As every year, to celebrate the summer solstice, a festival is held in Yulin in the southern province of Guangx on June 21 and the following days in which about 10,000 dogs are barbarically killed, cooked and consumed with a side of lychees (the typical local seasonal fruits).
The immense barbarity of the Yulin Festival is even more disturbing when one analyzes the context in which this takes place. The dog meat trade is still widespread in the many rural eastern areas of China, which the government struggles to regulate. The methods used in these places are very often brutal. Dogs are caught with special wire collars, with meat bait poisoned with cyanide or anesthetic, to make them die or lose consciousness. The resulting meat is mostly sold to small restaurants or street vendors who pass it off to customers as pork or lamb.
Animals Asia found that although there is talk of actual dog breeding for food, the hypothesis that most of the dogs slaughtered are stolen pets or strays picked up from the streets is more likely. The cost of breeding is, according to some sources, too high compared to the final price of the meat, so to source the 10 million dogs that are slaughtered each year, it is definitely cheaper to pick them up from the streets or from families.
For years now, the Yulin Festival has been the focus of international criticism, so much so that the government itself has sought to curb the dog meat trade. In 2020, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs effectively banned the slaughter of dogs and cats in the country, officially declaring that they should no longer be considered livestock for human consumption, but pets.
The decision stems not only from international pressure, but also from the changing mindset of much of the Chinese population, especially the younger generation. Despite the ban, in many parts of China this tradition is hard to die.
A major gap in Chinese legislation more generally concerns the lack of recognition of animals as legal subjects, this makes the protection of their welfare almost completely absent. Just think of the so-called “Wet markets,” traditional Asian markets where fresh produce is sold, including animals that are currently slaughtered in completely unsuitable sanitary conditions.
The same happens in different parts of Asia where it is still common to eat animals or parts of them while they are still alive. Examples include fish fried and served while the head is still moving, snakes cut into pieces and eaten while still alive, or monkey brains opened and eaten while the animal, tied up, is struggling.
Especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, the government has clamped down on “Wet markets” and dishes involving live animals, and in larger and more well-known cities, such as the capital, controls are much tighter. All this, however, is not enough. We call on the Chinese authorities not only to enforce the already formally existing ban on the consumption of dog and cat meat, but also to promote laws that protect animals as living beings worthy of respect and rights.
To urge the Chinese government to deal with the issue needs action from everyone. Send your email of protest! Go to the box at the bottom of the page.
send your letter of protest to the Chinese government
Dear Mr. Han Jun, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Mr. Lei Haichao, Minister in charge of the National Health Commission and Mr. Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment, OIPA International Organization for Animal Protection is an NGO associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications (DGC), the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), accredited at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP). Our organization embraces more than 200 associations across the world and operates in defence of animal rights and to protect animals against any form of cruelty and abuse.
With this letter, we kindly ask for your undivided attention and compassion as we humbly express our deep concern and indignation about how animals are treated in your country. Many forms of entertainment in China exploit animals by forcing them into a lifestyle that is completely contrary to their nature. In addition to this, we are aware of the fact that the Yulin festival will soon begin.
In 2020, the former Ministry of Agriculture Mr. Han Changfu had already expressed his disapproval of the consumption of this meat, but this announcement was not followed by any official national ordinance. We live in the 21st century and in many parts of the world, including China, cats and dogs are now seen as beloved friends and family members. Now is the right time to make a great change and you can be the driver of that change by banning, the terrible practise of raising, slaughtering and selling cats and dogs for the consumption of their meat all over China, including rural areas.
Moreover, many of the animals displayed and sold in so-called “Wet Markets” are killed through private slaughter and other rudimentary methods. This poses a huge risk to public health because hygiene guarantees are minimal. The worldwide experience of SARS – CoV -2 is unfortunately an example of the danger to all mankind. We therefore hope that China can change these archaic traditions and adopt an innovative and animal-friendly approach instead.
We sincerely call for a reconsideration of the national laws by imposing stricter rules that protect all animals and teaching people a culture of respect for all living beings in order to prevent animal cruelty and abuses. Finally, we ask that animals be considered legal subjects whose interests and rights are protected, and no longer natural resources exploitable and usable by man for his
various purposes.If you decide to make China a compassionate country for animals, many of your citizens will thank you and trust you. They will be proud of living in a place that cares about the less fortunate and they will be glad to be a virtuous example for many other countries.
We trust that you will give this matter your urgent and utmost attention.
