Which country banned dog meat

2023: An unforgettable year in the fight to end the dog and cat meat trades

The inspiring stories that resulted from dog meat farmers changing their businesses have caught the attention of media outlets and audiences all over the world. By shining a spotlight on these farms and telling the happy-ending stories of the rescued dogs thriving in loving adopted families, we also changed hearts and minds.

In the governments roadmap to end the dog meat industry in South Korea, there is a state-supported transition strategy for dog farmers, traders, slaughterers and restaurants, similar to our Models for Change program. I am so honored that our progressive concept has influenced the course of history in South Korea. We are now working to ensure that the bill progresses through the National Assembly as we expect it to and results in the passing of a robust law that puts the welfare of dogs front and center.

A paradigm shift across Asia

We expect that such a huge breakthrough in South Korea will have major positive impacts on our campaigns to end the dog and cat meat trades throughout Asia. For years, we have been working alongside local partner groups in many nations, and 2023 was an amazing year for continuing to build that momentum.

In China, with our local partner group Vshine and the ever-growing network of animal protection groups working nationwide, we have seen incredible progress. This year we set up a tip-line for members of the public to report illegal dog and cat meat trading activities. These tips are taken to the authorities, and as a direct result slaughterhouses and restaurants shut down, and illegal trucks crammed with hundreds of dogs intercepted. Jingshui, a district of 1.8 million people, reaffirmed policies against illegal dog meat sales, a government action achieved after efforts by our partner group activists. In Bengbu and Zhengzhou, two major campaign cities, 14 restaurants removed dog meat from their menus and committed to staying dog-meat-free. Part of our China operation includes a public information campaign, which has produced 24 videos on the need for ending the countrys dog and cat meat sales. Through our Vshine partners, we have supported the rescue of thousands of dogs and cats from the trade and have welcomed commitments from more local authorities to tackle illegal trading operations.

This year, in Viet Nam, our Models for Change program (which we launched in the country in 2022) permanently closed and transitioned two more dog and cat slaughterhouses to become animal-free businesses. Over the course of their operations, these facilities had slaughtered tens of thousands of dogs and cats. Our rescue teams saved more than 60 dogs and cats during the closures, who will go on to live the lives we dream of for all dogs and cats in loving homes. We also have official agreements in place in two target provinces to tackle the trades holistically through collaborative activities that bring public awareness campaigns together with street animal spay-neuter and rabies vaccination initiatives, with the support of law enforcement. This concept, which can be replicated nationwide, can help expand support among the public for ending dog and cat meat trades. Nearly 70% of the population is already in support of a ban.

Achieving the impossible

As a founding member of the Dog Meat Free Indonesia coalition, our support successfully ensured that 13 more cities and regencies passed directives and laws banning the dog and cat meat trades in Indonesia in 2023. We secured our first ban in the capital region of Jakarta, bringing the total to 36 jurisdictions in Indonesia that have banned the trades, sparing tens of thousands of dogs and cats from suffering each month. We have also worked with the authorities and law enforcement to intercept and prosecute dog thieves, and slaughterhouse owners, saving and rehoming more victims of the trade.

One of our most significant victories in Indonesia this year took place at one of the countrys dog and cat meat eating hotspots. The Tomohon Extreme Market was the countrys most infamous market, a brutal place where dogs and cats were publicly sold, slaughtered and butchered. Together with our local partner group, Animal Friends Manado Indonesia, we lobbied for change for years, even though we kept being told that in Tomohon, its impossible. But we never gave up.

South Korea passes bill to ban eating dog meat, ending controversial practice as consumer habits change

Seoul, South KoreaCNN

South Koreas parliament passed a bill Tuesday banning the breeding and slaughter of dogs for consumption, ending the traditional yet controversial practice of eating dog meat after years of nationwide debate.

The bill received rare bipartisan support across South Koreas divided political landscape, highlighting how attitudes toward eating dog have transformed over the past few decades during the countrys rapid industrialization.

The law willban the distribution and sale of food products made or processed with dog ingredients, according to the corresponding committee of the National Assembly.

However, customers who consume dog meat or related products will not be subject to punishment meaning the law would largely target those working in the industry such as dog farmers or sellers.

Under the bill, anybody slaughtering a dog for food can be punished by up to three years in prison or fined up to 30 million Korean won (about $23,000). Anyone who breeds dogs for eating, or who knowingly acquires, transports, stores or sells food made from dogs, also faces a lower fine and prison time.

Farm owners, dog meat restaurants and other workers in the dog trade will have a three-year grace period to close or change their business, according to the committee. Local governments will be required to support those business owners to stably transition to other businesses.

