(AGENPARL) - Roma, 14 Settembre 2023 - (AGENPARL) – gio 14 settembre 2023 Screenshot (124).png
 Read the news also in:
 Machine-translated versions are also available in all EU languages on the EFSA website.
The report also includes recommendations on thermal stress, housing conditions, convenience and cosmetic surgery practices, and health-related issues related to breeding in commercial establishments. 
For the majority of adult cats, a temperature between 15-26°C prevents thermal stress, whereas for adult breeding dogs insufficient scientific evidence was available to define such a general temperature range. 
EFSA evaluated some cosmetic and convenience surgery practices (declawing in cats and ear cropping, tail docking, and vocal cord resections -so-called debarking- in dogs) and concluded that they should not be performed unless necessary for the health of the animals.
Female dogs and cats should not be bred before they are fully grown, even if they have already achieved sexual maturity (puberty). The frequency of pregnancies should be controlled, but further research is needed to define a minimum period between kittenings and whelpings. Queens older than six years old and bitches older than eight should be checked by a veterinarian for general health status and body condition.
Other recommendations for dogs include the need for a period of darkness every day. Breeding dogs should have an area in which to socialize and exercise regularly, preferably outdoors. There was insufficient evidence to establish if socialization and exercise is needed on a daily basis.
Science-based advice to support legislators
The protection of cats and dogs has so far not been regulated in detail in EU legislation. EFSA’s scientific report provides advice related to housing, health considerations and painful procedures and indicates areas where evidence is lacking. 
Links to science 
————————————————————
Should you wash fruit even if you don’t eat the peel? Would you dare eat cricket-based hamburgers? Do you trust the food you eat? 
Keen to find out more about the science behind safe food? Then welcome to ‘Science on the menu’, a podcast produced by the European Food Safety Authority, EFSA. We are a European agency located in Parma, Italy, that assesses and communicates on food risks. Each episode will tell you more about the work done to ensure that food across the European Union is safe. Come join us at our table for Science on the menu.
For inquiries please contact:
María Tejero
______________________
European Food Safety Authority, Via Carlo Magno 1/a, Parma, . 43126 Italy