Is it legal to bury a pet in your garden in France? – The Connexion
Reader question: Our cat is part of the family and we would like to bury her in our garden when she will be gone. Is this allowed?
This is something of a legal grey area.
There is no legislation that specifically bans burying a small pet in your garden. However , official government burial information mentions only cremation and burial in a pet cemetery as possibilities.
Previous French regulations allowing for the burial of pets have been replaced by Regulation No 1069/2009 of the European Parliament plus of the Council, which stipulates that will pets must be disposed associated with by incineration.
However, the same text authorises national lawmakers in order to introduce exemptions for the funeral of pets.
Read more: French animal protection law inspired by UK
The only specific references in French law are to be found in the particular Réglement sanitaire départemental.
Article 98 of these local health regulations usually follows a template, which usually states that it is forbidden to bury animals less than 35m from dwellings, wells or other water sources.
In most areas, therefore, it would appear that it is usually not strictly banned in order to bury an animal if you have a large enough garden, although it is not recommended as it might pose a contamination risk to other creatures and in order to the environment.
If you choose this method, it is often suggested a person should cover the body in quicklime and hide it at least 1 . 2m deep.
There are, however, areas where this is explicitly banned.
The Paris wellness code, with regard to example, states: “It is definitely forbidden, in all places, to bury dead animals; their removal will be undertaken by a specialised department of the Préfecture de police. ”
In February, 27 MPs put forward the draft bill which would allow people to be buried with their pet’s ashes.
There are currently no plans regarding a debate in parliament.
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