Taiwan’s Leadership Mistake Is a Death Sentence for Thousands of Animals Used in Experiments
Update (July 13, 2026): The Taiwan Ministry of Agriculture had a chance to show the world how to protect animals in laboratories—instead, it left gaping loopholes in its new regulation on the sourcing of animals for use in experiments. The decision leaves dogs, cats, monkeys, birds, reptiles, and amphibians unprotected from being illegally caught from the wild, trafficked, sold, and used in experiments, increasing the risk of abuse, suffering, and deadly zoonotic diseases. The regulation also allows the purchase and import of animals from countries with little to no animal protection. We’re urging the agency to reconsider and implement the common-sense recommendations from PETA and more than 30,000 PETA supporters that would align with the global standard of sourcing animals used in experiments.
You can still help animals abused in experiments in Taiwan. Please urge Taiwanese companies to stop experimenting on and killing animals for marketing food and beverage products:
Original post:
The Taiwan Ministry of Agriculture has drafted a new regulation on the sourcing of animals for use in laboratories that is incomplete and insufficient, with gaping loopholes that would allow the unabated torment of dogs, monkeys, and others if it is adopted unchanged.
Under the draft regulation, many animals widely used in cruel and pointless experiments are not covered. This means that the protections and measures set out in this draft regulation—including the prohibition of abducting animals from the wild, and the requirement that suppliers need to have proper licenses and certifications—do not apply to dogs, cats, monkeys, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
Worse, the draft regulation contains huge loopholes that would allow experimenters to purchase animals from countries that have lax or non-existent animal protection laws, a controversial practice known as “ethics dumping.” For instance, animals sourced from certain countries may be treated, transported, or killed in inhumane but entirely legal ways.
PETA has submitted a formal comment (English version) to Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture, urging it to close these gaps by covering all animals, ensuring foreign suppliers meet Taiwan’s standards, and implementing stronger inspections and penalties.
The comment period is now closed. Thank you to all who took action! We’ll keep you updated. In the meantime, please urge companies in Taiwan to stop experimenting on and killing animals for marketing food and beverage products.
