South Korean Dog Meat Producers Association organized this Thursday protest against the upcoming entry into force of a law banning the breeding, slaughter, distribution and sale of this type of meat for human consumption and demanded that the government take additional measures to support this sector.

He South Korea’s parliament approved the law in January last year.what was it like Historic victory for animal rights activists after decades of struggle in Asian countryand its full entry into force will occur in 2027, after a three-year grace period for producers.

The rule provides that The state will provide subsidies to help those involved in the dog meat industry to involve them in other economic activities, although this was not sufficient to meet the needs of the sector.

Several dozen members of the producers association organized rally this Thursday in front of the president’s office in Seoul, a week before the law officially came into forcealthough a complete ban on its activities will not be in effect until the aforementioned date of 2027.

“We are legally required to close in February 2027, but we have not been offered terms such as reasonable support for closing our businesses, changing jobs and selling the remaining dogs,” a spokesman for the association said in a statement to local media.

Producers They held demonstrations under slogans such as:

We are citizens too.

And they criticized that Government “forces them to submit a plan to terminate their activities without any guarantees or rights.”

The association also filed a petition to the South Korean justice system, which demands a review of the law, arguing that it is unconstitutional for violating the freedom of workers to choose their profession and the freedom of consumers to decide what they eat.

The law will come into force in 3 years. Violators face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. (more than 22,000 US dollars).

According to the South Korean government, the Asian country There are still about 1,150 farms that raise dogs for food, 34 slaughterhouses, and 219 distributors. and about 1,600 restaurants that have dog meat dishes on their menus.

He Traditional dog meat consumption in South Korea has declined significantly in recent decades. as the number of households with pets increased.

Surveys in recent years show that The vast majority of South Koreans have never tried this meat and have no intention of doing so.while most of the large markets that provided it have already closed, the government and various associations have managed to close many farms and slaughterhouses and help their owners change their businesses over the past decade.

EFE