Seoul Categorizing Dogs As Livestock

Seoul Categorizing Dogs as Livestock!!
Seoul Categorizing Dogs as Livestock


24 March 2008 - Seoul will propose to the central government that dogs
should be categorized as livestock in order to properly regulate the
trade of dog meat and strengthen sanitation inspections. The proposal
aims to solve the ironic situation where many Koreans enjoy eating dog
meat despite the absence of regulations on the sale of dog meat amid
ambiguous categorization of the animal, a city official from the Seoul
Metropolitan Government (SMG) said.

``The real problem is, we cannot regulate the sanitation process of
how dog meat is served due to the lack of regulations,'' the official
said. ``We will have a series of public hearings to discuss the issue
as it's a necessary step.''


Under the current law, dogs are categorized in the same group as
donkeys, rabbits, horses and deer, not as livestock such as beef and
chicken.


The categorization allows for the mass breeding and butchering of dogs
and serving of their meat at restaurants, but does not let the
authorities apply regulations for livestock to the trade of dog meat.


According to the Korea Food and Drug Administration, dog meat is also
categorized as a natural product because it is not included in
livestock. It means that unlike ordinary stock products such as beef
or chicken, dog meat does not undergo sanitation inspections.

For now, the authorities can only take a legal action against those
who butcher dogs in a brutal way or cause pollution to the environment
during the slaughter process, according to the Law on Animal
Protection and the Law on Pollution, respectively.

There were previous attempts to categorize dogs as livestock, but they
were scrapped due to strong criticism from animal rights groups inside
and outside of the country.

In 2001, 20 lawmakers proposed a bill to revise the Law on Stock
Product Process, aimed at setting up proper regulations on dog meat.
But the bill was scrapped without being properly dealt after meeting
criticism from animal rights groups and dog lovers.

 -- The Korea Times

Mirelle

"One can measure the greatness of a nation and its moral progress by
the way it treats its animals,"
--Mahatma Gandhi