The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has implemented new regulations, officially ending the era of illegal dog transport vehicles.

On August 11, 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued the "Guidelines for the Management of Designated Road Inspection Stations for Animal Transport," which will take effect on September 1, 2025. The establishment of designated road inspection stations will significantly reduce the risk of cross-regional spread of animal diseases.

For the vast majority of animal protection volunteers, the most encouraging news is that this move has the potential to disrupt the illegal dog and cat meat industry in one fell swoop, making highway interceptions of illegal dog transport trucks a thing of the past.

In modern society's transportation network, highways are like the arteries of the economy, carrying countless goods. However, at certain moments, these arteries can become embroiled in controversy due to specific incidents, such as the interception of dog transport trucks. Such incidents have frequently appeared in the news in recent years, sparking widespread attention and heated discussion from all walks of life.

The 2011 Beijing-Harbin Expressway car interception to save dogs, the 2014 Hexu Expressway dog transport truck interception incident, the 2020 Liaoning Fuxin dog transport truck interception incident, the 2025 Guiyang illegal cat and dog truck interception incident... These are just the tip of the iceberg. This series of cold numbers reflects the tragic figure of China's animal protection volunteers.

There is no doubt that the vast majority of dog transport trucks on highways are illegal, as the transportation and sale of dogs and cats must undergo strict inspection and quarantine procedures. The Animal Epidemic Prevention Law of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates that transporting animals without quarantine when they should be quarantined is an illegal act.

However, the actions of companion animal protection volunteers who intercepted dog transport trucks on their own are also suspected of being illegal due to their lack of legal authority. This creates a dilemma: there is no legal way to enforce these acts of kindness, and illegal behavior is difficult to effectively curb.

The designated inspection stations for road transport animals set up by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will effectively solve this problem.

According to the Guidelines:

Article 3 The agricultural and rural affairs departments of provincial-level people's governments shall follow the principles of scientific planning, reasonable layout, safety and convenience, and feasible management, and, taking into account the animal epidemics, road network layout, livestock and poultry circulation, existing inspection station resources, supervisory force deployment, and working conditions in the province and surrounding areas, propose suggestions for the establishment and adjustment of designated channels within their administrative regions, report them to the people's government at the same level for confirmation, and announce them to the public.

Article 6 Designated channel inspection stations shall undertake the following tasks:

(1) Checking animal quarantine certificates, livestock and poultry identification, animal transport vehicles and personnel registration status, inspecting the health status of transported animals, and confirming whether the transported animals comply with transportation regulations;

(2) Record supervision and inspection situations and generate supervision and inspection information in the designated channel information module of the electronic animal quarantine certificate issuance system;

(3) Any animals that fail the inspection will be handled in accordance with the law and regulations. If animals suspected of being infected with the epidemic are found, they will be reported and appropriate measures will be taken in accordance with relevant regulations;

(4) Disinfect animal transport vehicles as needed for the prevention and control of major animal diseases;

(5) Carry out other animal disease prevention and control work according to local work needs.

In addition, designated inspection stations have established comprehensive work systems, including supervisory inspections, epidemic prevention and disinfection, animal epidemic reporting, information registration and upload management, and the transfer of illegal leads. They also prominently display information such as the responsible department, work responsibilities, inspection procedures, staff information and behavioral norms, and supervisory phone numbers, ensuring comprehensive public oversight.

The "stealth and poisoning" black market for dog and cat meat involves legal issues such as pet theft, illegal capture of stray dogs and cats, and uninspected transportation. Transportation is a key link in the illegal trade. The establishment of designated checkpoints will, foreseeably, deal a devastating blow to this black market.

By "blocking illegal transactions at the source, ensuring transportation welfare during the process, preventing and controlling the spread of diseases throughout the process, and regulating legal transportation behavior", the "designated channel inspection station" has built a safety barrier for the cross-regional flow of dogs and cats.

Its significance lies not only in directly protecting dogs and cats in transport, but also in curbing harmful behaviors and raising social awareness of protection through institutional supervision, thereby creating a safer and more humane living environment for dogs and cats. It is an indispensable and important part of the animal protection system.

As early as 2018, the World Dog Alliance (WDA) was concerned about the rampant dog poisoning and theft, and the serious social harm posed by the black market dog meat industry. To raise public awareness of the issue, the WDA has been conducting in-depth investigations and analyses of the dog and cat meat industry for many years. In October 2018, the WDA team compiled and published the "White Paper on Strict Punishment of Dog Theft." In March and April 2023, the World Dog Alliance sent several letters to relevant departments. 119 registered letters were sent to the National People's Congress, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Public Security. Attached to the letters were excerpts of the key content of the "White Paper on Severe Punishment of Dog Thefts" written and edited by the World Dog Alliance, calling for severe punishment of dog thefts and paying attention to the "black industry chain of dog and cat meat."

The establishment of designated channel checkpoints not only deters illegal dog and cat transportation, but also protects dogs and cats from illegal treatment during transportation. By building a full-chain supervision system that "intercepts illegal transactions at the source, ensures transportation welfare during the process, prevents and controls the spread of diseases throughout the process, and regulates legal transportation behavior", it opens a new chapter for the protection of companion animals such as dogs and cats.