The Executive Council has revealed that the government has drafted a bill aiming to regulate the city’s veterinarians and their commercial activities with the aim of improving animal protection and animal health control.

The proposed law was announced by Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon in a press conference at Government Headquarters on Friday. The Executive Council is the government’s top advisory body. It’s is headed by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng. 

The draft law, which will be sent to the Legislative Assembly (AL) for debate, review and vote, proposes to establish a system of veterinarians’ professional accreditation and licensing, as well as supervision of clinical veterinary care and animal breeding facilities, trade and accommodation. 

Hitherto, veterinarians in Macau have been completely unlicensed. 

If the bill is passed by the Legislative Assembly, it will become the first compulsory veterinary licensing legislation in Macau which will ban unlicenced veterinarians from conducting medical or surgical treatment of animals, thereby filling a legal gap regarding veterinary accreditation and regulation of animal clinics.

The bill proposes to set up a committee consisting of seven veterinary professionals to develop a professional accreditation system for the sector and approve veterinarians’ professional accreditations, and also to submit recommendations to the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) on the renewal of the accreditations. 

Under the bill, the committee will be allowed to take disciplinary action concerning veterinarians’ disciplinary breaches. The proposed maximum penalty is the forfeiture of a veterinarian’s licence.

A local veterinarian surnamed Ng who has worked in the sector for 15 years, told The Macau Post Daily yesterday that he had doubts about the appointments of the seven-member veterinary committee, arguing that “insiders should regulate insiders”, because it was veterinarians who had a better understanding of clinical practices of animal medical care and treatment, while members of other professions were not qualified to give a professional judgement on such matters. 

Ng said he acknowledged the advantages and urgency of the proposed law, but said that the government should have given more thought to the possible regulatory criteria on the veterinary sector, particularly as the power of the committee to revoke a veterinarian’s licence would amount to “excessive punishment”. 

Another local registered veterinarian, surnamed Chan, who has worked in the sector for 13 years, told The Macau Post Daily yesterday he agreed that the bill would protect the rights of animal owners and the health and safety of animals. Chan said he hoped that the proposed law would take into account the sector’s “practicalities” and not cause veterinarians more “problems”. 

The bill proposes to create separate administrative permits for animal clinics and other animal businesses, stipulating that the two types of business will not be allowed to be located in real estate used for residential purposes.

The bill also proposes that animal traders will not be allowed to sell diseased animals, and that animal breeding facilities will be barred from keeping more dogs or cats than the maximum number to be allowed by the government. 

This photo taken yesterday shows the equipment in a local veterinary clinic. Photos: Ginnie Liang

This picture taken yesterday shows a sick dog waiting to be treated in a local veterinary clinic.