Animals should absolutely not be sold at a discount, regardless of the looming Black Friday, Flemish Minister of Animal Welfare reiterated in a statement on Thursday.
"We are going to take action against anyone who still treats animals as a disposable product that you advertise at reduced prices," explained Ben Weyts in an announcement on Thursday.
A ban on the discounted sale of animals in Belgium has only been in force since April 2019, but the sales day - carried over from American traditions - still poses a problem for animals according to Weyts. "Black Friday' has often been a black day for animals in recent years. This was not even forbidden because consumer law de facto treated animals as inanimate objects," he explained.
"It is the first Black Friday since the ban came into force. We do not tolerate offenders," said the Minister, adding that checks are going on both on and offline to catch offenders.
"Animals are not bags of chips that you just pick out of the aisle. Animals that are bought on Black Friday at a low price often end up in a shelter - or worse - before Christmas. That's why we make sure there's proper enforcement," he explained.
Jules Johnston
The Brussels Times
