site.btaTurkiye Considers Banning Pets from Restaurants and Cafes

Draft legislation prepared by Turkiye's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is aimed to ban pets from restaurants, cafes and other hospitality venues. According to TV100, the idea is to prohibit pets not only from indoor areas but also from outdoor spaces such as terraces and gardens.

Businesses that fail to comply with the proposed requirement will face financial penalties.

The draft has been put forward at a time when public debate over allowing pets in restaurants and cafes remains heated. Under the current system, decisions on whether to admit pets are largely left to the discretion of individual business owners. The proposed legislation aims to end this practice by introducing a uniform rule for all hospitality venues.

According to official statistics, around 14% of Turkiye's approximately 27 million households own a cat or a dog, including about 1.42 million cats and 950,000 dogs. Pet ownership in Turkiye has increased significantly in recent years.