A survey commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture found that pet owners in Taiwan spend an average of NT$28,081 (US$892.16) annually on their pets.
The Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER), which conducted the survey, predicted that the number of pets in Taiwan would exceed the number of dependent children by 2027, and that the market for pet-related products and services would continue to grow annually.
Of the costs related to pet ownership, the main expenditure is food, which accounts for 41 percent. That is followed by medical treatment and checkups, accounting for 16 percent, and grooming, which accounts for 10 percent, according to the results of the survey, — which were released during an international pet forum on Friday last week in Taipei.
Photo: New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office
Ministry statistics from 2021 showed there were 1.24 million pet dogs and 870,000 pet cats in Taiwan that year.
According to the survey, 71 percent of pet owners were women, and 52 percent of pet owners were single or childless. Additionally, 40 percent of pet owners have had their pet for 10 years or more.
The output value of pet-related industries nationwide has already exceeded NT$50 billion, the ministry’s Department of Animal Industry head Chen Chung-hsing (陳中興) said.
“With the pet market booming, many owners are also concerned about where their pet dogs and cats come from,” he said. “Therefore, we’ve made comprehensive information about pet cat and dog registration records publicly available.”
Chen said that with the growing number of pets, one concern is what would happen to dogs and cats if their owner dies, adding that the ministry is developing measures to address the issue.
As pet ownership goes up, there would be a rise in emerging industries such as pet insurance and pet memorial services, TIER researcher Liu Yi-chen (劉依蓁) said, adding that those emerging industries would need ministry guidance.
Of the NT$8 billion spent on pet food last year, NT$600 million was for health food, she said.
Japan Pet Food Association president Hiromitsu Kodama, who attended the forum, said that based on trends in Japan — where the birthrate is also declining and the population is aging, like in Taiwan — Taiwan is likely to see dog ownership decline.
However, despite that decline, the market for pet snacks would still have potential room for growth, he said.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS