In February, the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture announced plans to make microchipping mandatory nationwide for dogs, cats and ferrets. However, in June the ministry stated that while microchipping would indeed become mandatory for dogs, the requirement would not extend to cats and ferrets. This decision sparked considerable frustration among animal welfare advocates, who pointed out that Estonia faces a significant problem with stray cats — making microchipping all the more essential.

Triinu Priks, a board member of Animal Shelters NGO (Varjupaikade MTÜ), also stressed the importance of microchipping cats.

"With cats, the nationwide rate is only a few percent where we can read the chip and contact the owner. And we see tens of times more cats than dogs ending up in shelters, so the problem really lies there, and that's what we need to address," Priks said.

At the time, the ministry defended its decision by arguing that microchipping cats would be too expensive.

"The chip itself costs a few dozen euros, sometimes even less. There's also the veterinarian's visit fee and registration in the database. Those are the cost components involved. Veterinarians have also indicated they're willing to waive part of their fee in certain cases — we're still discussing with them how to implement this legislation," said Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras (Eesti 200).

At the request of the Estonian Veterinary Association, veterinarians met with Minister Terras to discuss the importance of cat microchipping.

"We met with Minister Terras to discuss the requirement for microchipping and registering cats and ferrets. We agreed to initiate meetings with the Riigikogu Rural Affairs and Environment Committees, as well as the Eesti 200 and Reform Party parliamentary groups," said Helen Valk, vice president of the Estonian Veterinary Association.

Following the veterinarians' public appeal, the minister has since changed his position on microchipping cats and ferrets. He now confirms that the draft bill currently being prepared at the ministry would make microchipping mandatory for both.

"Since we're required to notify the European Commission three months in advance so they can review and approve the bill, cat microchipping is currently included in its present form," Terras said.

Kadri Kabel from the Ministry of Agriculture explained that the European Commission must be notified because a national requirement to microchip animals could impact the EU internal market. In the fall, Minister Terras plans to present the new bill to parliamentary groups alongside veterinarians.

"If we receive approval from the Commission — which I expect to proceed without major issues — we'll present the bill to the parliamentary groups. If it receives political support, we can take it to the Riigikogu in the fall. And if the law is passed there, it should come into force on June 1 of next year," Terras said.

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