The procedure, costing 20 pounds, will help the government combat the illegal sale of animals and find people who have lost or abandoned their dogs and cats. The chip is implanted under the animal's skin between the shoulder blades, which takes a few seconds. It will contain the animal's identification number, its name, and health status, as well as the owner's address and phone number. The information will be read using scanners and stored in a common database. The chip can only be removed surgically.
Veterinarian Christodoulos Pipis said that the legislation, based on an EU directive, will come into force this summer. "The earliest introduction of the EU directive depends only on us," he clarified. "About two thousand dog owners will be allowed to have branded animals, but after that they will be obliged to implant a microchip in them," the doctor warned.