The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has prepared a draft bill on the National Register of Marked Dogs and Cats, which will introduce mandatory microchipping for all dogs and some cats. The aim of the regulations is to reduce the number of stray animals and the costs of their upkeep. Meanwhile, local governments, such as Wrocław, are allocating record funds for their own sterilization and microchipping programs.
Mandatory animal microchipping
The draft bill imposes an obligation to implant microchips in all dogs and some cats for identification and registration purposes.
Goal: fighting homelessness
The new law aims to solve the problem of the growing number of stray dogs and cats and lower the costs of capturing and maintaining them in shelters.
Wrocław's record budget
Wrocław has secured 580 thousand zlotys this year for free microchipping and sterilization of animals, which is a record amount.
Government work schedule
The draft is to be considered by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, and then proceed to parliamentary work in the Sejm.
The government and parliament are embarking on a legislative fight against animal homelessness. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has prepared a draft bill on the KROPiK, which will introduce an obligation to microchip all dogs and selected cats. The draft is scheduled for consideration by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, and then to the Sejm. The ministry justifies this initiative by the need to solve the problem of the growing number of stray dogs and cats and the associated rising public costs. The problem of animal homelessness and owner responsibility has been subject to regulation in Poland since the 1990s. The Animal Protection Act of 1997 imposed on municipalities the duty to care for stray animals, which in practice translated into shelter maintenance costs. The lack of an effective identification system made it difficult to enforce responsibility from owners who abandon their animals. According to the legislator's intention, mandatory registration is to facilitate owner identification and limit the phenomenon of animal abandonment. „” — Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development In its justification, the ministry indicates that the lack of such a system is the main cause of high local government expenditures. Parallel to legislative actions, local governments are developing their own support programs. Wrocław announced that this year it will allocate a record amount of 580 thousand zlotys for free microchipping and sterilization and castration of dogs and cats. 580 tys. zł — Wrocław's record budget for microchipping and sterilization The municipal program, which enjoys increasing interest from residents year by year, aims to preventively reduce animal homelessness. These actions show that the problem is recognized both at the central and local levels, although they take different forms – from legal compulsion to financial incentives. The new law, whose final shape will depend on parliamentary work, could significantly change the obligations of animal owners in Poland, introducing a permanent and centrally registered identification system.