The Ministry of the Environment is set to introduce a registration
system for pet funeral operators to prevent the illegal dumping of
dead animals.
Amid the recent pet boom, there are many owners who hope to hold
funerals for their beloved pets. However, there have so far been no
regulations on pet funeral businesses, and the ministry is hoping
to update the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals to control
the illegal handling of deceased animals during the fiscal 2012
regular Diet session.
In April this year, a pet funeral operator was indicted for dumping
dead animals in the mountains in Hanno, Saitama Prefecture, in
violation of the Act on Waste Disposal and Public Cleansing (Waste
Disposal Act). Following the incident, the ministry decided that it
needs to introduce legal measures to control dishonest service
providers.
"We would like to investigate if there are more illegal disposal
cases," said the ministry's Office of Animal Companionship.
According to a survey conducted by the Japan Pet Food Association,
about 30 percent of dogs and cats kept as pets in Japan are over 10
years old, meaning they have already reached old age in pet terms.
Another survey conducted by pet magazine publisher Yaseisha Co.
revealed that the number of pet funeral operators and other
relevant businesses has more than quadrupled to over 800 companies
over the past 20 years.
Under the current Act on Welfare and Management of Animals, all pet
dealers are required to register their businesses with prefectural
governments; however, pet funeral firms are not subject to the same
rule.
Currently, dead pets in general are regarded as domestic waste, but
they can be treated differently depending on their owners' wishes,
according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's administrative
notice in 1971. The vague standards, however, have made the
handling of dead pets complicated.
The ministry's Central Environmental Council is discussing criteria
for pet funeral firms, as well as late-night and online sales of
pet animals during its meeting on animal protection that began on
June 16.
(Mainichi Japan) June 19, 2010
ペットの死骸（しがい）が不法投棄されている例があるとして、環境省は、規制のなかったペットの葬祭業者を登録制とする方針を固めた。ペットブームの到来とともに、ペットの丁重な弔いを望む飼い主も増えているが、ペット葬祭業者には法の目が届いていなかった。１２年度の通常国会で動物愛護法の改正を目指す。
ペットフード協会の調査では、ペットの犬猫の約３割は老齢の１０歳以上で占められ、高齢化が進む。ペット雑誌を出版する「野生社」によると、ペット葬祭関連業者は２０年前の４倍以上の８００社を上回る。現行法では、販売業者は都道府県への登録が義務付けられているが、葬祭業者は対象外になっている。この背景には、ペットの死骸はごみと同じように一般廃棄物扱いだが、旧厚生省通知（１９７１年）は飼い主が「ごみ扱いを望まない」場合にはごみ扱いとしないとの特例措置を設けられるなど、法的な位置づけが複雑になっている点がある。
しかし、今年４月には、埼玉県飯能市の山中にペットの犬や猫が多数捨てられた事件で、ペット葬祭業者の男が廃棄物処理法違反罪などで起訴された。環境省は「他にも安易に投棄されていないか調べたい」（動物愛護管理室）として、悪質な業者を取り締まる規制が必要と判断した。
環境省は１６日から中央環境審議会動物愛護部会で葬祭業者の基準を検討してもらうとともに、ペットの深夜販売やネット販売のあり方なども議論し、動物愛護法の改正を目指す。【江口一】