• To also regulate commercial breeding

A new Bill seeking to eradicate rabies, regulate dog breeding and establish a comprehensive system for dog registration was presented to Parliament yesterday (24).

The Elimination of Rabies and Registration of Dogs Draft Bill was presented by Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Minister Prof. A H M H Abayarathna.

The Bill seeks to regulate dog vaccination and population control measures with the aim of completely eradicating rabies from Sri Lanka. It also proposes stricter regulations on the commercial breeding of dogs and the establishment of a proper system for dog registration.

The proposed legislation further provides for the establishment of a National Advisory Committee and Regional Advisory Committees for the eradication of rabies.

The Bill repeals the Rabies Ordinance (Chapter 476) and the Dogs Registration Ordinance (Chapter 477), while also providing for matters connected with or incidental to its provisions.

 The Second Reading of the Bill is scheduled for today (25).