The bill now heads to President Yoon Suk Yeol for final approval. It was proposed by both Yoons ruling party and the main opposition party, and has received vocal support from First Lady Kim Keon Hee, who owns multiple dogs and visited an animal protection organization during a presidential state visit to Netherlands in December.

Like parts of Vietnam and southern China, South Korea has a history of consuming dog meat. It was traditionally viewed in South Korea asa food that could help people beat the heat during the summer, and was also a cheap and readily available source of protein at a time when poverty rates were far higher.

There are about 1,100 dog farms operating for food purposes in South Korea, and abouthalf a milliondogs being raised on these farms, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

But the practice has also come under criticism in recent decades, with animal rights activistsat the forefront; international rights groups such as Humane Society International (HSI) have worked to rescue dogs from South Korean farms and relocate them overseas.

The number of South Koreans eating dog meat has also declined dramatically as pet ownership became more common. Consumers of dog meat now skew older, while younger, more urban South Koreans tend to veer away, mirroring similar trends in other parts of Asia.

In a 2022 survey by Gallup Korea, 64% of respondents were against eating dog meat a notable increase from a similar survey in 2015. The number of respondents who had eaten dog meat in the past year had also fallen, from 27% in 2015, to just 8% in 2022.

Between 2005 and 2014, the number of restaurants serving dog in the capital Seoul fell by 40% due to the declining demand, official statistics showed.

Our perception ofdog meatconsumption and animals in general has been changing over the last decades, said Lee Sang-kyung, campaign manager of the dog meat ban at HSI Korea.

Itwas once popular when our food resources (were) scarce, such as during the Korean War, but as the economy develops and peoples perception towards animals and our food consumption, food choices, and things change, then I think its the right time to move with the times.

He added that the bills passing on Monday is partly due to increasedpolitical will, which is growing with the First Ladys interest.

But the bill has also met fierce resistance from dog farmers and business owners who say it will devastate their livelihood and traditions.

In November, dozens of dog farmers and breeders gathered outside the presidential office in Seoul to protest the bill with many bringing their farmed dogs in cages that they intended to release at the scene, according to Reuters. Scuffles broke out between the farmers and police at the scene, with some protesters detained.

One such dog farmer, Lee Kyeong-sig, told Reuters last November: If I have to close down, with the financial condition Im in, there really is no answer to what I can do Ive been in this for 12 years and it is so sudden.

In a November news release, the Korean Dog Meat Association accused the government of threatening to trample the industry, and of proposing the bill without a single discussion or communication with dog meat consumers or workers.

No one has the right to rob 10 million (dog meat consumers) of their right to food and the right to survival of 1 million livestock dog farmers and workers, it said in the news release.

However, Lee, the HSI manager, was optimistic that the bills grace period and relief measures would help keep dog farmers afloat.

Based on our experience talking to industry workers at HSI,weknew that the majority of dog meat farmers and slaughterers, they want to leave the industry but they dont know how to leave the industry, he said.

But now with the bill, having a compensation package (and) financial support from the government, I think its the right time to leave the industry for them as well.

What Countries Eat Dogs? 2024

Although the consumption of dog meat is frowned upon in most Western cultures, the consumption of dog meat is a centuries-old practice in many other parts of the world. Particularly in some Asian and African countries, dog meat can be considered a staple food, just as beef and chicken are in Western cultures. Western travelers may wish to be wary when trying traditional dishes in these countries and first confirm what type of meat is used. Dog meat historically and currently has a significant role in many cultures. While the consumption of dog or cat meat sounds odd or even repulsive to many Westerners, it is notable that other cultures and religions may view commonly consumed Western meats with the same disdain. For example, most Hindus in India, as well as many Buddhists consider it shameful, even sacrilegious, to raise cattle for meat. Some, such as the Jains in India, are so opposed to harming another living creature that they adopt a lacto-vegetarian diet.

Dog meat consumption in Asia

Asia is the continent on which the consumption of dog meat is most widespread, with as many as 30 million dogs killed for human consumption each year according to estimates by the Humane Society International. This estimate includes many family pets, which are often illegally stolen from their homes and taken to be slaughtered. The consumption of dog meat is said to be most common in China, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Nagaland region in India, but it is not considered widespread in any of these locations. Moreover, the practice is becoming less popular in many countries, where younger generations are more likely to regard dogs and cats as companions rather than cuisine.

