TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Animal activists in Taiwan are calling for rules to put down sick and injured animals on farms after their plight was exposed by an investigation by the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST).

EAST published images of farm animals in serious states of neglect at a recent press conference (Oct. 27). Examples include ducks with broken legs caught between cage wires, a sick abandoned pig, and a calf unable to stand and left to die.

According to the animal welfare organization, Taiwan had an estimated 100 million chickens, six million pigs, and 160,000 cattle on more than 20,000 farms at the end of 2021, citing statistics from the Council of Agriculture (COA). However, less than 500 veterinarians were commissioned to care for them.

Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏), deputy chief executive of EAST, accused the COA of dereliction of duty for failing to put in place regulations for such animals, enshrined by the Protection Act (動物保護法). Published in 2008, humane slaughter regulations apply only to animals killed in slaughterhouses.

The authorities are urged to expedite the enactment of relevant codes for putting such animals to death humanely to alleviate their suffering, as the World Organization for Animal Health, the European Union, and New Zealand have done.

While a Taiwanese farm has introduced stun equipment for pigs experiencing incurable illnesses, EAST believes an industry-wide solution is needed.

At the press conference, a COA official promised to draft guidelines for the humane killing of injured and sick animals within three months. Meanwhile, subsidies will be granted to help equip farms with the required equipment.

Sick animals on Taiwanese farms. (EAST photos)