ENG-2020 — Page 209

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Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries

In 2020, about 7,700 permits were issued for animal imports, which included dogs, cats, horses, birds, zoo animals and live food animals such as pigs and cattle.

Quarantine Detector Dog Programme

The Quarantine Detector Dog Programme helps combat the illegal import of animals. The dogs are trained to detect live animals and animal products hidden in luggage at boundary control points, including Lok Ma Chau, Shenzhen Bay, Hong Kong International Airport and the airport's Air Mail Centre. In 2020, more than 12,000 travellers, 570 vehicles and 5,800 parcels and pieces of luggage were screened,

Animal Welfare and Management

The government's approach towards animal welfare and management includes strengthening public education, controlling animal trading properly, fostering close partnerships with animal welfare organisations, managing stray animals properly, and handling and preventing acts of animal cruelty.

Hong Kong is rabies-free. All dogs over five months old must be licensed and vaccinated against rabies. Stray dogs and cats are brought to the AFCD animal management centres, and healthy and well-tempered ones are rehomed.

The department encourages care and respect for animals. It promotes responsible pet ownership and animal welfare through educational talks, roving exhibitions and dog training courses, as well as advertisements placed through various media.

The department partners with 18 animal welfare organisations to rehome dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and reptiles. It works with these organisations to hold joint animal adoption events and to provide free desexing for animals rehomed through them, and subvents these organisations in carrying out animal welfare and management projects.

A working group involving the AFCD, FEHD, police and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals seeks to improve the handling of animal cruelty reports by examining the government's work on handling cruelty cases, devising guidelines and ensuring animal welfare is well protected.

All pet shops selling animals must be licensed by the department, which inspects these shops. to ensure compliance with the licensing conditions. Pet shops are required to obtain dogs for sale only from approved sources. Dog breeders and sellers are subject to tightened regulations. and increased penalties under the Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Trading and Breeding) Regulations.

Following public consultation in 2019 on its proposals to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance to further safeguard animal welfare, the government is now drafting legislation. Proposed amendments include introducing a positive duty of care on persons responsible for animals, as well as enhancing the provisions for prevention of animal cruelty.

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