Code of Animal Welfare (for pet industry)

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA)* issued the Code of Animal Welfare (for the pet industry) on 11 August 2016.  

Effected on 1 October 2016, the Code comprises:

• Minimum standards for animal housing, management, and care which pet businesses are expected to comply with.
• Best practices on animal housing, management, and care, which pet businesses are encouraged to adopt to further raise the quality of animal welfare in Singapore.

A six-month grace period lasting from 1 October 2016 to 31 March 2017 saw us refrain from using pet businesses’ non-compliance to the minimum standards stated in the code as supporting evidence to prosecute offences related to animal welfare. 

For more information, please refer to the full set of the Code of Animal Welfare (for pet industry). 

For a summary of the Code of Animal Welfare (for pet industry), please refer to the infographic.

*The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore is dissolved, effective 1 April 2019. All farm, food and fishery functions will be managed by the Singapore Food Agency, while the animal and veterinary functions will come under the purview of the Animal & Veterinary Service, a cluster of the National Parks Board. For more information, please refer to our website/press release.