‘It is unacceptable for breeders to experiment with living beings and start combining everything like a Swedish cook in the Muppet Show, purely for the sake of commerce and profit’
This is the opinion of the Flemish Deputy Prime Minister Ben Weyts on the breeders of designer dogs or crossbreeds as we can find in HLN dd 09 – 02 – 2017. The Flemish Deputy Prime Minister continues:
“When breeding recognised breeds there is an obligation for research into hereditary diseases and parentage. The non-recognised breeders often do not take this obligation into account. As a result, there is a risk of introducing genetic defects. One never knows what to expect from newly created breeds”
This is why in Flanders registered breeders are forbidden to breed crossbreeds
The Belgian counterpart of the NVWA (law enforcers) tracks down these illegal breeders of crossbreeds and issues fines of up to €40,000. This is quite a different approach than in the Netherlands where purebred breeders are forced to breed wild mutts or designer dogs with their short-muzzled breeds and where no test at all is required for such mongrels. It is curious that two adjacent European countries with no borders in between can have such an extreme difference in legislation.
The question is why legislation regarding pedigree dogs and non- pedigree dogs is not regulated at the European level. After all, compliance with legislation is based on the trust people have in a specific law. If two countries next to each other have such a difference in legislation, the confidence in the legislation in both countries decreases
Foundation Justice for Pedigree Dogs
Edwin Meyer Viol