TAIPEI: The Executive Yuan approved a draft amendment to the Animal Protection Law yesterday in a move to regulate pet food products and product suppliers.

The amended draft states that manufacturers, processors and importers of pet food products must register with the government products they produce or handle.

Producing, processing, packaging, wholesaling, selling, importing, exporting, giving or attempting to sell or display pet foods tainted with excess levels of pathogens or substances detrimental to health will be prohibited, according to the draft.

Enterprises engaged in such pursuits that fail to recall, destroy, or properly dispose of flawed products will face fines of between NT$50,000 ($1,560) and NT$250,000 and will have their names, store names or photos published.

Those that provide product labels, promotional literature or advertising that are untrue, exaggerated or cause misunderstandings will face fines of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.

City and county governments will be allowed to carry out spot checks and random inspections of pet food products and to demand that pet food sellers provide proof of the safety of their products.

The Executive Yuan also approved yesterday a draft amendment to the Customs Tariff Law, which seeks to impose a travel ban on individuals who owe customs tariffs or penalties in excess of NT$1 million.

According to the draft amendment, executives of companies or organizations that owe the customs more than NT$2 million will also be banned from traveling abroad.

In cases where an appeal is lodged with financial authorities against the tariff evasion penalty, the ban will be retained while the case is being reviewed, the draft amendment states. However, in such cases, it will apply only to individuals who owe the customs more than NT$1.5 million and executives of a company that owes more than NT$3 million, the bill states.

The travel restriction will be imposed for a maximum of five years, starting from the date that the immigration office records the ban, the draft bill specifies.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 02/05/2010 page2)