The current Act prescribes the management, supervision, etc. of measures necessary to treat, protect, and quarantine abused animals from their abusers, and for the operation of animal testing by animal testing institutions and the institutional animal care and use committee. 

However, there are insufficient means to restrict the ownership, etc. of animals by animal owners or keepers, etc. in the event of continuous or repeated abuse by abusers or educate abusers by education, counseling, etc. 

In addition, the current Act generally prohibits animal testing of animals that serve or have served a person or the State, such as guide dogs for people with disabilities, and lost or abandoned animals. Experimentation on these animals is permitted only when related to the health of the species concerned, disease control, research, etc., and when its relevance has been recognized by deliberation of the animal testing ethics committee.

As illustrated by the recent use of service dogs in animal testing at a veterinary college, however, relevance reviews of animal testing and other provisions on animal testing ethics are not being observed. The animals are not being managed in an appropriate manner, and service animals are not being treated humanely.

Therefore, the Amendment aims to restrict the ownership, etc. of animals by those who have abused animals, to formulate grounds for obligating them to undergo counseling, education, etc., and to supplement some shortcomings such as the provisions, etc. on the management of service animals, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the appropriate protection, management, and welfare of animals. 

Details

A. Allow a Mayor/Do Governor or the head of a Si/Gun/Gu to file a claim with the court to sentence the loss or restriction of the ownership, possession, etc. of an applicable animal by its abuser (Article 14-2 newly inserted)

B. Allow a Si/Do or Si/Gun/Gu to acquire the ownership of an applicable animal if the court sentences the loss or restriction of the ownership, etc. of an applicable animal by its abuser (Article 20 subparagraph 3-2 newly inserted)

C. Allow a Mayor/Do Governor or the head of a Si/Gun/Gu to donate or transfer animals subject to registration to a zoo, an animal lover, a private organization, etc. after registering them (Article 21 (2))

D. Allow the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to donate or transfer a state-owned service animal to a private organization, etc. once the animal completes its service or is no longer used for the service (Article 22-2 newly inserted)

E. Require the head of an animal testing institution, etc. to comply with matters concerning the protection and ethical treatment of laboratory animals for the safety of animal testing and the protection of laboratory animals (Article 23-2 newly inserted)

F. Prohibit animal testing of animals supplied by those other than laboratory animal suppliers (Article 24 subparagraph 3 newly inserted)

G. If the chairperson of the institutional animal care and use committee finds that animal testing has been conducted differently from that deliberated by the said committee, require the chairperson to notify the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the fact without delay (Article 27-2 newly inserted)

H. Obligate a person who intends to obtain a business license for an animal breeding business and a person who intends to register his/her business as an animal exhibition business to submit an animal treatment plan to the head of a Si/Gun/Gu at the time he/she closes his/her business (Article 34-2 newly inserted)

I. Allow animal guardians to recommend that abusers receive necessary support such as counseling, education, or psychotherapy (Article 40-2 newly inserted)

Require any person who conducts animal testing to report to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs the matters prescribed under the Ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, such as the number of animal tests, the number of animals used for testing, and the means of their acquisition (Article 23). 

Prohibit animal testing on service animals, etc. (Article 24)

Obligate a person who intends to obtain a business license for an animal breeding business and a person who intends to register his/her business as an animal exhibition business to submit an animal treatment plan to the head of a Si/Gun/Gu at the time he/she closes his/her business (Article 34-2 newly inserted)