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This procedure applies both to newly introduced animals and to animals kept until the date of approval of the law, only the Animal Welfare and Protection Law provides different dates of its entry into force.
94 Seimas members voted in favor of its adoption on Tuesday, nine against and 22 MPs abstained.
The amendments to the law will take effect on May 1 of this year, and animals brought in afterwards must be marked and registered within four months.
Cats, dogs, and ferrets brought in before May 1 must be marked and registered during the year, prior to May 1, 2022, but no later than transfer to another owner or caretaker.
If cats, dogs or ferrets are used for commercial breeding and brought in before May 1, they must be marked and registered by September 1 of this year.
The costs of marking and registration of dogs, cats and ferrets held by socially disadvantaged people before the entry into force of the law will be reimbursed from state and municipal budgets, as well as the costs of marking animals kept by animal keepers. It is expected that socially disadvantaged people will be able to benefit from such compensation until December 31, 2022.
The law also prohibited the sale of animals in markets and in the field, and veterinarians are obliged to inform responsible authorities when there is a suspicion of cruelty to an animal.
The Animal Protection and Welfare Law has also been supplemented with a new definition of what will be considered incapacity for animals. They will be actions or omissions that injure parts of the body, organs of the animal and cause residual phenomena harmful to its physical and mental health.
In 2012, the Seimas had decided that as of 2016 all dogs, cats and ferrets must be microchipped and registered in the Pet Registry. However, in the summer of 2016, the Seimas dropped the mandatory animal tagging introduced earlier in the year, arguing that due to the additional financial burden, “the majority of the population is not ready for it.”
Animal welfare concerns have resurfaced after last year’s reports of animal rights violations in illegal kennels.
