“I can’t see all the piles anymore!” The mayor of the French city of Béziers has declared war on dog excrement: All dogs must now undergo a DNA test so that piles left behind can be assigned.
The city administration in Béziers in southern France is fed up with dog owners who don’t clean up their animals’ droppings and wants to use DNA analysis to track down the culprits in the future. As of this week, a new regulation requires dog owners in the city center to have a genetic ID card created for their four-legged friends. Piles lying on the pavement can then be analyzed and assigned to a specific dog.
Anyone who is out and about with their dog without a genetic ID card has to pay a fine of 38 euros after a grace period of three months, and a fine of 122 euros is due for dog excrement that is not removed. The process will initially be tested for two years. “I can’t see all the piles anymore,” Mayor Robert Ménard told France Info.
1000 piles per month – high cleaning costs
“We counted: in the city center alone we collect over 1,000 pieces a month. You have to impose sanctions so that people behave properly.” His office in Béziers stated that cleaning up dog waste costs the community of 75,000 people around 80,000 euros a year.
Right-wing populist politician Ménard has been trying to introduce DNA tests on dogs since 2016. Previous efforts have been rejected by the state on legal grounds. The new rules have now been introduced on a trial basis for the next two years. The city administration will offer all dog owners a free saliva test for their dog, which is necessary for the genetic ID card. This can also be done at the vet.
DNA tests to match dog poop are already available in several cities around the world, including parts of London, Tel Aviv and Valencia. In Germany, the municipality of Weilerswist west of Bonn announced this step last summer. As a spokeswoman for the city said, however, an amendment to the state dog law would be necessary. So far nothing has happened.