China reclassifies dogs as pets.

On 8 April 2020, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs published a notice announcing the draft National Catalog of Animal Genetic Resources (the “draft list”) which proposes the reclassification of dogs as pets, meaning they could no longer be bred for food, milk, fur, fiber or medicine and could not be used for military or sports.

The draft list classifies the following animals as livestock:

The draft list is available for public consultation, with the consultation period ending 8 May 2020.

I. Classification of Dogs as Livestock

Currently, dogs, despite being widely recognised as companion animals around the world, are classified in China as livestock, a classification that has been subject to much condemnation.

Unsurprisingly, given the classification, the consumption of dogs is not illegal in China and approximately 10 million are killed for human consumption each year, one third of the total killed in Asia as a whole,[1] and 10,000 killed at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival alone, an annual 10-day event.[2]

China are not however alone in their classification, with neighbouring South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs categorising dogs as livestock in January 2020, prompting a rally by the Companion Animal Organisation for the exclusion of dogs from the legal classification,[3] which was previously unclear.

Comparatively, dog meat bans exist in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, demonstrative of the progressive stances of developed nations in Asia. Most recently, Indonesia has also began to crack down on the consumption, with the Central Java administration passing an order to ban the consumption of dog meat in the region.[4]

II. Rationale for the Reclassification

The notice states that the following factors were taken into account in the reclassification:

· The progress of human civilisation;

· Public concern and love for animal protection; and

· International consensus that dogs are companion animals, not livestock.

Public concern for animal welfare and the recognition of dogs as pets has been growing in China, with notable campaigns by the Humane Society International, which not only launched the China Animal Protection Power against the dog meat trade, but also submitted a letter, signed by more 235,000 people and supported by 87 Chinese Animal Protection Groups, calling for an end to the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.

Importantly, the notice also follows the outbreak, and subsequent declaration as a pandemic, of COVID-19, which is widely believed to have originated in a wet market in Wuhan, China and prompted China to temporarily ban the trade and consumption of wild animals on 26 January 2020.

The outbreak also prompted Shenzhen to announce a ban on the consumption of both dogs and cats on 2 April 2020, the first city in Mainland China to do so, with the ban taking effect on 1 May 2020. The Shenzhen Government announcement echoed the sentiment of the country-wide reclassification, noting the close relationship that dogs and cats have with humans and acknowledging the progress elsewhere in Asia.

The reclassification also takes account of the booming pet industry in China, worth a total of USD 25 billion in 2018, and the fast-growing cat and dog ownership, with more than 73.5 million owners as of the end of 2018.[5]

Coupled with the guidance released by the Ministry of Education in January 2018, which recommended teachers educate students on the ethical treatment of animals and the necessity of animal welfare legislation,[6] the proposed reclassification is not only a necessary and long-awaited development, but a signal of the shifting mentality of China towards animal welfare.

References

[1] https://www.hsi.org/issues/dog-meat-trade/

[2] https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/yulin-dog-meat-festival-explainer-what-is-it-when-start-banned-controversy-a8410426.html

[3] http://koreabizwire.com/are-dogs-livestock-civic-groups-protest-for-and-against-dog-meat/151252

[4] https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/12/04/central-java-governor-orders-end-to-monthly-slaughter-of-13000-dogs-for-food.html

[5] https://www.economist.com/china/2019/02/09/once-denounced-as-bourgeois-vanity-pets-are-big-business-in-china

[6] https://www.animalsasia.org/hk-en/media/news/news-archive/chinese-high-schools-to-offer-official-animal-welfare-module-for-the-first-time-ever.html

Main source: Reuters