Oral answer by MND on enforcement powers under the Animals and Birds Act to non-governmental animal welfare groups

Feb 22, 2023

Question No: 4228

Question by: Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang

To ask the Minister for National Development

(a) whether the Ministry has studied the effectiveness of the enforcement powers provided to inspectors with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in England and Wales and officers with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; and
(b) whether the Ministry will consider providing similar enforcement powers under the Animals and Birds Act to selected non-Government animal welfare groups in Singapore.

Answer:

          Under the Animals and Birds Act, there are regulations and enforcement powers in place to safeguard animal welfare. Beyond putting in place laws and regulations, we take a multi-stakeholder approach to prevent cruelty to animals. For example, we work closely with stakeholders such as animal welfare groups and veterinarians to raise public awareness on responsible pet ownership.

2        We also take a serious view of all acts of animal cruelty. NParks investigates all feedback on animal abuse and will not hesitate to take the appropriate enforcement action.

3        As of now, we do not plan to confer enforcement powers to non-governmental organisations. However, we will study and learn from international best practices where appropriate, as we review and update our regulations.