China mulls law revision to enhance animal epidemic prevention

BEIJING -- China's top legislature began discussing a draft revision to the law on animal epidemic prevention, in a move to enhance work in this regard and improve animal sanitation.

The draft has been presented for the legislators' deliberation for the first time at the regular session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), which opened Sunday.

According to the draft, current efforts to keep animal diseases under effective control should be further intensified to ensure that key diseases are eradicated.

The draft defines greater responsibilities for relevant businesses and government departments.

It also stipulates enhanced efforts in monitoring epizootic-related diseases and the building of an epizootic prevention system, stressing such work at community levels.

The current animal epidemic prevention law is a revised one put into effect in 2008 and the top legislature listed the revision of the law in its legislative plan in 2018.

The NPC Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee has worked thereafter with relevant government departments to listen to opinions from animal health workers, business owners and experts in this sector as well as the legislators and consulted with relevant authorities before drafting the revision.