The end of business soon to come for South Korean dog farmers

The South Korean government recently passed a new law banning the sale of dog meat. According to the government, the legislation, which will completely come into force by 2027, will bring an end to the practice of people consuming dog meat.

The Korean government said that under the new law, the consumption of dog meat itself would not be illegal, as it focused on the trade in dog meat. Those convicted of farming and selling dog meat could face up to two years’ imprisonment and those butchering dogs could face up to three years.

According to statistics released by the government, there are over 1 500 dog meat restaurants in South Korea and over 1 100 dog farms. They are now required to submit their plans to phase out their businesses and close by 2027 to local officials. The government also assured dog meat farmers and restaurant owners whose businesses might be affected that they would offer support in terms of compensation.

This choice of meat has not been popular among the younger generation, and animal rights groups have been pushing for the ban since the 1980s. The Humane Society in Korea said it welcomed the ban and was looking forward to “embracing a dog-friendly future”.

However, dog meat farmers have been protesting since the ban, telling local media the government should have let the practice of eating the dog meat die out naturally over time as many people are not buying. Some dog farmers said that chicken, pigs and cows were also living animals and asked if these would be banned as well.

The Korea Dog Meat Farmers’ Association said its members were prepared to release about two million dogs in Seoul. At a protest last year, the association’s president said: “If you ask how big the opposition from farmers is, we’re talking about releasing two million dogs we’re raising.”

It was reported that the protesters brought about 100 dogs to the city centre, but law enforcement did not allow them to let the dogs free. The association said that as a group, they agreed with the public about public health and cruelty concerns around breeding and slaughtering dogs, but added the solution would be to recognise dogs as livestock, where farmers needed to abide by livestock farming practices. The association previously tried to categorise dogs as livestock in 2008, but this was not successful.

According to government statistics, people aged 60 and over considered dog meat to be a ‘cooling’ meat to eat during summer, while others consumed it while drinking alcohol to prevent a hangover.

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ROMANIA

Farmers joined truckers as they blocked all major roads in Bucharest, Romania, in protest over the high price of insurance, fuel and fertiliser. According to a transport association from Bucharest, the transport and agriculture industries had seen a decline as many companies were facing bankruptcy.

The Romanian government said it was willing to talk to protesters as the protest brought the capital city to a standstill this month.

MEXICO

Mexico’s secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the climate crisis had significantly affected the agriculture sector in the country. At the recent UN Climate Change conference, Víctor Manuel Villalobos Arámbula said temperatures soared to record high numbers in September last year and, together with the lack of rain, this had impacted farmers’ harvest ahead of season. While official production statistics were not available, early estimates indicated that grains, maize and soya bean yields were reduced between 28% and 30%, which would lead to higher prices.

Mexico was working on collaborating with the

US on implementing new technology. –