purposes.

Removed:Article 13 – paragraph 1: deleted

Removed:Article 13 – paragraph 2 – introductory part: 2. Operators and caretakers shall ensure that:

Removed:Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point a: (a) dogs or cats under their responsibility are inspected by animal caretakers at least once a day and vulnerable dogs and cats, such as newborns, ill or injured dogs and cats, and peri-partum bitches and queens, are inspected more frequently;

Removed:Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point b: (b) dogs or cats with signs of disease, sickness, injury or otherwise compromised welfare are transferred, where required, without undue delay to a separate area, are treated by a veterinarian, where appropriate, and kept there until they are fully recovered;

Removed:Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point c: (c) where, in cases referred to in point (b), recovery is not achievable and the dogs or cats experience severe pain or suffering that cannot be alleviated and keeping them alive is contrary to the rules of their well-being euthanasia may be only carried out by a veterinarian and with the prior consent of the operator