Another step towards responsible ownership
Why we sponsored a conference on I&R in Germany.
Responsible ownership is the common thread running through everything we do. So, when we were given the opportunity to sponsor a conference that could have a significant impact on domestic animals in Germany and the rest of Europe, we grabbed it.
The aptly named conference, "time to act - a legal platform for the identification (microchipping) and registration (I&R) of companion animals in Germany, and furthering developments EU-wide" brought more than one hundred experts together in order to discuss a connected platform that could save the lives of numerous animals in the EU and improve animal welfare standards across the continent.
Identification and Registration (I&R) basically entails that you microchip your dog and register their details in a pet registry database so that the animal can be traced by scanning the chip. Not only so that you can find your animal should they ever get lost, but also to make people accountable for the care of animals. The various speakers underlined that I&R is an important pillar in terms of "Responsible Ownership” and how an interconnected system could help veterinarians in their work, provide more surveillance of breeders, and help to combat the illegal puppy trade. Read more about the illegal puppy trade on our blog.
Germany is one of the few EU countries without nationwide mandatory I&R legislation for dogs and cats. Some of the Bundeslander have their own legislative framework but there is no national platform and the separate platforms aren’t connected, meaning that a vet in Berlin can’t access the details of a dog who was registered in Cologne. This makes the I&R framework less effective and efficient and the same applies to the EU-member states. The details of a dog registered in France cannot be traced in The Netherlands by a Dutch vet. Read more about I&R on our blog.
Tasso is currently working on a platform in Germany that could be used as a test dummy for the EU and could mean massive improvements in terms of welfare for the entire EU. We are happy to sponsor the event and we would like to see the current I&R process improved so that non-public institutions and individuals, such as veterinarians, animal shelters and pet owners, can contact an interconnected service to check the registration status of an animal. This would not only help in reuniting pet parents with their animals but also help ending the cruel illegal pet industry.
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*Attending speakers from left to right
Petras Auštrevicius, Member of the European Parliament, Vice-President of the Animal Welfare and Species Protection Interest Group
Dr. med. vet. Hans-Friedrich Willimzik, State Commissioner for Animal Welfare of the Saarland and head of the German I&R network
Philip McCreight, Managing Director, TASSO e.V. and co-founder of the German I&R network
Diana Plange, Land Animal Welfare Officer Berlin
Dr. Andrew Robinson, former vice president of the The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), member of the voluntary working group on dog trade in the framework of the planned EU Animal Welfare Platform
