China
signalled that it’s planning to officially ban the eating of dogs after
the species was omitted from a list of animals approved for human
consumption.
The Ministry of
Agriculture published a draft version of the list on Wednesday, which
lays out what animals will be allowed to be bred for meat, fur and
medical use, and includes species such as deer, ostriches and foxes. The
ministry is seeking public feedback on the draft list until May 8, it
said.
In its statement, the ministry
specifically noted the omission of dogs, saying that public concern
about the issue and a growing awareness of animal protection had
contributed to the species being left off. Cats were also omitted,
though that was not specifically addressed by the ministry.
The
eating of dogs has become an increasingly controversial issue in China
as pet ownership has surged. It has been further brought to the fore by
the coronavirus, which was first identified in patients linked to market
in the city of Wuhan where non-traditional animals were sold for food.
Chinese
authorities in February banned the sale of wild animals in response to
suspicions that the virus had jumped to humans through a species at the
Wuhan market. That ban caused confusion, however, because it lacked a
clear classification of what animals the prohibition applied to. The
list published by the agriculture ministry this week was intended to
clarify that definition.
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