French town to use DNA to trace dog feces

Authorities plan to use a genetic database to fine dog owners who fail to pick up after their pets

Dog owners in the southern French town of Beziers could soon be required to obtain a “genetic passport” for their animals as local authorities try to reduce dog feces on the streets, according to a proposal put out by local mayor Robert Menard over the weekend.

Speaking to local radio station France Bleu, the mayor pointed out that the residents of Beziers had grown frustrated with pet owners who fail to pick up after their dogs and claimed that the street cleaning services had been picking up as many as 1,000 feces a month just in the center of the town.

“That’s not right,” said Menard, noting that putting more police officers on the street has only had a limited effect. “When there’s a police officer, people clean up. It’s when there’s no one around that they don’t crouch down and do their civic duty,” he said.

Menard has been seeking to introduce dog DNA testing since 2016, but has faced resistance from the local administrative court, which argued such a tactic was an attack on personal freedom. Now, however, he has been given the greenlight to introduce the measure as part of a two-year experiment.

“We have to punish to make people behave better,” Menard said, noting that the experiment would run until July 2025.

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Under the new rules, dog owners will be required to go to their local veterinary office to provide a sample of their pets’ saliva. The sample would then be genetically tested and put into a database, after which a “genetic passport” would be issued for the animal. Obtaining the passport is mandatory, and those who are stopped without one will face a fine of €38. 

Once the database is formed, street cleaners will be able to collect dog excrement found on the pavement and send them for testing to match it to a specific owner, who will be presented with a street cleaning fine of up to €122, according to Menard.

The mayor noted that the street cleaning fine would not be enforced for another three months, promising a soft launch of the new measures.