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.
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