China is the biggest consumer of dog meat globally, consuming an estimated 10 million dogs (and four million cats) per year. Dog meat has been a tradition in China for thousands of years and is still eaten in many regions of the country. The best known of these regions among westerners is Yulin, which holds a dog meat festival every year. Yulin's annual Lychee and Dog Meat Festival is widely protested and is increasingly controversial outside of China. In 2020, the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai became the first and second cities in mainland China to outlaw the consumption of dog and cat meat, and China's Ministry of Agriculture has changed the classification of dogs and cats from livestock to companion animals.

Another well-known country for eating dogs is Vietnam, the second-largest consumer of dog meat in the world, where dog is a dietary staple. The Vietnamese use almost every part of the dog in stews and soups and serve the meat spiced on a stick. Many believe that dog meat has medicinal properties and brings good fortune. The Vietnamese dog meat trade processes an estimated five million dogs per year (far more per capita than China), which has resulted in an illegal import market for dogs, which are imported from neighboring countries such as Cambodia (where dogs are also eaten), Laos, and Thailand. Dog meat is also an issue in Indonesia, where less than 5% of the population consumes it, but both pets and stray street dogs are routinely abducted and slaughtered. The dog meat trade in Indonesia is cited as particularly dangerous because rabies is quite prevalent in the country, and the locations and methods used to slaughter and sell the meat are often far from sanitary. Dog meat is also found in the Philippines, where it is the main ingredient in asocena.

On the other hand, Taiwan became the first Asian country to outlaw the consumption of cat and dog meat, as well as the sale of cats and dogs for the purpose of consumption, in 2017. Violators face significant fines, public shaming, and possible prison time. Similarly, the slaughter of cats and dogs, as well as the sale of their meat, has been illegal in Hong Kong for decades. However, the consumption of such meat has not yet been banned.

Dog meat is reportedly consumed in notoriously secretive North Korea, as well as Timor-Leste and Uzbekistan. It was once common in South Korea, where it is the key ingredient in dishes such as Gaegogi (also the general term for dog meat), Bosintang, Gae Suyuk, and the medicinal drink Gaesoju, but its popularity has plummeted in recent years. Humane Society International cites a Korea Times statement that nearly 40% of South Korean restaurants serving dog meat have closed in the past decade, and a 2020 poll by Nielsen and HSI revealed that 84% of South Koreans polled do not eat dog meat and 60% of people would support a ban on it. In January 2024, the South Korean government unanimously passed a ban on dog meat sale, dog meat consumption, and the slaughter of dogs for consumption purposes. The law is scheduled to go into effect in 2027.

Dog meat consumption throughout the rest of the world

Dog meat is consumed for ritual and cultural purposes in approximately 20 African countries. Burkina Faso sees dog meat as a cultural luxury and a delicacynot to be served at restaurants but as a special meal to look forward to among families. The history of dog meat in Burkina Faso centers around family, friendship, and person-to-person bonding. Dog meat is also a delicacy in Ghana (where cat meat is inexplicably called "Joseph") and is often eaten as a bonding meal between the people of the Frafra and Dagaaba tribes. Dog meat is also consumed in other countries including Liberia, Central African Republic, parts of Nigeria (where some believe the meat has the power to cure malaria or boost libido), Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, as in Indonesia, the consumption of dog meat carries with it a non-trivial risk of disease, including rabies in Ghana and Nigeria and Ebola in Liberia.

Consuming dog meat is generally taboo in Europe; however, as of 2014, around 3% of people in Switzerland (particularly in rural areas) eat dog meat in the form of jerky or traditional sausages. Laws in the U.K. forbid the sale of dog meat, but appear to allow for the killing and consumption of dog meat as long as the animal is owned by the killer/consumer and is killed humanely.

The Americas

Eating dogs is widely considered taboo in the United States. Technically, the U.S. lacks a national law banning the consumption of dogs and catshowever, the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2018 prohibited the "transportation, delivery, possession, and slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption," which effectively dismantled any non-clandestine business built around the practice. The act does include an exception for Native American rituals, as certain tribes have either a history or a tradition of consuming dog meat. The Kickapoo tribe residing in modern-day Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas has several traditional recipes involving dog meat, and both the Sioux and Cheyenne are known to have consumed the meat of domestic dogs, but not wild canines. Dog meat is also legal in Canada, though the meat must come from a licensed dog meat processing plantnone of which appear to exist. The sale of dog meat is prohibited in Mexico, though it is known that the Aztecs raised dogs for food.

Only one of Australia's 16 states and territoriesSouth Australiahas explicitly outlawed the slaughter and consumption of both cats and dogs. However, the sale of cat and dog meat is prohibited across the entire country.