After it was banned in South Korea… Which countries still consume dog meat?
The dog meat trade is widespread in many countries around the world, despite the strangeness of the topic in our current era. In China, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Nagaland in northern India, people still eat dog meat in their dishes. This trade is well organized; Large numbers of dogs are stolen, taken from the streets, transported long distances, and brutally slaughtered. In South Korea, dogs are also intensively bred for the meat trade, in appalling conditions of deprivation.
It is also known that dogs are eaten in some African countries, such as Ghana, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, and there are reports that dogs are killed for personal consumption, by some farmers in remote areas of Switzerland, but nothing compares to the sheer volume of dogs killed for consumption and trade across Asia. According to a report by Human Society International.
Today, the South Korean parliament was able to finally pass a bill banning the trade in dog meat, a traditional practice that activists describe as a disgrace to the country.
The South Korean National Assembly voted in favor of the text, which will enter into force after a grace period of 3 years. The new law punishes raising, selling, and slaughtering dogs for consumption purposes, with imprisonment for a period of up to 3 years, and a fine of 22,745 dollars.
Groups of animal rights activists raise banners during a celebration of a law banning the trade in dog meat in Seoul (EPA)
Dog meat has long been a part of South Korean cuisine, while estimates indicate that up to a million dogs are killed every year in order to eat their meat. But consumption has declined sharply in recent years, as Koreans increasingly keep pets. Previous attempts to impose a ban on this practice have faced fierce opposition from breeders of dogs intended for consumption.
Official figures show that there are about 1,100 dog farms that raise hundreds of thousands of dogs every year to be served on restaurant tables throughout South Korea.
Although the consumption of dog meat is frowned upon in most Western cultures, consumption of dog meat is a centuries-old practice in many other parts of the world. In some Asian and African countries in particular, dog meat may be considered a staple food, just as beef and chicken are in Western cultures. Which countries around the world still consume dog meat?
Asia
Asia is the continent where dog meat consumption is widespread; As many as 30 million dogs are killed for human consumption each year, according to Humane Society International estimates. This estimate includes many pets that are often illegally stolen from homes and slaughtered. Dog meat consumption is most common in China, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the Nagaland region of India. But it is not widespread in any of these locations. In addition, this practice is becoming less popular in many countries; Younger generations are more likely to view dogs and cats as creatures intended for “companionship” rather than food, according to the World Population Review report.
China is the largest consumer of dog meat in the world; It consumes an estimated 10 million dogs and 4 million cats annually. Dog meat has been a traditional dish in China for thousands of years, and it is still eaten in many regions of the country. The most famous of these areas is Yulin, which holds a dog meat festival every year. The annual Yulin dog meat festival is widely protested and sparking growing controversy outside China. In 2020, Shenzhen and Zhuhai became the first and second cities in mainland China to ban the consumption of dog and cat meat, and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture changed the classification of dogs and cats from livestock to companion animals.
A dog appears inside a cage during a protest to demand that the government cancel plans to pass a bill banning the eating of dog meat in Seoul (Reuters)
Another country famous for eating dogs is Vietnam, the second largest consumer of dog meat in the world; The dog is an essential food item. The Vietnamese use almost every part of the dog in soup. Many believe that dog meat has medicinal properties and brings good luck. The Vietnamese dog meat trade processes an estimated 5 million dogs annually (far more than China’s per capita), resulting in an illegal import market for dogs imported from neighboring countries, such as Cambodia (where dogs are also eaten), Laos, and Thailand. According to the World Population Review report.
Dog meat is also a problem in Indonesia; It is consumed by less than 5 percent of the population, but pets and stray street dogs are routinely kidnapped and slaughtered. It is noteworthy that the dog meat trade in Indonesia is particularly dangerous. Because rabies is very widespread in the country, and the locations and methods used to slaughter and sell meat are often far from sanitary standards. The custom of eating dog meat is also found in the Philippines.
On the other hand, Taiwan became the first Asian country to ban the consumption of cat and dog meat, as well as the sale of cats and dogs for consumption, in 2017. Violators face hefty fines, public shaming, and possible imprisonment. Likewise, 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 this meat has not yet been banned.
It is noteworthy that dog meat is consumed in North Korea, as well as in East Timor and Uzbekistan. It is also common in South Korea; It is the main ingredient in dishes such as gaejoji (also the general term for dog meat), bosentang, gaesuyuk, and the medicinal drink gaesoju; But the popularity of these foods has declined in recent years.
What about the rest of the world?
In Africa: Dog meat is consumed for ritual and cultural purposes in about 20 African countries. Burkina Faso views dog meat as a cultural luxury and delicacy. This meat is not served in restaurants; Rather, it is a special meal that families look forward to. The history of dog meat in Burkina Faso is centered around family, friendship and personal connectedness. Dog meat is also a delicacy in Ghana, and is often eaten as a bonding meal among the people of the Frafra and Dagaba tribes. Dog meat is also consumed in other countries, including Liberia, the Central African Republic, parts of Nigeria (where some believe the meat has the potential to cure malaria), Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, as in Indonesia, consuming dog meat carries risks of disease, including rabies in Ghana and Nigeria, and Ebola in Liberia.
In Europe: The consumption of dog meat is generally taboo in Europe; However, starting in 2014, about 3 percent of people in Switzerland (especially in rural areas) started eating dog meat in the form of sausages. Laws in the UK prohibit the sale of dog meat, but appear to allow the killing and consumption of dog meat as long as the animal is owned by the killer/consumer, and is killed humanely.
Americas
Eating dogs is also widely taboo in the United States. Technically, the United States lacks a national law prohibiting the consumption of dogs and cats, however, the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2018 prohibits “the transportation, delivery, possession, and slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption,” effectively mandating the dismantling of any unclassified business centered around This practice. The law includes an exception for Native American rituals; Some tribes have a history or tradition of consuming dog meat. The Kickapoo tribe, currently residing in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, has many traditional recipes that include dog meat. It is known that both the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes ate the meat of domesticated dogs. Dog meat is also legal in Canada, although the meat must come from licensed dog meat processing plants, none of which appear to exist.
The sale of dog meat is prohibited in Mexico.
Oceania
Only one of Australia’s sixteen states and territories (South Australia) has explicitly banned the slaughter and consumption of both cats and dogs. However, the sale of cat and dog meat is banned throughout the country.
In total, more than 20 countries, 7 in Asia and 20 in Africa, consume dogs. China is the largest consumer of dogs in the world; It eats 10 million of them annually.
Do dogs suffer before slaughter?
Extreme animal suffering is endemic to the dog meat trade. The animals are crammed by the hundreds onto the backs of trucks, tightly packed into cages so they can’t move. In Vietnam, it is common for dogs to be force-fed, through a tube down the throat, in order to increase their weight before sending them to slaughter. The dogs are often driven for days or weeks, often sick and injured, and many die from suffocation, dehydration or heat stroke long before they reach their destination, according to Human Society International.
What are the risks to human health?
The dog meat trade represents a major threat to human health; It has been linked to outbreaks of trichinosis, cholera, and rabies. The World Health Organization estimates that eating dog meat increases the risk of cholera; A number of recent large-scale outbreaks in Vietnam have been directly linked to meat. Rabies (which kills about tens of thousands of people across Asia annually) has been found in dogs traded for human consumption, in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.
