Dogs now ruled pets, not livestock
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China has drawn up new guidelines to reclassify dogs as pets rather than livestock, the agriculture ministry said, part of a response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on Wednesday published a list of animals that can be traded for meat that included pigs, cows, chickens and sheep, but excluded dogs and cats.
Although dog meat remains a delicacy in many regions, the ministry said dogs would no longer be considered as livestock.
It uses that designation for animals that can be bred to provide food, milk, fur, fiber and medicine, or to serve the needs of sports or the military.
鈥淎s far as dogs are concerned, along with the progress of human civilization and the public concern and love for animal protection, dogs have been 鈥榮pecialized鈥 to become companion animals, and internationally are not considered to be livestock, and they will not be regulated as livestock in China,鈥 the ministry said.
The coronavirus is widely believed to have originated in horseshoe bats, and could have been passed onto humans by intermediary species on sale in the markets of the Hubei Provincial capital of Wuhan, where the pathogen was first identified and the hardest-hit area in the country.
China subsequently banned the breeding, trading and consumption of wildlife, and revoked all existing licenses. It has also promised to revise legislation to make the ban permanent.
The draft guidelines, which have been opened to the public for consultation, listed 18 traditional livestock species 鈥 including cattle, pigs, poultry and camels.
It also added 13 鈥渟pecial鈥 species that would also be exempt from wild animal trading restrictions, including reindeer, alpacas, pheasants, ostriches and foxes.
Dog consumption has become increasingly unpopular in China, and the southern city of Shenzhen became the first to ban it last month.
The Humane Society International said in a statement yesterday that the latest draft document 鈥渃ould signal a critically important shift in China鈥檚 desire to see an end to the dog and cat meat trade.鈥
鈥淐oming so soon after Shenzhen鈥檚 dog and cat meat ban, it is incredibly encouraging,鈥 said international media director Wendy Higgins.
鈥淭his is the first time the national government in China has explicitly explained why dogs ... are excluded from the official livestock list, stating that these are companion animals and not for eating.鈥
The animal protection group estimates some 10 million dogs a year are traded in China for meat.
鈥淭his draft proposal could signal a game-changer moment for animal protection in China,鈥 Higgins said.
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