Korean dog meat industry, "a dying business"

South Koreans are believed to consume somewhere between 1.5 million-2.5 million dogs every year, but the meat farming industry is in decline, with little demand among the younger generation.

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Dog meat farmers’ seek fresh start

Wonju, South Korea, April 27, AFP – It’s a dying business,” Gong Inyoung said yesterday as he watched US activists clear out the cages of the South Korean dog meat farm he has been running for the past decade. Close to 200 dogs, including golden retrievers, Siberian huskies, rottweilers, Japanese tosas and Korean jindo dogs, paced in circles inside the small wire cages, barking furiously at their rescuers.

South Koreans are believed to consume somewhere between 1.5 million-2.5 million dogs every year, but the meat farming industry is in decline, with little demand among the younger generation.

Mr Gong’s business is the fifth and the largest dog meat farm to be closed down by the US-based Humane Society International (HSI) and Mr Gong said he was happy to get out.

“In the past, people ate dogs because there was nothing else to eat but nowadays young people don’t have to eat it,” Mr Gong said. “It’s becoming weird for people.”

A poll conducted by Gallup Korea last year showed that only 20% of men in their 20s consumed dog meat in the past year, compared with half of those in their 50s and 60s.

Mr Gong also noted that the increasing popularity of dogs as domestic pets had played a large part in reducing demand for their meat.

Gabriel Wildgen (top) of the Humane Society International (HSI) loads caged dogs into crates for transport. The dogs in the farm, one of thousands across the country, were bred specifically for consumption and confined in their cages from birth until slaughtered for their meat / AFP PHOTO / Ed Jones

The HSI rescued a total of 225 dogs last year, closing down four farms in what they called a “constructive and collaborative” approach to phase out an industry that has long been criticised by international animal welfare groups.

Most of the dogs are flown to the United States and Canada for adoption.

In return for shutting his business for good, a farmer receives up to US$60,000, depending on the number of dogs being bred, that can be used as seed money for a more “humane” farm, growing anything from blueberries to green peppers.

Through its well-publicised rescues, HSI seeks to raise awareness about the cruelty of dog meat farms and “initiate a conversation with South Korean policymakers”, the group’s campaign manager Andrew Plumbly said.

South Korea is preparing to host the 2018 Winter Olympics and Mr Plumbly said the global publicity surrounding the event provided an opportunity to push for change.

Dog meat restaurants in Seoul were shut down ahead of the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Mr Gong, who stumbled into the dog meat industry after many failed business attempts, admits he was “never proud” of his farm, which only ever earned him a modest living. In a normal year, he would sell around 200 animals, with an average price, depending on size, of about US$200 (7,000 baht).

Running a dog farm in South Korea requires no special licence, although Mr Gong said there were regular government checks to ensure neighbours weren’t being disturbed and dog waste was being properly disposed of.

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