South Korea on Thursday announced plans to compensate farmers and others in the country’s dwindling dog meat industry before a formal ban goes into effect in 2027, a move that is drawing opposition from both farmers and some animal rights activists.
South Korea’s parliament passed a landmark bill in January that would ban slaughtering, breeding or selling dog meat for human consumption after a three-year grace period. It would be punishable by two to three years in prison.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said that farmers would receive compensation starting from 225,000 won (US$171), and rising up to 600,000 won per dog if they agree to shut down their businesses early.
Photo: AP
An association of farmers rejected the offer, saying in a statement that they cannot relinquish their dogs for such low prices. Farmers earlier called for 2 million won per dog. They’ve said the ban infringes on their right to choose their own jobs and will aggravate their economic difficulties.
The association said that farmers would keep fighting even if they end up being jailed. Earlier in the week, they called for the law to be amended to extend the grace period and add appropriate compensation plans.
Lee Sang-kyung, a campaign manager at the South Korean office of the anti-animal cruelty group Humane Society International, called the South Korean announcement “an important milestone in this historic ban that will see the ban through to completion and end our country’s dog meat era for good.”
However, Lee said his office is disappointed at the South Korean plan, because it would pay farmers based on the number of dogs they have, “potentially increasing dog breeding to get more money from the scheme and more puppies being born into suffering.”
The Korean Animal Welfare Association, a Seoul-based animal rights group, said that local governments must strictly monitor farms to prevent them from increasing their number of dogs through breeding. It praised the government for trying to take reasonable steps to phase out the industry, while criticizing farmers for seeking excessive compensation.
Dog meat consumption is a centuries-old practice on the Korean Peninsula. It is also eaten in China, Vietnam, Indonesia and some African countries. However, South Korea’s dog meat industry has drawn more attention because of the country’s reputation as a cultural and economic powerhouse. It is also the only nation with industrial-scale dog farms.
South Korea’s anti-dog meat campaign received a big boost from the nation’s first lady, Kim Keon-hee, who repeatedly expressed her support for a prohibition. She was subjected to withering criticism and crude insults during demonstrations by farmers.
Surveys have found that about one in three South Koreans opposes the ban, athough most people now do not eat dog meat.
South Korean Vice Minister of Agriculture Park Beom-su told reporters that government studies found that about 466,000 dogs are being raised for food across South Korea.
He said officials would try to convince farmers to voluntarily phase out dog breeding ahead of the ban.
After the ban comes into force, the government plans to facilitate adoptions for the remaining dogs or move them to care facilities rather than euthanize them, Park said.
The ministry said butchers would also be compensated, while local authorities would be responsible for dismantling dog farms and slaughterhouses. Former farmers and butchers would also get low-interests loans if they pivot to other agricultural businesses.
The ministry said authorities would also offer financial assistance to traders and restaurant owners to shut down their businesses and find new jobs.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel