42.1 There are two tiers of veterinary professional groups:
（1）Veterinary associations at the local level （of the special municipality, city or county）.
（2）National federation of veterinary associations.
42.2 The national federation of veterinary associations already on the registry before this amendment shall be re-organized in accordance with this Act within three years of the promulgation. Provincial-level veterinary associations currently on the registry shall be dissolved.

A veterinary association is to be organized based on the administrative jurisdiction, and each jurisdiction is to have only one association for the specific tier.

Nine people – veterinarians or veterinary assistants with the qualifications listed in Section 16.2 （paragraph 2 of Article 16） – are required to initiate a local-tier association. If less than nine people are eligible in a jurisdiction, they may join the association in a neighboring jurisdiction, or seek to form a joint association.

（Deleted）

Setting up a national federation of veterinary associations shall require the initiation of more than one third of all veterinary associations at local tiers and endorsement from more than half of them. However, this requirement does not apply to a national federation approved with the consent of the central social administration authority （the Ministry of Interior） in consultation with the relevant central competent authority （the Council of Agriculture）.

The competent authority of a veterinary associations at any tier shall be the social administration competent authority of its jurisdiction. However, the program activities and business affairs of a veterinary association shall be under the direction and supervision of the competent authorities prescribed in Article 3.

48.1 Each veterinary association, regardless of its tier, shall have a board of directors and a board of supervisors elected at the general/delegate meeting by individual members or their delegates. The sizes of the boards shall be:
（1）No more than 15 directors at a city/county veterinary association.
（2）No more than 25 directors at a special municipality veterinary association.
（3）No more than 35 directors at the national federation of veterinary associations.
（4）The number of supervisors shall not exceed one third of the number of directors of each association.
（5）Each veterinary association shall have alternate directors and supervisors; this number shall not exceed one third of the number of directors and supervisors.
48.2 When there are more than three directors and supervisors on the board, executive directors and supervisors shall be elected from within; their number shall not exceed one third of the total number of directors and supervisors. A chairman of the board of directors shall be elected according to the by-law.
48.3 The term for a director or supervisor is three years. No more than half of the board members can be re-elected to serve the next term. The chairman can be re-elected only once.

A veterinarian association shall prepare a by-law, a membership list and staff resumes to apply for approved and registration with the local social administration authority of its jurisdiction and also file for record at the relevant competent supervisory authority.

The by-law of a veterinary association shall contain the following items:
（1）The name;
（2）Mission;
（3）Jurisdiction/territory;
（4）Address;
（5）Functions or business;
（6）Organization;
（7）Induction, withdrawal and expulsion of members;
（8）Rights and obligations of members;
（9）The number of directors and supervisors, the scope of their responsibilities, terms of offices, elections and conditions for dismissal;
（10）Meetings;
（11）General rules for members to abide by;
（12）Remuneration standard for members’ services;
（13）Membership fees and accounting;
（14）Amendment of by-laws;
（15）Other items required by relevant regulations.

If a veterinary association’s general/delegate meeting or board of directors meeting makes a resolution that is in violation of the law, it shall be revoked by the social administrative competent authority.

Acting on the resolutions of a board meeting or general/delegate meeting, a veterinary association may penalize members who violate the law or by-law. To expel a law-breaking member, it will require a resolution passed at a general/delegate meeting and the approval – upon review of fact and evidence sent by the association – by the social administrative authority, which will seek consent in consultation with the central competent authority.