ST Forum
10th May 2004

Have compulsory micro-chipping for pets

WE REFER to the letter, 'Why AVA doesn't limit number of pet shops' (ST, May
21).

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) makes an unconvincing case for
solving the appalling pet-abandonment problem in Singapore.

AVA assures us that potential pet-shop owners undergo stringent evaluation
before they are granted a licence. However, it does not follow that they
continue to meet these standards after approval.

Each month, SPCA receives at least five complaints of possible animal abuse
in pet shops, while House Rabbit Society of Singapore volunteers refer
between three and five shops to AVA to investigate unsatis-factory conditions
in which rabbits are kept.

We do not ask AVA to close all pet shops. However, we feel that there is
already a surplus of pet shops and commercial pet-breeding farms.
Furthermore, there is a very sizeable and completely unregulated trade in
pets by private breeders who sell over the Internet.

If AVA intends to stick to its policy of free trade in the pet market, we
request it to reconsider our recommendation to require compulsory micro-
chipping for all pets. This will create more accountability and aid
prosecution of those who abandon their pets.

To control the flourishing pet trade over the Internet, AVA should enforce
the provision in the law that says that unlicensed keeping for sale is
illegal and make unlicensed online advertising, illegal.

KAPIL SHARMA
Vice-President
House Rabbit Society of Singapore

DEIRDRE MOSS (MS)
Executive Officer
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Anima