Target Date to Revise Penalties for Animal Cruelty and Introduce Failure in Duty of Care Provisions

20 Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether the Government has a target date by which legislation to revise penalties for animal cruelty and failure to fulfil duty of care will be introduced; and (b) whether the Government actively enforces the Code of Animal Welfare (for the Pet Industry) and collates data on non-compliance with the Code.

The Senior Minister of State for National Development (Mr Tan Kiat How) (for the Minister for National Development): Sir, as part of the National Parks Board's (NParks’) efforts to safeguard animal health and welfare, as well as public health and safety, NParks has embarked on a comprehensive review of the Animals and Birds Act 1965.

As highlighted in the reply to Mr Louis Ng on a similar Parliamentary Question last November and the recent update at the Committee of Supply debate in response to a cut by Mr Henry Kwek last month, the review covers several areas, including the regulatory framework for the prevention and control of animal diseases and veterinary health products, the penalty framework for animal welfare offences and enforcement powers for animal welfare and management.

NParks has been conducting small group discussions with relevant stakeholders and incorporating their inputs. NParks intends to conduct consultations with more stakeholders this year.

The Code of Animal Welfare (for the Pet Industry) specifies minimum standards and best practices for animal housing, management and care to safeguard the health and welfare of animals. Failure to comply to the minimum standards in the Code may be used as supporting evidence for prosecution. To date, non-compliance with the minimum standards in the Code has not been used as evidence to support prosecution, as the evidence gathered in cases that proceeded to prosecution was sufficient.

Mr Speaker: Mr Chua.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis (Sengkang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Just two quick supplementary questions from me. The first is on the Code of Animal Welfare (for the Pet Industry) that the Senior Minister of State mentioned. How does the NParks ensure that these minimum standards are actually being adhered to? And second, I note that there is currently no licensing regime for pet groomers, and as part of the review, whether this is also being considered?

Mr Tan Kiat How: Sir, on the two questions that Mr Chua has raised, let me take them in turn.

On the first one around how we ensure compliance with the Code of Animal Welfare (for the Pet Industry), these are guidelines that we put forward. And if there are members of the public, industry players or operators who want to report any non-compliance, please let us know. NParks, as part of its broader licensing framework and regulatory ambit, will do spot checks and take a look at some of these places.

On the second point on the disqualification order (DO), just to confirm with Mr Chua that he was asking about DO? No? I could not hear the question.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: The licensing regime – whether it is being considered?

Mr Tan Kiat How: Sir, if I can get Mr Chua to just clarify his question because I could not quite understand his question.

Mr Speaker: Mr Chua.

Mr Chua Kheng Wee Louis: Thank you. I was just wondering in terms of the review that is currently ongoing, whether or not a licensing regime for groomers is actually being considered?

Mr Tan Kiat How: Sir, I thank the Member for the clarification. We are reviewing the Animals and Birds Act. As part of that, we are also looking at the licensing framework and the enforcement powers and the various regulatory levers. We will get inputs from the relevant stakeholders and we will share more details when ready.