OPENING REMARKS BY MS TAN POH HONG, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AGRI-FOOD AND VETERINARY AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE, AT AVA’S A PET IS FOR LIFE, AN “I ADOPT... LOVE” ADOPTION EVENT, ON 31 JANUARY 2015 Our Guest-of-Honour Mr Desmond Lee Minister of State, Ministry of National Development Mr Koo Soo Keong Chairman, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority Friends from our Animal Welfare Groups Ladies and gentlemen, 1. A very good morning. Welcome to our first Responsible Pet Ownership (RPO) event for this year. It is indeed heartening to see so many participants here today – it signals a good start to our efforts to encourage pet adoption and safeguard animal welfare. AVA Supports Adoption 2. The level of outreach and collaboration between various stakeholders in recent years are signs of our society’s increasing awareness of, and concern for animal welfare issues. 3. In late 2014, a Private Member’s Bill was passed in Parliament to amend the Animals and Bird Act. The amendments were a result of the intense work done by the AWLRC chaired by MP Yeo Guat Kwang, and included members from the community, AWGs, vet professions and pet traders. The passing of 1 the Bill marks an important milestone in our journey to attain higher animal welfare standards. 4. Over the years, AVA has been actively promoting responsible pet ownership. And for this year, our roadshows and events will focus on pet adoption, encouraging future pet owners to consider adoption first. If you look around you today, you will see that we have so many animals looking for an owner, someone to love him or her as part of a family, belonging to a home they could call their own (a “forever home”). Adoption gives these animals a second chance in life. 5. The AWGs have also been holding their own adoption drives over the years, to help these animals find responsible owners. This year, we hope that we can get everyone together and hold a few collective adoption drives. With more resources put in, more groups working together and more types of animals put up for adoption, we hope to reach a greater pool of adopters. AVA’s Effort in Encouraging Pet Adoption, Working with Stakeholders 6. Besides partnering AWGs in adoption drives, AVA also features adoptable animals from the AWGs via our Pet Central website. We also have an ongoing Pet Adoption Friday on our Facebook Page to help promote animals the AWGs put up for adoption. 7. Last but not least, we also work with the AWGs to rehome the stray dogs that are rounded up from control operations. 2 Year-long Adoption Campaign 8. The theme for this year’s pet adoption campaign is “I adopt... LOVE”. We want to encourage more people to adopt if they intend to bring a pet into their lives. 9. What is “I adopt... LOVE”? It could mean in adopting a pet named “Love”. Or it could be finding love with an adopted animal. Well, to us it is both. Ultimately, it is about loving our pet and taking good care of it, just like we would a loved one. 10. The campaign is also done in a fun way. For instance, in today’s event, the Cat Welfare Society has initiated an activity to set a Singapore Book of Records for the “Largest Gathering of People with Cat Faces”. AVA is happy to be a partner for this activity and we encourage all of you to help achieve the record. 11. You can also look forward to a “Cat Walk” later in the afternoon. Instead of tall and slim human models, we have more than 10 cats strutting their stuff. And I understand, some of them are celebrities in their own right, with many Facebook fans following their cute photos and interesting daily activities. 12. An example is the cat called ‘Midnight’. The Cat Welfare Society told me that it took them six months to find a suitable owner for Midnight. She’s a Black Persian cat that was rescued from a hoarder’s house. Midnight had a hole in her face and the worst case of lice they had ever seen. She had many 3 interested parties but no takers. CWS finally found an adopter who appreciated the beauty of an older cat and at the same time, ready to provide Midnight the vet care she needs. We are happy for Midnight. Conclusion 13. I would like to thank the AWGs here with us today for putting so much effort in making today’s event possible. I look forward to working with you on our future events and campaigns. 14. With all these efforts in encouraging pet adoption, I also hope that more members of the public can open your hearts and your homes to adopt a pet if you are considering getting one. 15. I wish all of you an enjoyable time today with us, with the cute pooches, cats, rabbits, hamsters, etc. 16. Thank you. 4