｢附錄五｣
(一)
星加坡2009年立法規管繁殖場及售賣寵物行業後,
至2012年非法繁殖場及寵物售賣店情況未有改善,
愛護動物團體仍然認為執法是最有效行動
資料來源: http://sgpuppies.com/
THIRD UNDERCOVER SURVEY OF PET SHOPS AND FARMS STILL SHOWS LACK IN STANDARDS
Posted on October 29, 2012 by sgpuppies
Singapore, 22 October 2012
The Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) recently completed a third undercover survey, in a follow-up to the ‘Stop the Cruelty in Puppy Mills’ campaign that launched in October 2010. Conducted sometime between August to October 2012, the two month undercover operation saw the SPCA visiting a total of 49 pet shops and farms, including 20 pet shops and 18 pet farms selling dogs. In November last year, a similar operation conducted saw a total of 22 premises surveyed in total.
The survey results from the recent operation revealed that general hygiene and conditions of the animals have improved, but other prevalent issues such as mandatory licensing and providing correct and proper pet care advice are seriously lacking.
Licensing
In relation to assisting with application of dog licences, there has been no improvement since the second undercover survey. 77 per cent (14 out of 20 pet shops and 13 out of 15 pet farms) of the establishments would not help with licensing. This is in breach of No. 14 under Regulatory requirements Pet Shop Licence Conditions in which it states that “when a dog is sold, the shop must apply for the dog licence for the buyer and lodge the microchip number of the dog with AVA”.
Nine out of 10 farms selling large breeds or non-approved HDB breeds misinformed consumers to purchase the animal without informing the authorities, or to license the animal under another address, or keep the animal at home without attracting attention from the neighbours. One such ignorant establishment said to license a pet through the HDB.
Pet Care
No pet advice was volunteered by the majority of pet farms and pet shops to prospective buyers. Most of the pet shops did not display any pet care information or give out any pet care leaflets, even when questioned extensively about pet care. There was also no emphasis on responsible ownership as buyers were widely recommended and encouraged to cage the animals for toilet training or confine them in small spaces for long periods – from half a day to 22 hours for three weeks to three months duration. Other improper suggestions included “minimise taking the puppy out”, “try not to take the puppy out of the cage as it is too young”, “let it stay in the cage till you are back from work”, and “the puppy must be caged until its vaccination”.
94 per cent of pet farms and shops would not provide details or allow the viewing of puppies’ parents while only 34 per cent of shops and farms displayed their grading.
Corinne Fong, Executive Director of the SPCA says “Two years on and the extent of improvements and progress is dismal. Compliance of the law such as mandatory licensing at point of purchase remains a nagging issue and requires immediate addressing. It is disheartening to hear the misinformation offered to potential buyers by the pet shop attendants despite structured training in pet animal management and welfare made compulsory for the pet retail industry.”
Veron Lau, President, Cat Welfare Society, said “It’s been two years since the animal welfare groups have brought forward a set of recommendations to improve the standards of puppy farms and pet shops in Singapore and it is disappointing that the undercover survey still indicates that there is so little improvement. There is great urgency for better enforcement from the authorities and greater effectiveness from the pet shop association in upholding ethics and standards in its industry.”
(二)
星加坡2009年立法規管繁殖場及售賣寵物行業後,
至2011年合法繁殖場情況仍然惡劣,
愛護動物團體認為牌照持有人及其員工缺乏照顧動物知識
Former pet farm operator fined S$50,000 for not taking proper care of dogs
Channel News Asia | 25 Mar 2011
SINGAPORE: A former pet farm operator was fined S$50,000 on Wednesday after failing to take proper care of 15 dogs in a facility he used to run.
31-year-old Benny Neo Terh Thong, formerly from Kennel 9, the Pet Hotel at Pasir Ris Farmway 2, pleaded guilty to 10 of the 15 charges against him. The remaining five charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
The dogs under his care were malnourished and even though many were ill, Neo had not sought veterinary attention for any of them.
The 15 dogs mentioned in the charges were thin and had skin problems. They were also infested with ticks and had bad teeth as well as inflamed gums.
Neo bought over the pet farm and its 75 dogs from their previous owner, Gabriel Lee on January 15 last year as he thought it would be a profitable business venture. But Neo had no experience in the dog breeding business.
He slashed the amount which was supposed to be spent on dog food from some S$1,500 per month to only S$450.
And instead of allocating one bowl for each dog, some of the animals were made to eat from one big basin. As a result, the weaker dogs did not get to eat and became malnourished.
The poorly-cared-for dogs were only discovered after Neo decided to give up the business about three months later. He then handed it over to Derrick Tan Kah Heng and a group of volunteers.
It was Mr Tan who informed the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority about the dogs on April 16 last year when he found many of them in poor condition. Some of the dogs that required urgent medical attention were also sent to a veterinarian for treatment.
Defence counsel, Vinit Chhabra, told the court in his mitigation plea that Neo had put in long hours as well as time and energy to care for the dogs. The lawyer added that Neo regrets his efforts were not enough to prevent the suffering that the dogs appear to have endured.
(三)
星加坡繁殖業法例通過後, 成效不佳
虐待動物事件仍不斷
SPCA and other Animal Welfare Groups go undercover to pet shops and farms
Joint Press Release | Feb 24, 2011
“Can you help with the licensing of the dog? Can you tell me more about the puppy’s parents? Am I able to see the puppy’s parents?” These and more questions were posed to 35 pet shops and farms when the animal welfare groups went undercover over the period of November and December 2010.
The undercover operation was a follow-up from the ‘Stop the Cruelty in Puppy Mills’ campaign launched in October 2010 which saw the birth of a dedicated website (http://sgpuppies.com) a joint effort by seven animal welfare groups to raise awareness about the unethical and unacceptable practices of puppy mills in Singapore. The undercover operation (survey results attached) was aimed at establishing the current conditions for dogs in pet shops and pet farms, to observe the sales process first hand whilst ascertaining how much information was conveyed to customers, in terms of pet care and background of puppies on sale.
The outcome and findings from the undercover operations is far from positive. A total of 19 out of 35 establishments failed to comply with the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority’s (AVA) standards and these cases have since been referred to the AVA. Of the conditions not being adhered to these included unsuitable flooring, small cages and unsatisfactory hygiene. In relation to assisting with application of dog licences, all 13 pet farms and 33 per cent of shops declined to help. 92 per cent of the farms and shops did not question prospective buyers on their knowledge of puppy care and very few shops were proactive in offering pet care tips.
79 per cent did not provide details about the puppy’s parents when asked, while 84 per cent did not allow viewing of parents. Two responses to a request to see the parents were “For what? You are buying the puppy not the parent”, while another question was met with a counterclaim “If you can find another pet farm which allows you to see the parents, the pup is free”.
Ms. Deirdre Moss, Executive Director of the SPCA says the disappointing results and glaring lapses are somewhat expected. “It is a case of puppies for profit and the results highlight the urgent need for setting higher industry standards and best practices, a robust licensing system and increase rigorous enforcement for the trade”, said Ms. Moss.
Ms Shirley Goh a volunteer from Cat Welfare Society, who participated in the survey found that in many pet shops, the living condition of the animals do not meet the AVA stipulated standards, “This exercise shows how important it is that the public are made aware of animal welfare standards in the pet trade to make an informed decision when they are buying, as well as to act as community eyes and ears when it comes to safeguarding the welfare of the animals.”
Mr. Ricky Yeo, President of Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) said “the survey has exposed the glaring shortfalls of the pet trade with a blatant disregard for the standards set to ensure the welfare of the animals being sold. On top of enforcement, the public also needs to empower themselves with the knowledge and responsibility to discern the ethical pet shops and to report errant ones.”
The results from the undercover operation have been forwarded in a paper to the AVA with key recommendations such as improvements to flooring, abolishment of the use of water bottles, mandatory licensing at the point of sale as well as proper counseling on pet care prior to any purchase of a pet.
Other recommendations include a, “Think twice before you buy” poster (designed by welfare groups and endorsed by AVA) that should be prominently displayed in all shops and farms, and improvements to be made in all 19 premises that failed to meet AVA’s standards.
Meanwhile, an official reply was received from the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA), following a joint proposal last July, setting out recommendations and best practices for these establishments. According to the AVA, they had carefully considered each item in the groups’ proposal and had met the farm licensees to address the issues on the farms. AVA has taken all the input into consideration and will be adopting a holistic approach, whereby the farms will be required to provide AVA with their plan for improvement. The farms have been asked to ensure that the plans are followed. The AVA will also be registering existing kennel operators and introducing screening for new individuals who wish to practice dog breeding on the farms. In addition AVA officers will be conducting more frequent inspections.
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