veterinary

Profound changes are happening in the animal health market. Pet owners in China are demanding more advanced and expensive treatments for companion animals, driving growth in the companion-animal sector. At the same time, concerns about livestock health care and feeding are driving changes in industrial animal husbandry. In May 2005 the State Council issued a set of ‘Recommendations’ regarding the reform of China’s veterinary services (State Council 2005). From the document itself one can discern two major reasons underlying the proposed reforms. Firstly, the document emphasizes the potential threat to public health and the livestock industry from recent epizootic outbreaks. Concerns about avian flu in 2003-2005 are the threats which most easily come to mind, but China has also experienced a major outbreak of the pig-borne streptococcus suis disease in Sichuan and countless local outbreaks of other contagious diseases with potential public health implications. The main concern of the reforms is to strengthen the state’s activities with regard to animal disease monitoring, inspection and control. A second underlying trend is the reform of state functions that has gradually come to affect in increasing number of sectors of China’s former command economy.