The illegal dog trade is a booming industry all over Europe. Eight million puppies are annually needed to supply demand, making the online trade worth over more than one billion euros. The online trade has not only a huge impact on the welfare and health of the animals involved, but also on the internal market through unfair competition and tax evasion, as well as on consumer rights and public health.  Fraudulent sellers creatively exploit online platforms to get in touch with unsuspecting consumers, leading to high financial costs and emotional suffering. Today’s conference called for full-spectrum solutions including greater transparency through harmonised identification and registration, the registration and licensing of breeders and sellers as well as better regulations for online platforms as the key gateways to tackle the illegal online trade.

Today, the Austrian EU Presidency, Eurogroup for Animals and Four Paws International gathered over 120 experts and stakeholders from across the industry at a conference entitled ’The Illegal Online Puppy Trade: towards a safer EU for animals and people online’. Throughout the day, veterinarians, breeders, lawyers, politicians and NGO representatives examined the challenges raised by the illegal online trade of dogs and showcased solutions from Member States and the online classifieds market, while pointing to political opportunities for regulation in the EU.

This conference is timely, as the European Commission is starting to unfold its plans for specific regulations under the Animal Health Law, which could restrict the space for this illegal trade to operate. The review of European consumer legislation also creates opportunities to better regulate online platforms and protect consumers.

The numbers of dogs being smuggled has grown exponentially over the past decade, fuelled by consumer demand for certain breeds, an increase in online classified advertisements, and a pet passport system which currently does not work. It has never been easier to buy or sell a puppy online –more often than not, at emotional cost to the buyer. Transported for long journeys, newborn puppies suffer from heat and cold, thirst and stress, are at high risk of transmissible disease, and those surviving often becoming poorly socialised and unmanageable for their new owners, leading to the puppy’s swift abandonment.

As the European Parliament already stated in February 2016, the illegal puppy trade is not only an animal welfare issue. It is the third most profitable sphere of organised crime within the EU after narcotics and weapons, and a massive public health risk. The puppies are produced under appalling conditions and usually not vaccinated. Many, if not most, carry severe diseases and therefore pose a real threat to animal and human health.

Quite symbolically, the conference date coincides with the first-year anniversary of a joint declaration by several Member States showing their willingness to act together. In the Declaration, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden had called on the European Commission to undertake measures to stop the illegal trade in pets across the EU – particularly with regard to the smuggling of dogs across Member States. Meanwhile, the Netherlands has set up a dedicated sub-group under the EU Animal Welfare Platform on the health and welfare of pets.