Status: 11/05/2022 3:33 p.m
The federal and state governments want to work together to combat animal cruelty. To do this, they are calling on the federal government to create the legal basis for a nationwide register for people who have violated the Animal Welfare Act.
The federal and state governments want a nationwide register for the data of people who have violated the Animal Welfare Act. On the initiative of Brandenburg, the Bundesrat demanded in a motion for a resolution on October 28 of this year that the federal government create the legal basis for the collection of such data before the end of this legislative period.
Monitoring of animal husbandry bans has so far been difficult
According to the Animal Welfare Act, local authorities have so far been able to prohibit the keeping or care of animals in certain cases. The problem: Such bans on private and commercial animal husbandry are very difficult to control in practice.
Animal owners who have violated the Animal Husbandry Act can, for example, move without the relevant authorities finding out about it. In the event of suspicion, all other authorities throughout Germany have to be queried. Because so far there is no nationwide register of imposed animal husbandry and care bans.
According to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the federal government should now examine “how a nationwide register of imposed animal husbandry and care bans can be created as effectively and resource-efficiently as possible”. For this purpose, the data compiled by the working group on animal protection of the working group on consumer protection (AGT) should be taken into account.
No regular monitoring of private pet owners
Data from owners who keep animals for scientific or animal experimentation purposes could also be stored. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, this applies to “data on applications that have been applied for and approved, but in particular also rejected applications” for the granting of such a permit.
According to the motion for a resolution, there are no plans for regular monitoring of private animal keepers. The competent authority is only able to check the husbandry conditions on an ad hoc basis.