New Zealand dog breeders are being targeted as a source of dogs for human consumption in Asia…

Around the world there is mounting concern about the expansion of an international dog meat trade. Whilst certain countries in Asia including the Philippines and Taiwan have banned the practice of dog eating, dogs and sometimes cats are still used as food animals in many parts of Asia, most notably, in Korea, China and Vietnam. Recent evidence shows that the market is expanding with the growth of the dog meat and breeding industry in China. The resulting market demand has led to New Zealand breeders being targeted to supply stud or breeding animals to Asian countries. The most sought after dogs being Saint Bernards and other large European breeds, such as German Shepherds, Dalmations, Newfoundlands and Leonbergers.

Growth of the Chinese Dog-Meat Market

The Chinese market has emerged with the appearance of Saint Bernard breeders on the scene, and has proliferated, partly due to Government funding. Dog farms are currently springing up all over China, with industry ads boasting high rates of return, three times as profitable as poultry, and four times as profitable as raising pigs. Chinese dog farmers believe that in a few short years, dog farms will become as prolific as those raising sheep and cattle. In Peixian for example, 300,000 dogs are slaughtered annually. Some farms raise as many as 100,000 dogs a year, most for slaughter but some also for their fur. The animals are killed at about 6 months of age.

Why are overseas breeders being targeted?

With the growth of the dog meat market there has been an increasing demand for large European breed dogs. However western abhorrence of the practice of eating dogs means that most are unwilling to supply animals to the market. This has made procuring animals difficult and led Chinese businessmen to focus on importing stud dogs only, as breeding stock, to meet the internal needs of the market. Attempts are also being made to start negotiations with foreign companies and websites have been set up to asking investors for help to expand the operations.

Those seeking animals for the dog meat industry may also create 'cover' stories in their attempt to obtain animals. For example one New Zealand breeder was approached to supply Saint Bernard puppies to China allegedly for service as police dogs &endash; however no countries in the world currently use Saint Bernards as police dogs.

Cruelty and Welfare Issues

Dogs bred for the meat trade may spend their entire lives in wire cages - usually in filthy cramped conditions. Many are packed so tightly into cages on their way to the markets that injuries are common. In addition, the dogs are often killed in horrendous ways, or beaten severely prior to being slaughtered in order to stimulate the animal to produce adrenalin, as many believe that eating such meat boosts men's virility. For example video footage shows dogs being killed by methods such as:

• Pouring boiling water over the live animal to increase the adrenaline production. Their throat is cut and the meat left to dry.

• Holes are cut in the paws. The animal is then left to bleed to death. This takes 10 minutes or so but makes the meat taste better.

• Legs broken the night before slaughter then the dog is skinned alive the next morning.

• Beating with sticks and slow strangulation/blow torching.

Many Asian countries have relatively poor animal welfare standards by comparison with New Zealand, and even where laws aimed to prevent such suffering do exist, enforcement and policing may be inadequate. The South Korean government in particular has come under fire for failing to enforce its 1991 Animal Protection Law, which bans cruelty to all animals, in relation to the dog meat market.

Legislative controls on the dog-meat market in Asia

Several Asian countries have now legislated against dog-meat consumption. For example, while the killing and eating dogs is legal in mainland China, the practice was banned in Hong Kong as long ago as 1950. The more significant problem in countries where bans do exist appears to lie with enforcement issues, for example:

• The Philippine Animal Welfare Act No. 8485, (1998) bans the trading and eating of dog meat. However, animal welfare groups claim that widespread corruption of officials and other agencies means that the law is not enforced.

• Taiwan's Animal Protection Bill (1988) bans killing dogs for food, but once again the ban is not enforced and there are purportedly around 60 dog meat restaurants throughout Taiwan.

• In 1984 the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare classified dog meat and dog soup as "disgusting foods" and food sanitation laws have also been introduced to ban the manufacturing and selling of dog meat. Restaurant owners caught selling dog meat can have their business licenses removed on their third offence. Despite this framework, the Ministry of Health and Welfare does not enforce the Law so that dog meat restaurants remain common and an illegal dog and cat meat trade continues to flourish. In fact pressure from the dog meat industry and consumers now appears to be pushing the government towards formally backtracking and distinguishing "food dogs" and "pet dogs".

What can be done to solve the problem?

• Attempts to reclassify dogs as not for human consumption &endash; or not livestock

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has a complete list of all livestock etc, and through its member countries, has the power to classify dogs as not for human consumption. Since there has never been a recognised international dog-meat trade and the market is relatively recent, dogs do not appear on the FAO list of livestock. However China (an FAO member country) has unilaterally classified them as livestock. In response, a Petition asking that dogs be classified as 'not for human consumption' was launched, and has now been signed and supported by over 4.5 million people globally. The petition was presented to the FAO meeting in Rome November 2nd 2001.

In response to the petition the FAO stated that: "There are no rules at an international level that prohibit the commercialisation of dogs as slaughter animals. Codex Alimentarius defines meat as the edible part of any slaughter animal slaughtered in an abattoir and includes edible offal". (Incidentally, there are no commercially run "abattoirs" for dogs in China; as they are typically slaughtered in backyards.)

While largely ignoring the petition (not even alerting its member countries to the fact that the world's largest petition for animals was received on this issue) they also stated that it was open for any FAO member country to discuss or raise such matters at either an FAO Council or Conference.

This means that, as a member of the FAO the New Zealand government could table this issue for discussion. The New Zealand government has so far refused to do this.

• Imposing additional restrictions on live dog exports

Australia is one country that has taken a lead in this issue. At the end of last year, through the Australian National Kennel Council, Australia formally legislated against the export of dogs from Australia to any country where they are consumed as food. Dogs can only be sold to registered members of Kennel Clubs for showing, or breeding to enhance the breed for shows only.

New Zealand could move towards implementing similar legislation and restrict the export of dogs to help prevent New Zealand breeders from supplying [even unintentionally] stud or breeding animals to the dog meat trade.

At present, before live animals may be exported to another country, an export certificate, setting out all the conditions agreed to with the importing country, must be issued under the Animals Products Act 1999. In addition the Animal Welfare Act 1999 requires that animals being exported from New Zealand require animal welfare export certification. Therefore there may also be scope for reform and changes to be instituted at various points in these processes. An interesting point which has not yet been raised in relation to this issue, is whether any export bans could run into problems in relation to the WTO agreements, such as the GATT free trade provisions. Specifically GATT Article XI that sets bans on exports as well as imports. Cases on this point indicate that nations may only act to protect animals within their own territory. This has been an issue in the UK where, despite having banned veal crates within the UK it has been impossible to prevent the export of calves overseas for rearing in veal crates.

Want to help and get involved with this issue?

Clearly this issue raises significant legal issues for New Zealand. New Zealander Elly Maynard, Chairperson and Founder of Sirius Global Animal Organisation, a group dedicated to fighting to keep domestic companion animals out of the food chain, is at the forefront of the fight against the international dog meat trade &endash; and she needs your help!!!

If you would like more information, or would like to get involved in the fight against the dog meat trade, and work on lobbying to implement changes in New Zealand to counter this barbaric industry, contact Elly Maynard or check out the group's website website.

courtesy of Sirius Global Animal Charitable Trust
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