The National Assembly had already gathered unanimity (minus one vote) from the voters regarding the animal mistreatment law. Since Thursday, November 18, through a final vote by the Senate, Parliament has definitively adopted this bill.
What is going to change?
The first measure of this bill concerns anyone transferring a pet. They must have the new owner sign a “commitment and knowledge certificate of the specific needs of the species” for their new companion. The idea here is to combat abandonment by informing new owners about the real needs and costs that an animal can represent.
It should be noted that penalties will be increased for any abandonment of animals.
Selling animals online will be penalized except for breeders, and the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores will be prohibited.
Intentionally killing a pet will be a crime and no longer a simple misdemeanor. These acts could result in up to five years of imprisonment and a 75,000-euro fine.
The act of committing cruelty towards a domestic or tamed animal, publicly or not, will now be punishable by three years of imprisonment and a 45,000-euro fine. Recording images will also be penalized.
Those convicted of mistreatment will have to attend an awareness course. Finally, those who are prohibited from owning an animal will be registered in the wanted persons file.
Regarding circuses and fairs, the presence of wild animals is gradually going to disappear. It will be forbidden to present them to the public by 2023, and to keep them by 2028. The exhibition of animals in private parties and nightclubs will no longer be allowed.
Similarly, starting in 2023, the presentation of wild animals on television will be prohibited, except for zoos and breeding farms. Finally, any dolphin or orca shows will be banned by 2026.
The issue of animals is one that brings people together, knowing that one out of two French people owns at least one pet. And yet, each year, some 100,000 animals are abandoned.
