Estonia could make pet microchipping compulsory in two years
The Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture wants to make the registration and vaccination of all pet dogs, cats and ferrets compulsory in Estonia from June 1, 2027. Registration will cost pet owners €12 for each animal.
According to the ministry, the obligation to microchip, or chip, animals will help ensure their owners can always be identified. It is therefore considered prudent, for both practical and data protection reasons, to keep data on animals and their owners in a national register to be set up within the framework of the Agricultural Registers and Information Boar (PRIA).
"Up to now, registers have local-government based, but animals do not recognize administrative boundaries. The easier and quicker it is to identify the owner of an animal, the fewer homeless animals there will be and the fewer disputes there will about who is responsible for an animal," said Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Piret Hartman (SDE).
The change will also provide a clear overview of Estonia's pet population, which will in turn help with the planning of both supervision and organization of local services.
"The creation of the register will help reduce criminal activities related to animals, including their theft and resale. It will also help to proactively monitor animal welfare, in puppy mills, for example. In addition, the register will help to plan public space according to the needs of the population and their pets," said the minister.
From now on, anyone adopting a cat, dog or ferret in Estonia must have the animal chipped by a veterinarian, who will immediately enter the details into the national register. If the owner later sells or gives the animal away to a new owner, those changes must be updated in the register.
The registration of a pet and the change of owner are both subject to a fee of €12, which covers the cost of maintaining the register. There is no fee for pets that are already on different registers, as their details will simply be transferred to the national register.
Compulsory chipping and the national register are a prerequisite for the planned amendments to the Animal Protection Act, which the ministry aims to bring before the Riigikogu in the second half of the year.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Michael Cole
