Since 2014, dog population management and stray dog control have been identified as a priority topic for the WOAH Platform on Animal Welfare for Europe.
WOAH launched the stray dog roadmap in the Balkans during the first meeting held in Bucharest in June 2014. On occasion, eleven countries agreed on the regional Vision to fully comply with WOAH Chapter 7.7. on stray dog population control by 2025. WOAH Platform has organized a series of capacity-building and technical support initiatives aiming at improving the management of the dog population, with a focus on the welfare of free-roaming dogs as well as their significant impact on public health and zoonotic disease transmission.
In addition, country representatives reiterated their willingness to periodically run the self-assessment rounds using the SAM Tool 1.0, a part of the commitment to fully implement the WOAH standards on dog population management by 2025.
List of the meetings
