Animal rights activists protest in entrance of the National Assembly in Seoul, Saturday, urging lawmakers to go the anti-dog meat laws by the top of the 12 months as promised by the primary events. Courtesy of Coalition for End to Dog Meat Consumption
Ruling celebration, animal activists urge for passage of laws in additional plenary session by finish of 12 months
By Lee Hae-rin
A legislative transfer to ban the consumption of canine meat is dropping steam as rival events have but to achieve a consensus over the problem amid fierce opposition from canine meat merchants.
According to political circles and animal activists, Sunday, the anti-dog meat invoice remains to be pending on the National Assembly, as the primary opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is refusing to cooperate with the ruling People Power Party (PPP) over the laws on the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee.
For the invoice to go within the twenty first Assembly as promised by each events, it must go the standing committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee earlier than lastly successful a majority of votes by current lawmakers on the additional plenary periods, slated for Dec. 20, 28 and Jan. 9 subsequent 12 months.
The ruling celebration careworn that the laws should go throughout the additional plenary periods subsequent week.
“The ban on dog meat consumption needs to be finalized in the 21st National Assembly. The subject has been controversial for decades and went through long debates, so the Assembly must achieve a fruitful result,” the PPP’s chief policymaker Rep. Yu Eui-dong mentioned, Friday, because the Assembly’s common annual session concluded with out a outcome.
The sluggish progress comes amid sturdy opposition from canine meat farmers and merchants in opposition to the plan by the federal government and political events to close down the contentious trade.
The canine meat merchants have been demanding seven trillion gained ($5.3 billion) in compensation for the trade, claiming there are over 3,500 canine meat farms nationwide every elevating round 700 canine meat on common. The determine is bigger than proven in a authorities survey, which mentioned that just one,150 farms exist within the nation, elevating 520,000 dogs.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs which oversees the commerce and consumption of dogs, has a 17.4 trillion gained finances deliberate for subsequent 12 months, which is just barely larger than this 12 months’s 16.8 trillion gained finances.
Farmed dogs are held in a cage on a truck owned by members of the canine meat farmers’ affiliation, Nov. 30, throughout the group’s protest in opposition to a legislative transfer to ban the commerce and consumption of canine meat in entrance of the presidential workplace in Seoul. The group’s transfer to launch round 100 dogs throughout the protest was prevented by the police for security causes. Korea Times photograph by Choi Won-suk
This 12 months, Korea got here closest to legally ending the fading and controversial custom of consuming canine meat.
The rival events introduced, final month, that ending the commerce was a essential political agenda earlier than the final elections subsequent 12 months.
Five proposed payments are pending on the National Assembly, which comprise roadmaps to close down the trade and help and fund the transition of farmers to different vocations.
In response to the sluggish legislative course of, a coalition of 40 animal advocacy teams held a protest in entrance of the National Assembly, Saturday, to sentence the lawmakers.
“The people’s anticipation for ending dog meat consumption was more eager than ever this year. Despite the government and political parties’ promise to pass the special act, the bill failed to cross the threshold of the standing committee until the last day of the National Assembly’s regular session,” the teams mentioned in a joint assertion.
The activists mentioned that any additional delay in passing the laws may usher canine meat merchants to say even larger compensation, which they view as absurd.
An overwhelming 86 % of Koreans don’t plan to eat canine meat sooner or later, whereas 57 % supported the ban on the canine meat commerce, in response to a survey by Nielsen Korea, which was commissioned by Humane Society International Korea.
