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Marking of dogs, cats and ferrets is mandatory from 1 May: what is the importance of pet identification?

2021 m. April 30 d.

After the amendments to the Law on Welfare and Protection of Animals (hereinafter – Law) being adopted by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, from 1 May 2021, a mandatory microchipping of pet animals (dogs, cats and ferrets) and their registration in the Register of Pet Animals enters into force. The Law stipulates that by 1 May 2021, the pet animals are required to be marked and registered in the Register of Pet Animals within one year – until 1 May 2022, but not later than the transfer of the animal to another owner or keeper, and from the date of entry into force of the Law (1 May 2021) – within 4 months from their birth, but not later than the transfer of the animal to another owner or keeper. The breeders of pet animals using them for breeding must mark and register them in the Register of Pet Animals by 1 September 2021. The overall marking of pets is currently applied in most countries of the European Union. The marking of a pet with a rice grain-sized chip under the skin and registering the data of the pet and its owner in a unified Register of Pet Animals is a clear benefit for the pet owners, as follows: • in particular, the identification of the animal and its traceability, which is necessary for the prevention, monitoring and control of communicable diseases, such as rabies, being incurable and dangerous for the carnivorous animals and humans, and other diseases, • if the animal is lost, it can be found more quickly, • facilitation of the animal travel, non-commercial movement of animals between the countries, • registration and traceability of the animal treatment, vaccination against infectious diseases and other provided veterinary procedures, • fewer homeless and unattended animals, etc. According to veterinary experts, the procedure for marking the pets is very simple – a tiny microchip is inserted under the skin by a special hypodermic needle and stays forever. It is not visible and the animal does not feel anything. This procedure is very fast and does not cause any local reaction within the implantion area for the animal. In order to identify an animal, a reader shall be placed at the spot of the microchip and the unique number, which can be used to identify the hosts of the animal, appears on the screen. Such microchip readers are available at many veterinary clinics and animal shelters. By the way, it is important to know that for the marking of an animal to be effective, the microchip must be linked to the information about the specific animal and its owner, i. e. it is necessary to register the animal in the state Register of Pet Animals.

New procedure for the sale of animals enters into force – more information for the buyer and a ban on selling at the marketplaces

2021 m. April 29 d.

