Lawmakers today called for amendments to veterinarian regulations to prevent unethical practices, after a kennel in Miaoli County was found to have cut most of its dogs’ vocal cords and bred infirm female dogs.
Earlier this year, a veterinarian surnamed Hsieh (謝) who operates a kennel in Miaoli was discovered to have cut the vocal chords of more than 90 percent of its dogs and used elderly and sick female dogs for breeding.
The Miaoli Country Government last month imposed the maximum fine allowed under the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法) and revoked Hsieh’s business license.
Photo: Tsai Shu-yuan, Taipei Times
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Jean Kuo (郭昱晴) and Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城), along with Miaoli County Councilor Chen Kuang-hsuan (陳光軒), hosted a news conference today calling on the Ministry of Agriculture to amend the Animal Protection Act and Veterinarian Act (獸醫師法) to strengthen professional ethics and curb unethical veterinarians and breeders.
Kuo said there have been other cases like this that reveal loopholes, which could be filled by regulating the number of breeding facilities and improving their conditions.
The current Veterinarian Act lacks clear ethical standards and disciplinary measures, and should be amended to stipulate professional ethics and prohibited conduct, Kuo said.
Contraventions of the Animal Protection Act, including abuse or improper medical treatment, should be grounds to revoke veterinary licenses to safeguard the profession’s integrity, she said.
There is no quota on the current 1,679 designated pet businesses in Taiwan, which affects the industry’s quality, Lee said.
Inspections are conducted once a year under the current system, and confusion over microchip registration and tracking gives illegal operators opportunities to exploit, Lee said.
The kennel in this case was rated as excellent in 2023, but dropped in rating last year, yet the Miaoli Country Government took no follow-up action, he said.
According to the Regulations for the Management of Designated Pet Industries (特定寵物業管理辦法), animal breeders and traders are required to submit microchip data to local authorities in January, April, July and October each year, Kuo added.
However, this practice is largely a formality, as data are submitted, but not checked, Kuo said, adding that kennels like the one in Miaoli can take advantage of the oversight.
Chen said that this kennel could only face suspension and fines under current regulations, and called on the government to amend the law to allow revoking veterinarians’ licenses for animal abuse or serious ethical violations.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
RSS