In a historic transfer, South Korea’s parliament unanimously handed the invoice banning the manufacturing, sale, and consumption of canine meat on Tuesday, January 09.
Korea Occasions stories that the historic ban obtained 208 votes in favor, none towards, and two abstentions. And that it bans the breeding, butchering, distributing, and promoting of canines for meat consumption.
Along with these, the invoice additionally calls to assist the transition of these which might be presently within the canine meat trade, offering subsidies for them to change jobs.
That’s the reason regulation enforcement will solely start in 2027, after a three-year grace interval, to let folks within the canine meat trade discover secure employment.
Violators can face a most of two years of jail time and a nice of as much as 30 million received (round $22,000).
“In line with authorities statistics, there are round 1,150 canine farms, 34 butchering companies, 219 distributors and roughly 1,600 eating places that promote meals made with canine meat in Korea,” Korea Occasions reveals.
Final month, South Korean canine farmers rallied close to the Presidential Workplace to stop the ban and supposed to launch round 100 canines, inflicting a scuffle with the police.
However animal rights activists at Humane Society Worldwide/Korea have known as this “historical past within the making” after many years of attempting to eradicate the controversial centuries-old apply.
Jung-ah Chae, government director of Humane Society Worldwide in Korea says, “I by no means thought I might see in my lifetime a ban on the merciless canine meat trade in South Korea however this historic win for animals is testomony to the fervour and dedication of our animal safety motion.”
“Whereas my coronary heart breaks for all of the hundreds of thousands of canines for whom this variation has come too late, I’m overjoyed that South Korea can now shut this depressing chapter in our historical past and embrace a dog-friendly future,” she continued.
The demand for canine meat has seen an all-time time low final 12 months. As a matter of reality, a 2023 Nielsen Korea opinion ballot reveals that 86% of South Koreans received’t eat canine meat sooner or later and greater than half (57%) assist the ban.
Now, because of the passing of this invoice, the Humane Society Worldwide reveals that South Korea now joins the rising checklist of nations and territories throughout Asia which have banned the canine meat trade, together with:
- Hong Kong
- Taiwan
- The Philippines
- India
- Thailand
- Singapore
- Shenzhen, China
- Zhuhai, China
- Siem Reap province in Cambodie
- 45 cities, regencies, and provinces in Indonesia
