[News Terms] Will the 'Lucy Act' Be Enacted in Korea?

Ban on Factory Breeding of Puppies and Kittens Under 6 Months Old
139,000 Supporters Sign Petition for Korean Version of Lucy's Law

'Lucy’s law' is a law enacted in the United Kingdom in 2018. It is a regulatory law that prohibits factory-style breeding practices that mass-produce puppies or kittens under six months of age.

The law is named after 'Lucy,' a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog rescued in 2013 from a dog breeding farm in South Wales, UK. Lucy was repeatedly impregnated and gave birth for six years at the breeding farm before being adopted into a new home in 2013. She suffered from epilepsy and arthritis and passed away in 2016.

On the 6th, animal rights groups held a rally supporting the passage of the Lucy Act.
[Photo by Lucy's Friends]

Following this incident, the UK animal organization 'Pup Aid' raised public awareness about the problems of factory breeding and campaigned to ban it. Many organizations and citizens joined this campaign, leading to the creation of Lucy’s law in 2018.

Under Lucy’s law in the UK, pet shops are prohibited from selling puppies and kittens under six months old. Furthermore, only animals bred by professional breeders that are over two months old and remain with their mothers can be sold through direct face-to-face transactions, completely banning third-party sales.

In South Korea, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs introduced a registration system for animal production businesses in 2008. However, it was relaxed to a notification system in 2012, then reverted to a licensing system with the amendment of the Animal Protection Act in 2017.

According to animal rights groups such as 'Kara,' there are currently 2,177 licensed breeding farms in South Korea. They state, "The failure to unify breeding and sales, along with allowing pet shop operations separately, has perpetuated the horrors of factory-style breeding," and urge, "The enactment of a Korean version of Lucy’s law must be expedited."

On International Dog Day, March 23 last year, officials from the Korea Animal Protection Alliance held a press conference at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul condemning those responsible for the starvation of over 1,000 dogs in Yangpyeong and urging the closure of puppy mills.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

As animal abuse incidents continue to occur at pet breeding farms recently, public opinion in South Korea is increasingly calling for the swift enactment of a 'Korean version of Lucy’s law.' Related bills are being consecutively proposed in the National Assembly.

According to the National Assembly’s legislative information system on the 9th, Representative Wi Seong-gon of the Democratic Party of Korea proposed an amendment to the Animal Protection Act last November. The bill includes prohibiting transactions for auction and speculation of animals, banning the sale and third-party transactions of puppies and kittens under six months old, prohibiting the breeding of more than 100 animals over six months old, and strengthening management of pet producers and sellers.

Additionally, independent lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang submitted an amendment to the Animal Protection Act last month that prohibits separating puppies and kittens under six months old from their mothers, restricts the sale and third-party transactions of puppies and kittens under six months old, and requires securing one caretaker per 30 animals. Currently, animal rights groups have collected signatures from approximately 139,000 people supporting the 'Lucy Project' for the enactment of the Korean version of Lucy’s law.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.