Don’t put it off until the last minute
On March 14, the Seimas urgently considered and adopted amendments to the Veterinary Law in the second reading – the deputies voted for the final decision.
Thus, from July 1 of this year, 2024, mandatory microchip marking and registration of all cats and domestic ferrets with the Agricultural Data Center (ADC) will be introduced.
They promise that the Cabinet of Ministers should adopt its own rules with exceptions – in which cases chipping may be optional.
Initially, the amendments provided for a three-year transition period for already adult animals born before June 30 of this year – until June 30, 2027. But it was excluded from the latest edition. Therefore, Latvian cat owners have just over three months left to register.
Immediately after the adoption of the law, the Latvian Veterinary Association already called on cat/ferret owners not to put off microchipping until the last minute.
The association’s open letter highlights the benefits of the event. And in particular:
“If an animal is missing, then if found, it will be possible to identify the cat’s owner using the microchip number so that the animal can quickly return home.”
It is planned that in the near future a new order will appear in Latvia, obliging animal catchers to wear a microchip reader, so that, having caught a cat or dog, its owner can be immediately identified and the animal will not end up in a shelter.
The registered chip number will contain the animal owner’s contact information and the animal’s vaccination details.
Price issue
Prices for microchipping in different veterinary clinics vary from 15 to 25 euros.
The Ministry of Agriculture, in turn, indicates that the registration fee itself is 9 euros, for the service provided by a practicing veterinarian, the fee, according to regulations, will be 5.50 euros, and for a visit to a practicing veterinarian you will have to pay at the rate of a specific veterinary institution.
As we understand, the general procedure goes like this:
microchip: 15-25 euros,
animal passport: 15–20 euros,
State fee: 14.50 euros.
The result is about 50 euros.
For many today this is a lot of money.
#deputies #Latvian #cats #registration
2024-03-26 16:37:04