South Korean dog farmers have threatened to unleash two million canines on Seoul if the government goes ahead with its proposed ban on dog meat.
The farmers argued that banning the controversial dog meat from menus across the country would deprive them of their livelihoods.
If implemented, the ban would come into effect in 2027 and the government has promised financial assistance to the farmers to support their businesses in transitioning away from the trade.
Joo Young-bong, head of the Korea Dog Meat Farmers’ Association, said the group would release two million dogs in the capital – especially near significant governmental locations and outside the homes of politicians.
“We’re so outraged that we’re talking about releasing two million dogs we’re raising near the presidential office, the agriculture minister’s home and offices of lawmakers who have introduced the bills,” he said.
About a week ago, when the South Korean government announced its plan to introduce a ban on dog meat, animal rights organisations celebrated the move across the world.
Nearly one million dogs are “farmed and killed for human consumption” in a year, according to Humane Society International.
The Korean Association of Edible Dogs, says far more farms and restaurants than those cited by the government will be affected, according to Reuters. The association said 3,500 farms raising 1.5 million dogs and 3,000 restaurants will have to shut down, almost twice the numbers stated by officials.
