AL PLENARY | Lawmakers call for more accountability for pet owners

Florinda Chan said that this is a very “well-adjusted draft”

The Animal Protection Bill on Friday passed its first reading in the Legislative Assembly (AL). Lawmakers welcomed regulations safeguarding animal welfare, but they also called on the government to improve the draft, and grant more responsibilities to pet owners.
Introduced by the government, the Animal Protection Bill seeks to prevent unlawful actions such as animal abuse, illegal animal slaughter, abandonment, or the exhibition and sale of animals younger than three months old.
While they welcomed the animal protection legislation, lawmakers have raised criticism over the bill’s loopholes.
Some questioned whether the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) has sufficient resources for active enforcement to respond to infractions of the law. Lawmaker Ng Kuok Cheong kicked off the debate by questioning government officials on the number of supervisors able to act on cases of animal abandonment, for instance.
“If the police could also intervene, it would probably be better. Because we are not sure if IACM will be able to tackle all these problems,” he said.
Lawmaker Zheng Anting addressed the same issue, saying that law enforcement is the greatest concern. “Does IACM have enough capacity to implement the law?” he questioned.
IACM representatives attending Friday’s plenary meeting gave assurances that they have enough staff able to deal with infringements to the Animal Protection Bill, and if necessary other government departments may be urged to assist. “We believe we are able to supervise and we are counting on the population’s cooperation to alert us when they know of any illicit actions. They can denounce [them] through IACM. We can also request police authorities help. If needed, we can rely on the support of other authorities,” they stressed.
Lawmakers are also demanding more responsibilities from pet owners. Leong Veng Chai welcomed a bill protecting animals’ rights, but said that the law was not properly drafted, since some “animals’ fundamental rights have not been defined.”
He believes that pet owners should have more responsibilities, particularly when it comes to animal abandonment, as he thinks accountability for abandoning a pet has been transferred to the government, instead of pet owners.
IACM representatives recalled that fines would be increased with this bill. For animal abandonment, the fine can reach MOP40,000, even implying a disobedience crime.
Furthermore, lawmakers called on the government to perfect the draft by providing a more concrete definition on the type and size of domestic animals’ living environment, and a suitable area for breeding animals. Lei Cheng I said that although the legislation addresses the social responsibility of pet owners, it does not elaborate on concrete rules regarding the space where domestic animals live or are bred.
Lawmakers think this is a particularly important issue, since breeding domestic animals can often cause disturbances to neighbors, usually related to noise and smell.
IACM representatives recognized that they have received a high number of complaints related to these disturbances. However, they said it would be difficult to elaborate on concrete rules for living environments, since the type of environment may depend on the animal’s size.
Although many lawmakers have highlighted flaws in the draft, legislator Gabriel Tong said that, “it was worth the wait, as we now have a law that was quite well drafted.” He nevertheless recognized that the draft leaves room for improvement.
Lawmaker Mak Soi Kun shared a different opinion, as he believes the bill failed to detail the protection of animals other than dogs and cats. “A rabbit may be killed. So maybe we should call it the ‘Cats and Dogs Protection Bill’ because we can kill a rabbit to eat it?” he questioned.
The Secretary for Administration and Justice,  Florinda Chan, who also attended Friday’s plenary meeting, said that this is a very “well-adjusted draft.” “If the bill is passed, we can still improve it before it is tabled for a second reading,” she added.
The bill will be further discussed by one of the AL’s standing committees and will be presented for a second reading at the AL Plenary, where lawmakers will vote the law in detail.
The Animal Protection Bill increases penalties for severe animal abuse to three years’ imprisonment, while also enforcing a maximum fine of MOP100,000. It outlines the responsibilities of pet owners, who should provide their domestic animals with an adequate living environment. It also regulates animals owned by construction sites, wild animals, and the use of animals for scientific purposes.

legislation on budget execution next year

The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Francis Tam, has revealed that the legislation process to revise the government’s budget execution regulations will most likely commence next year. In 2013, lawmakers called on the government to perfect the legislation on this matter, so that public money used in major construction projects can be better managed. The AL discussed the budget execution report for 2013 and the report on auditing accounts last Friday.