Act reforming animal breeding law

It is necessary to amend the Animal Breeding Act [Tierzuchtgesetz] in response to the enactment of Regulation (EU) 2016/1012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2016 on zootechnical and genealogical conditions for the breeding, trade in and entry into the Union of purebred breeding animals, hybrid breeding pigs and the germinal products thereof and amending Regulation (EU) No 652/2014, Council Directives 89/608/EEC and 90/425/EEC and repealing certain acts in the area of animal breeding (the Animal Breeding Regulation) (OJ L 171, p. 66).

The Animal Breeding Regulation entered into force on 19 July 2016. It will apply from 1 November 2018 and will therefore be directly applicable in all Member States of the European Union.

Union law was previously based on four species-specific directives and further elaborated on the basis of additional directives and numerous Commission decisions. The enactment of the Animal Breeding Regulation streamlines and combines existing EU animal breeding law, which was split across a number of legal acts. It is necessary to amend German legislation owing to the change in legal form, i.e. from directive to regulation. The draft act therefore serves to consolidate legislation.