Editorial | Time to loosen the leash on pet imports to Hong Kong

It may be time to loosen the leash on pet imports to Hong Kong, where eased quarantine policies could help counter animal smuggling and help draw more global talent needed for post-pandemic recovery.

The city’s isolation rules are the toughest in the world, matched only by Guam and Hawaii. Currently, a four-month import quarantine is required for dogs and cats arriving from places where rabies is not under effective control. The rules have undoubtedly served an important purpose in fighting an animal-transmitted disease that can be fatal to humans. But since 1987, Hong Kong has not recorded a single local case of rabies.

Veterinary surgeons say continued enforcement of the strict policy worsens long-standing pet-smuggling problems. Smuggling using passenger vehicles has increased since Hong Kong’s land border checkpoints with mainland China reopened as pandemic restrictions eased.

Now the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) is considering a change. Options include a shorter quarantine period along with strengthened risk-management tools such as pre-export isolation and testing. There are already exemptions to the quarantine rule for 46 countries and regions including Britain, Japan, Singapore and the United States.

Mainland China, however, is not on that list and animal welfare experts say illegal cross-border import services are readily available. Relatively few pet owners seem willing to jump through official hoops. Only 67 dogs and cats entered the city for quarantine last year, while some 3,162 dogs and cats arrived from the 46 territories exempted from quarantine over the same period.