Will the City of Yulin Hold the Infamous Dog Meat Festival on June 21-30, In Defiance of New Chinese Regulations Banning Commercial Dog Meat?

Dogs and cats are not on the list of animals that can be bred, raised, traded, or transported as livestock for commercial purposes, meaning that the commercial dog meat trade is no longer legal in China.

The Agriculture Ministry stated: "With the progress of the times, people's understanding of civilization and eating habits are constantly changing, and some traditional customs about dogs will also change.”

In April, the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai became the first in China to completely ban the consumption of dog and cat meat. See CityWatch: “Chinese City of Shenzhen Bans Eating Dog and Cat Meat.”

However, the organization No Dogs Left Behind has learned, through an undercover investigation, that there is evidence that the city of Yulin is still proceeding with the Dog Meat Festival. See “No Dogs Left Behind”: https://www.facebook.com/NoDogsLeftBehind/

A description of the torture and death that dogs suffer each year at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival is on the website of the Humane Society International.

For those who are opposed to this barbaric festival, please write to the Chinese authorities asking them to enforce the Agriculture Ministry Regulations. Please send emails to:

[email protected]

Suggested Message:

Please Shut Down the Yulin Dog Meat Festival

We were very happy to hear that the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture has banned the commercial Dog and Cat Meat Trade. On May 29, 2020, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture released the latest version of the Directory of Genetic Resources of Livestock and Poultry. Dogs and cats are not on the list of animals that can be bred, raised, traded, or transported as livestock for commercial purposes, meaning that the commercial dog and cat meat trade is no longer legal in China.

Please see “Update: Chinese Ministry of Agriculture Bans Commercial Dog and Cat Meat – Focus Shifts to Enforcement”:

In April, the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai became the first in China to completely ban the consumption of dog and cat meat. Please see Link 1 and Link 2.

However, we have learned that there is evidence that organizers of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival are preparing to go forward with the festival from June 21 to 30. As well as being a horrible cruelty for dogs, subjecting the City of Yulin to international condemnation, the festival should now be illegal under the Agriculture Ministry’s regulations. We strongly urge the Chinese authorities to shut down the Yulin Dog Meat Festival immediately.

Thank you to everyone, both inside and outside of China, who have worked so hard to save the lives and stop the torture of dogs in China.

For previous developments in the battle to ban the dog meat trade, please click here.

(Jeffrey Mausner (see https://mausnerlaw.com/ ) is the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils Liaison to the Los Angeles Animal Services Department, a Neighborhood Council Budget Advocate, 2^nd Vice President of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council and Chair of its Animal Welfare Committee, and a Volunteer at the West Valley Animal Shelter. He is a retired attorney and law school professor and was formerly a Federal Prosecutor for the U.S. Justice Department.) Prepped for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.