The amendments to the Retail Trade Regulations adopted by the Government will enter into force on Saturday, from 1 May. The new amendments stipulate that the advertisements for the sale of animals are only permitted if they provide the data enabling the identification of breeders, traders or carers and showing the details of the animal offered for sale. The future innovations were discussed today by the Heads of the State Food and Veterinary Service (hereinafter – SFVS) in a remote meeting with the representatives of online advertisement portals. The SFVS Director Mantas Staškevičius said that the advertisements are a very big part of the online animal trade, therefore, in order to prevent the illegal activities and curb the shadow trade in animals, it is necessary to control the online trade more strictly. During the meeting, he also thanked the administration representatives of advertisement websites, who in addition to the mandatory requirements, have been cooperating by goodwill for some time in response to the SFVS invitation and do not allow the placing of advertisements about the animals for sale without certain supplementary information. The SFVS recalls that with the entry into force of the amendments to the Retail Trade Regulations, from 1 May, all animal breeders, animal carers or persons engaged in animal trading will be required to indicate in the advertisements before selling the animals: • a veterinary approval or registration number assigned in accordance with the procedure established by the Director of the SFVS, • a herd and an individual number of a farm animal marked in accordance with the procedure established by the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania and registered in the Register of Farm Animals (applies to farm animals registered with an individual identification number), • a microchip number of the pet animal (dog, cat, ferret) marked and registered in the Register of Pet Animals, • a date of birth (if known) or age of the animal, • a country of origin (place of birth) of the animal. It is warned that misleading the buyers or failing to provide the necessary information about the animal offered for sale may also incur administrative liability – even be subject to fines. According to the Director of the SFVS M. Staškevičius, the new procedure will help to prevent the sale of illegally bred animals and ensure that people who are willing to purchase dogs, cats and ferrets as well as farm animals, would receive a more detailed information about the status of the seller and the animal being purchased. "The responsible specialists of the SFVS will continue to control the advertisements appearing in various platforms on the internet and, if necessary, take other measures related to the trade control, initiate the secret shopper procedures, conduct on-site inspections, investigations or contact the entity administering the advertisements regarding the incorrect advertisement cancellation. We will be grateful to indifferent and active people, the representatives of public animal shelter organisations, volunteers, if they, having any suspicions about the possible illegal trade in animals, will inform us so that we can react immediately”, – says M. Staškevičius. Moreover, in order to combat the illegal animal trade, to stop the illegal breeding, the amendments to the Law on Welfare and Protection of Animals adopted by the Seimas have banned the sale of pet animals under the outdoor conditions and at the marketplaces since 1 May, thus establishing that the trade not only in dogs, cats and ferrets, but all other species of pet animals in the places mentioned above is forbidden. Following the provisions of the Law on Welfare and Protection of Animals, a pet animal is an animal kept to meet aesthetic and social needs (e. g. rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, fish, other aquatic animals, etc.). The ones who decide to purchase an animal are first of all advised by the veterinary specialists to take interest in the breeders, traders, carers, to assess the conditions of the animals kept in them as well as the health of the animals and to inquire about the issued documents. All breeders of pet animals, carers and traders must be registered at the SFVS according to the place where the pets are kept. A List of Registered or Approved Breeders, Carers and Traders is published on the SFVS website, consequently, the information on these entities can be checked here. The SFVS also publishes the information about the animals kept by the breeders and used for breeding, i.e. the species, breed (crossbreeds) and the number of animals bred.

Mandatory marking of pet animals will allow to fight against the shadow and to control the breeders more effectively

2021 m. March 31 d.

From 1 May 2021, in Lithuanian, a mandatory marking (cats, dogs and ferrets) of pet animals with subcutaneous microchips and their registration in the Register of Pet Animals will be legalised by the Seimas decision as well as agreed upon the ban on the sale of pet animals under the outdoor conditions and in the marketplaces. For the prevention of infectious diseases, the animal marking and its registration is one of the essential steps that must be taken once in a lifetime. “This decision of the Seimas is a strong change and a significant impulse to improve the general animal welfare situation in the country. The State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) was always for the overall pet marking, which is applied in most European Union countries. We see many advantages in that, such as the traceability of animals and their history of “travel”, the prevention of vaccinated against rabies, which is an incurable contagious disease for both humans and animals, the reduction of the number of ownless pet animals, the faster return of lost pet animals to their owners, the increasing responsibility of the owners of pet animals and, certainly, a more effective control of breeding and trade”, – commented Darius Remeika, the Director of the SFVS. It is important to mention that the mandatory marking of pet animals in Lithuania was introduced from the beginning of 2016, but was soon withdrawn. The mandatory marking and registration in the Register of Pet Animals was left only for the animals leaving the country and entering Lithuania. Currently, the mandatory marking is also required when transferring an animal to another owner. In accordance with the new procedure, cats, dogs and ferrets born after the entry into force of this requirement will have to be marked and registered in the Register of Pet Animals within 4 months of their birth, but not later than the transfer of these animals to another owner or keeper. Prior to the entry into force of this provision, those non-microchipped animals will have to be marked and registered in the Register of Pet Animals within one year, by 1 May 2022, but not later than the transfer of them to another owner or keeper. Pet animals used for the commercial breeding and born before the coming into force of amendments to the law, will be required to be microchipped and registered in the Register of Pet Animals by 1 September 2021. Not only veterinarians will be able to mark the pet animals and provide the data to the Register of Pet Animals as it has been decided to increase the number of markers as well. This will also be possible for those who have completed special trainings. The responsibility for the microchipping and registration of such animals in the Register of Pet Animals lies with the keeper or owner. At present, according to the SFVS data, the total number of pet animals (dogs, cats, ferrets) marked in the country and registered in the Register of Pet Animals is almost 156 thousand, of which almost 108 thousand are dogs and 47 thousand are cats.

