Korea - dog meat hygiene controls

[Guest guest]

Dear All

 

The Korean government's recent attempt to introduce hygiene controls

for dog meat have been seen by the Korean and international

organisations as another attempt to legalise the trade. The following

letter was sent by five animal welfare organisations to President Roh

Moo-Hyun of South Korea and four government ministers.

 

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[letter begins]

6 April 2005

 

Dear President Roh

 

As leading international animal welfare organisations we represent many

millions of people around the world, and have a history of cooperation

with governments and other bodies in over one hundred countries in

preventing cruelty and promoting the humane treatment of animals.

 

We write to express our deep concern at recent moves by the Prime

Minister's Office for Government Policy Coordination to introduce

hygiene controls for the slaughter of dogs for human consumption. The

cruelty of the dog meat trade has been widely condemned by many Koreans

and continues to have an extremely damaging effect on the country's

image abroad. Dog meat has never had legal status in Korea and the

proposal to introduce official hygiene regulations can only be viewed as

an indirect attempt to legalise this trade. Such a move would be a

backward step, in making Korea the only country in the world to provide

a basis in law for the slaughter of dogs for food. Dog meat has long

been outlawed in Hong Kong and was more recently banned in Taiwan and

the Philippines.

 

The failure of successive Korean governments to implement the 1991

Animal Protection Law (APL) has led to the cruel treatment of millions

of dogs and cats. At the same time Koreans in increasing numbers are

becoming more vocal in their rejection of all forms of animal cruelty.

This trend is supported by a survey conducted by SBS indicating that 74%

of South Koreans feel that a desirable solution to the dog meat issue is

a government ban on dog meat. We welcome the growth in the past five

years of the Korean animal welfare community, and have observed recent

encouraging developments as the government has engaged in apparently

genuine consultation with the Korean organisations to revise and

strengthen the existing APL. The plan now to introduce hygiene controls

threatens to seriously undermine the anti-cruelty provisions of the

revised law.

 

We urge you to abandon the adoption of hygiene management measures for

the dog meat trade and to guarantee protection for all dogs and cats in

the revised Animal Protection Law. It is also hoped that Korea will

follow the example of other countries in providing for the appointment

of animal protection inspectors to enforce the anti-cruelty legislation.

We would be very willing to offer our experience and support to your

government in any steps you wish to take to improve animal protection in

Korea.

 

Respectfully,

 

Jackie Ballard General, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

Animals

 

And on behalf of the following cosignatory organisations:

 

Animals Asia Foundation

Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International

International Fund for Animal Welfare

World Society for the Protection of Animals

[letter ends]

---------------

 

Regards

 

 

Paul Littlefair

Senior Programme Manager, East Asia

RSPCA International

External Affairs Department

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (UK)

Wilberforce Way

Southwater

Horsham

West Sussex

RH13 9RS

UK

 

Tel: +44 870 7540 359

Fax: +44 870 7530 359

 

RSPCA websites:

(English) www.rspca.org.uk

(Chinese) www.animal-welfare.org.tw

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