Julien Denormandie has been the French Minister of Agriculture since July 2020. -

Jacques Witt / SIPA

An act that could be expensive.

The abandonment of pets could be more severely punished, up to three years of imprisonment, said the Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, on Monday, during the presentation of the government plan to protect animals. of company.

"I wish we could strengthen the sanctions in case of abandonment," he said at an online press conference.

"Abandonment is an act of mistreatment", insisted the minister and the government wishes to tighten the sanctions to "three years of imprisonment as soon as these acts of mistreatment have been identified and demonstrated".

An "awareness certificate" for future owners

The government has set up a plan to fight against the abandonment of dogs and cats, estimated at 100,000 per year, or even more.

It is about "raising awareness, supporting and sanctioning", explained Julien Denormandie.

To fight against impulse purchases, an "awareness certificate" must be signed before any purchase of an animal, to remind you of the obligations of care, vaccination and the costs associated with owning an animal.

A booklet will be distributed in elementary schools to raise awareness among children, continued the minister.

Concerning points of sale or adoption of animals, the government did not follow the proposal of the deputy Loïc Dombreval to reserve this sale to professional breeders and approved amateurs and to shelters.

“When you go to a pet store, you have a project”, argued Julien Denormandie.

An agreement with the Bon Coin

Regarding internet sales, a framework charter has been concluded with the Leboncoin platform.

The announcements concerning dogs and cats specify the identification number of the animal, its age, its race, if it is vaccinated… Other platforms, like Facebook where the announcements are so numerous, are not concerned.

An animal protection observatory will be created to better assess the situation.

The government also wants to help disadvantaged people to treat their animals by devoting four million euros to solidarity veterinary medicine.

In the area of ​​sanctions, a decree will make the failure to identify cats punishable, which was not the case until now.

Failure to identify will change from a 4th class ticket to a more severe 5th class ticket.

The rural guards and municipal police officers could be empowered to carry out checks, the minister added.

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  • Animals

  • Animal protection

  • Abandonment

  • Julien Denormandie