Pet business operators could be obligated to register the animals they handle by the end of June once regulations are amended, the Council of Agriculture said on Thursday in a move to highlight responsible pet ownership.
Besides having microchips implanted in their animals, businesses might be required to register their animals online — including their appearance, age and breed — as well as provide information about their owners, the council said.
Animal Husbandry Department division head Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全) said dog owners are only required to get chip implants for their dogs after the canines are six months old and there is no requirement for pet registry in the Pet Registration Information System, the government’s online pet registry database.
The changes to be added to the Regulations for the Management of Designated Pet Industries (特定寵物業管理辦法) are to require chips to be implanted in pets and owners to register their pets in the database within four months of ownership of a cat or a dog.
Information is to include the owner’s name and national identification number, the breed, color and age of the pet and other essential information, Chiang said.
The penalty being considered for people who fail to comply with the proposed regulations is a fine of between NT$3,000 and NT$15,000, he said.
To enable better tracking and record keeping, the revised regulations are to compel pet businesses — entities involved in cat or dog breeding, trading or fostering — to chip and register their animals and to be held responsible for renewing registry data when ownership changes occur, Chiang said.
Companies that fail to comply would be fined between NT$3,000 and NT$15,000, the same amount as individual pet owners, he said.
Additionally, the revised regulations are to require pet businesses involved in the breeding, trading or fostering of cats or dogs to employ a designated licensed veterinarian and businesses’ owners are to be required to receive training in animal care, Chiang added.
The amendments would impose a fine of between NT$40,000 and NT$200,000 on business owners who fail to receive the required training and would allow local governments to revoke the business license of firms that break the law or commit other serious offenses, he said.
The council scheduled publication of the revisions to the regulations after the Lunar New Year holiday, Chiang said, adding that it hopes to promulgate the revised rules by June.
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