Online Animal Sales: European Veterinarians Want to Tighten Regulations on Online Trade

In a joint letter addressed to Brussels, the three leading European veterinary organizations are sounding the alarm about the abuses in the largely unregulated online pet trade. The animal protection association Four Paws is also among the signatories of this letter, which contains a number of recommendations to improve regulations and hold the players in this highly lucrative market more accountable. Signed by the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), the Union of European Veterinary Practitioners (UEVP), and the Federation of Pet Veterinary Associations (Fecava), the letter is addressed to European Commissioners Andrus Ansip (Digital Single Market) and Vytenis Andriukaitis (Health and Food Safety). It identifies several “concerns regarding the growing problems posed by the unregulated online trade in animals.” In recent years, the number of online advertisements posted by breeders and sellers of cats and dogs has increased significantly within the European Union. Some websites now feature more than 200,000 classified ads offering pets for sale. However, “the Internet is the preferred channel for fraudulent sellers who make direct contact with unsuspecting customers ,” emphasizes Wolfgang Dohne, president of Fecava. “The illegal trade in puppies is booming. It generates huge profits, offering enormous profit margins: a puppy bought in Poland for €50 can be resold in Germany for €1,000. The prospect of such high profits makes this trade a multi-million-euro market.” Currently, the online trade in pets is unregulated in most European countries. “This not only increases the spread of infections, including zoonoses, but also causes emotional and financial trauma for European families who are faced with sick or even dying animals purchased online,” adds Wolfgang Dohne. For the signatories, “profit must never take precedence over animal health and animal welfare or public health.” To facilitate law enforcement and protect consumers, human health, and animal health and welfare, we further call for the mandatory identification and registration of dogs throughout Europe.” The letter lists a number of recommendations aimed at improving the regulation of online animal trade at the EU level, including through the verification and registration of sellers, the inclusion of mandatory information about the animals (including their animal identification numbers), a ban on “pet wanted” advertisements, and the ability to report any violations of health or animal welfare regulations. The FVE, the UEPV, and the Fecava have also published a joint report titled “Toward a Responsible Dog Trade,” which similarly calls for better regulation of online sales. The three organizations also plan to call out breeders and resellers on animal-trading websites, who contribute to the problem. “Some providers of online pet buying and selling sites, such as Gumtree in Australia, have already implemented animal protection policies. This is clearly a step in the right direction.”