An EU law aiming to establish minimum common standards for breeding and keeping cats and dogs in the bloc leaves loopholes in online trading and risks continued use of so-called "puppy mills" in which babies are chained up, MEPs and NGOs have warned.
In December 2023 the European Commission proposed the law to regulate a market it estimates generates €1.3 billion each year, in order to improve traceability of cats and dogs across Europe, as well as banning controversial practices such as ear cropping.
