Mandatory microchipping of dogs and cats. Here are the details of the government project

On Tuesday, the government adopted the draft act on the National Register of Marked Dogs and Cats (KROPiK), announced Deputy Minister of Agriculture Jacek Czerniak. The regulation assumes mandatory microchipping of dogs and animals in shelters. In the case of cats, the system is intended to be voluntary, with exceptions.

According to the agenda of the Council of Ministers published on Monday, one of the items is the draft act on KROPiK. The regulations were prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It explained that the purpose of the act is “to solve the problem of the growing number of homeless dogs and cats and the increasing costs of catching homeless animals and keeping them in animal shelters due to the lack of mandatory identification and registration of these animals.”

Information about the government's adoption of the project was provided by Deputy Minister Jacek Czerniak at a meeting of the Parliamentary Extraordinary Committee for Animal Protection.

I wanted to share the happy news. The government has adopted a draft act on the National Register of Marked Dogs and Cats, he said. He added that this is a tool to reduce the homelessness of these animals.

A plan to solve the issue of homelessness of dogs and cats

In the justification for the project, the ministry stated that on pthe need to introduce the obligation to identify and register dogs indicated by the Supreme Audit Office in the information on the results of inspections to prevent animal homelessness. Moreover, “due to the growing number of homeless peopleh cats ending up in animal shelters, it is necessary to introduce an obligation also towards animalsat least in terms of cats changing owners, i.e. mainly cats from breeding farms, but also cats staying in animal shelters.

Who will be required to be microchipped?

The Ministry justified that the introduction of a general obligation to mark and register is to support municipalities in implementing a program for the care of homeless animals and preventing animal homelessness. The solutions are requested by, among others: local governments and organizations whose statutory purpose is to protect animals.

Data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development show that the overall costs of implementing programs for the care of homeless animals and preventing animal homelessness by municipalities increased almost threefold in the years 2012-2023 and amounted to PLN 125 million 861 thousand, respectively. PLN 730 and PLN 347 million 347 thousand PLN 662.

The Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture (ARiMR) will be responsible for creating and maintaining the register.

The ministry announced earlier that the regulations assume the introduction of mandatory identification and registration of all dogs and cats staying in animal shelters or introduced to the market. “The remaining cats will be identified and registered at the owner's request,” he added.

The register is to be established within three years, and the identification and registration of animals covered by the act will take another three years.

“Dogs and cats already marked with a transponder in accordance with the ISO 11785 standard will not require re-identification – they will only need to be registered in KROPiK,” the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

How much will we pay at the vet? Mandatory deadlines

The cost of transponder marking and the cost of registering the animal in the register will amount to PLN 50 for each service. Fees are to be collected by veterinarians for the activities performed.

The proposed act introduces the obligation to mark and register: dogs – by the date of the first vaccination against rabies or by the day preceding the date of transfer of ownership (e.g. before selling the dog from the kennel), if this event occurs earlier, or until the day following the day of admission to the shelter; cats – by the day before the day of transfer of ownership or by the day following the day of admission to the shelter; dogs and cats imported to Poland – within 14 days from the date of their import, and if they were subject to quarantine, within 14 days from the date of end of the quarantine.

What data will be entered into the KROPiK system?

The register will collect “in particular information enabling a clear link between a registered dog or cat and its owner or animal shelter, in which it is kept or has resided.” This includes, among others:

• a unique dog or cat number, generated by KROPiK during registration;
• number of the transponder implanted in the dog or cat;
• its name, breed, color, sex and date of birth, if known;
• information about the owner of the animal, including: name and surname or name, place of residence or registered office, address and contact telephone number, PESEL number, and in the case of a natural person who does not have it – country code and passport number or other document confirming identity.

The register is also to collect information about a dog or cat being marked as having escaped or gone astray. It will be possible to mark your animal as missing in the register.

Authorizations of services and access for owners

According to the project, free access to data in the register will be provided to, among others: commune, police, commune (city) guard, Veterinary Inspection, prosecutor's office and courts, including: in connection with the ongoing case or to contact the animal owner or the entity running the shelter. Veterinarians and people reported to ARiMR by entities running animal shelters will also have access, although to a lesser extent.

The pet owner will have access to data related to the number of the implanted transponder. You will be able to independently change your address, contact telephone number, name of the animal in the register, as well as enter the date and cause of its death or information about the death itself.

Data collected in the register are to be deleted after five years from the registered date of death of the dog or cat, or after 30 years from the registered date of birth of the animal, if the date of death has not been registered, or after 30 years from the date of registration of the animal, if its date of birth has not been registered. (PAP)

kblu/ pak/ joz/