Dog Meat (South Korea)

Margaret Ferrier Excerpts

Monday 12th September 2016 Westminster Hall

[Margaret Ferrier (Rutherglen and Hamilton West) (SNP)]

It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Nuttall. I would like to thank the members of the public who created the petition and the 102,131 who signed it. They are responsible for securing this important debate and I thank the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Oliver Dowden) for leading it.

Like many hon. Members, I received many emails from constituents asking me to attend this debate. Animal welfare is something both they and I care deeply about. I have contributed to several debates in this place on the treatment and wellbeing of dogs, but none was quite so difficult to prepare for as this one. Despite a conscious effort to look at the trade impartially and to be aware of any cultural bias I might have, it was difficult to read about, look at photographs of and watch videos about the subject. It is clear that dogs are being treated appallingly and most if not all of us condemn that very strongly. I and other Scottish National party Members encourage a cautious and culturally sensitive approach to effect change in South Korea—an approach that supports animal rights groups in that country that are already working to bring an end to the dog meat trade.

The Scottish Government take animal welfare issues incredibly seriously and continue to lead the way in both protection and promotion of animal rights. Just last week, the British Veterinary Association commended the Scottish Government for including the Wild Animals in Circuses Bill in its programme. My desire is that others will follow this example and take similar action in other parts of the UK and Northern Ireland.

I hope the UK Government are truly committed to the protection of animal rights, but recent attempts to reintroduce foxhunting have cast doubt on that. Fortunately, due to the SNP’s support for the continuation of the ban, the UK Government decided to drop the planned vote on the issue. The SNP will continue to fight effectively in both Scotland and here in Westminster for animal rights.

I welcome the UK Government’s response to the petition, and I hope their apparent sincerity is backed by continued action. I welcome the fact that the British embassy in Seoul has raised the issue of cruelty towards animals on many occasions with the South Korean authorities and I hope it continues to do so at every appropriate opportunity.

In the run-up to the winter Olympics in 2018, it is vital that this important issue is not allowed to be ignored and that the trade is not simply hidden from sight. In an attempt to avoid criticism, the South Korean Government hid all dog meat restaurants from the sight of international media during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The dog meat industry in the Republic of Korea is still thriving today, almost 30 years later. It is important that, three decades on, the authorities are not allowed simply to adopt a policy of out of sight, out of mind. Reports that dogs are mistreated and abused in the dog meat trade are much too distressing to be ignored or concealed.

We must exercise caution in our approach to the cultural practices of other countries, but we have a duty to voiceless animals to try to bring about change. Charities have highlighted some of the terrible conditions in which 2 million dogs that are slaughtered for their meat every year are kept. Animal welfare groups have attested that some traditional beliefs encourage more torturous conditions for dogs, such as the thinking that high adrenaline levels will produce tender meat.

Dogs are often confined in small wire cages until their slaughter, usually by electrocution. It is claimed that they are often transported improperly, in cramped conditions and without access to water. This cannot and must not be ignored. In addition to raising the issue with Korean authorities, will the UK Government promote effective implementation of existing laws in South Korea and encourage public awareness of the horrific conditions in which dogs are often kept for the meat trade?

It is promising that the dog meat trade seems to be decreasing in popularity, which the UK Government acknowledged in their response to the petition. There is no doubt that this seems to be a generational issue and that attitudes are changing. Younger South Koreans seem to be moving away from dog meat, which is encouraging, but that is not reason enough to ignore the ongoing problem and wait for it to disappear. If this is a generational shift and not much else is done, Members could be debating the same issue in this place in another 30 years. I do not want to be one of the people doing that.