EU helps BiH food safety system advance in European Standards

2021 m. March 26 d.

The progress of the European Union (EU) funded twinning project "EU support to capacity building and gradual Union acquis alignment in the food safety sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina" was discussed at the 2nd meeting of the Steering Committee on 16th of March 2021. Team of experts from Lithuania, Italy and Hungary, although remotely due to the current Covid situation, met their colleagues in Bosnia and Hercegovina to discuss the activities performed and the achievements reached during the first half-year of the project. During this period, the joint expert groups were able to assess a large number of legislative acts in BiH and make recommendations on how to align it with the Union acquis. In this way, a basis for further development of the project activities, helping the competent authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to develop an effective food safety system, was provided. The project will follow up on the findings of various gap analyses carried out, further work on legislative improvements and risk assessment plans together with Beneficiary institutions and provide for trainings, like those for official inspectors and food business operators etc. in the next period. The Twinning project is funded by the European Union in the amount of 1,5 million EUR and it is implemented by a consortium led by Lithuania, with their partners from Italy and Hungary. The beneficiary country is represented by the BIH Food Safety Agency, in cooperation with the competent authorities of the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska, and Brčko District of BiH. The project provides for a review of Bosnia and Herzegovina's food safety legislation and its gradual alignment with the EU acquis, strengthening the institutional capacity of national competent authorities to carry out official food safety controls and enhancing the system for the approval of national products as protected designations of origin, products with protected geographical indications or traditional specialities guaranteed. The project lasts for three years (2020-2023).

A new initiative in the process of reducing food waste

2021 m. January 16 d.

From now on, food producers and traders will be able to supply frozen fresh packed meat to charity canteens. On 15 January, amendments to legal acts providing for a possibility to freeze fresh packed meat of different kinds with expiry dates coming to an end this way ensuring conditions for extending the date of durability for food intended for charity or support in order to increase the sustainability in the food supply chain. These amendments to legal acts were initiated by the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) to contribute to the common goal of the EU Member States to reduce the extent of food waste as well as having regard to objectives of the Farm to Fork Strategy of the European Commission and goals of the European Green Deal. Food is wasted or thrown out all over the food supply chain, therefore, all the EU Member States are seeking to reduce the food waste per capita on the retail and consumer levels by 2030. The SFVS drafted amendments to the Procedure for Handling Food Intended for Charity or Support, which provide for the possibility to freeze and supply to charity organisations for processing at charity canteens packed fresh meat of different kinds (poultry meat, pigmeat, beef, etc.) with the expiry date coming to an end, which is labelled with the indication of “Use by date...”. It should be noted that relevant requirements apply to the freezing process of food, i. e. fresh meat. They apply both to those establishments, which are going to supply this production for charity or support purposes, and to those who are going to receive it. One of the major conditions is that fresh meat products intended for charity or support will need to be adequately labelled to ensure the safety and health of consumers. For example, based on the provided recommendations, food products will have to be frozen not later than 12 or 24 hours accordingly before the expiry of the indicated date of durability “Use by date...”. Those recommendations also explain the procedure for the extension of the date of durability for the frozen food products. The plan is, in view of the experience gained, to consider a possibility to allow freezing a broader range of foods, for example, different meat products, as well as milk, confectionary products, different vegetables or fruits, etc., in the near future to help to save food.

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State food and veterinary service
State budgetary institution The Register of Legal Entities
code: 188601279

Address: Siesikų str. 19,
07170 Vilnius Lithuania
Tel. +370 5 240 4361
E-mail: info@vmvt.lt

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Published:
2020-09-10

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