Saying goodbye to a much-loved pet is always difficult. Many would like to give it a final resting place in the garden, near the house. But is that allowed?
France’s Service Public website is clear. The opening sentence of its online factsheet on what to do when a family pet dies reads: “Upon its death, a pet must, depending on its size, either be cremated, placed in a pet cemetery or disposed of by an animal rendering company.”
While previous French regulations allowed for the burial of pets, they were replaced by Regulation No 1069/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, which stipulates that dead animals must be disposed of by incineration.
So, it’s actually illegal to bury your pet, even in your own garden. The reason: to avoid health risks, and pollution of the soil or groundwater – particularly in rural areas.
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The EU-wide rules do allow for national MPs to introduce exemptions for pets.
And in early 2022 a few French MPs proposed a draft bill to this effect — but it never made it to the floor of the Assembly. So it remains illegal to bury your pet in your garden.
But what should you do?
The first thing is to contact either your veterinarian or a pet crematorium to arrange for your pet to be cremated.
It’s probably easier to get in touch with the former, and if your pet is put down by the vet or dies in the vet’s surgery, they will usually offer this as a matter of course.
The law requires that the remains of domestic animals be handled in a sanitary manner, either by cremation or rendering, and that they not be left or disposed of improperly.
You must do this within 48 hours of its death.
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Crematoriums generally offer the following services:
A group cremation, in which your pet is cremated simultaneously with other animals in the same cremation chamber. The combined ashes are scattered in a private location, usually a memorial garden owned by the pet crematorium.
The cost of group cremation for a pet dog depends on the animal’s size, and ranges from between €40 and €80 for one weighing around 5kg to between €130 and €180 for a 50kg animal.
Or, if you do want to collect your pet’s ashes, you can opt for individual cremation. Some crematoriums allow for owners to be in attendance for the event. You can keep your pet’s ashes at home, or scatter them in your garden, in a pet cemetery or memorial garden maintained by the crematorium.
You can even scatter an animal’s ashes in the wild, avoiding public roads and parks or cultivated fields (by contrast, scattering human ashes is highly regulated).
You cannot, however, place the urn in a family vault in a cemetery reserved for human burials.
The cost for individual cremation is higher — ranging from €80 and €150, depending on the crematorium and the options chosen for a 5kg dog, for example, to as high as €400 for a 50kg animal.
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Disposing of an animal’s remains in a rubbish bin, sewer, or any other place punishable by a fine of €3,750. This includes your garden.
It is also important to report your pet’s death, if necessary, to the national database for the identification of domestic carnivores (I-CAD). This can be done online through your owner account or via the dedicated app. Your vet may also be able to help.
And, if you have pet insurance, you should also contact your insurers.
