China to list dogs as pets and NOT livestock in plan that may save 10 million from being killed for meat each year
In what has been hailed as a "game-changing" move by animal rights' activists, China has excluded dogs from a list of farm animals in a newly drafted directive that may see an end to the consumption of their meat in the country.
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced that it recognizes dogs as "companion animals" and "not suitable" to be managed as livestock, according to the Daily Mail.
In a tentative version of a Directory of Genetic Resources of Livestock and Poultry, the ministry listed 18 types of "traditional livestock," including pigs, cows, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, camels, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons, and quails.
It also listed 13 types of "special livestock" such as sika deer, red deer, reindeer, alpacas, guinea fowls, pheasants, partridges, mallards, ostriches, minks, the American red fox, the Arctic fox, and raccoon dogs — the last four of which can be traded, but not for their meat.
The list was reportedly compiled after advise was sought from 36 organs of the central government, 31 regional governments as well as experts from institutes and universities.
Only these animals listed can be bred, raised, traded, and transported for commercial purposes. The exclusion of dogs, almost 10 million of which are killed in the country each year for their meat, was explained by classifying them as "companion animals".
"In the wake of the progress of human civilization and the attention the public give to animal protection, dogs have evolved from livestock to companion animals and are generally not considered as livestock internationally," the ministry said.
"It is not suitable for our country to list (them) as livestock for management purposes."
The move has been praised by various animal rights organizations, including Humane Society International, who described it as a "game-changer."
"Although this draft proposal isn't in itself a ban, it could signal a game-changer moment for animal protection in China," said spokesperson Wendy Higgins. "Coming so soon after Shenzhen's dog and cat meat ban, this is the first time the national government in China has explicitly explained why dogs and cats are excluded from the official livestock list, stating that these are companion animals and not for eating."
Higgins was referring to how, earlier this month, Shenzhen had banned the consumption of dog and cat meat in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Cats and dogs, as pets, have a closer relationship with humans than other animals. The ban on the consumption of pets such as cats and dogs is common in many developed countries and Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other regions; practice is also a requirement and reflection of modern human civilization," the city's officials had said.
However, the countrywide exclusion of dogs from a list of farm animals may not necessarily mean that the consumption of their meat has been banned.
An unnamed official from the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs told The Paper that dogs being left out only meant they could not be "managed" as livestock and that it had "nothing to do with the eating or breeding of dogs."
The Ministry is seeking feedback for the proposal until May 8.