Dog Meat (South Korea)

Paul Monaghan Excerpts

Monday 12th September 2016 Westminster Hall

[Dr Paul Monaghan (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (SNP)]

I congratulate the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Oliver Dowden) on leading this debate so effectively, and also congratulate other Members on contributing in a very positive and intelligent manner.

E-petition 120702 has attracted over 100,000 signatures —many from Scotland—and I feel that reflects widespread concern across the nations of the UK about animal welfare generally, and the welfare of dogs in particular. Today we have heard alarming and upsetting reports of dogs being mistreated and abused in the dog meat trade; however, we must be cautious in our approach towards other countries’ cultural practices and be sensitive in working to bring about change, as noted by my hon. Friend the Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Margaret Ferrier). This is particularly the case given the prevalence of animal crimes such as dog fighting in the UK. It is clearly important that we recognise our own weaknesses and respect the sovereignty of other nations. Again, I am grateful to my hon. Friend the Member for West Dunbartonshire (Martin Docherty-Hughes) for making that point so clearly, along with the hon. Member for Belfast East (Gavin Robinson).

Many Asian countries have only relatively recently begun to consider dogs as pets and so the animals are viewed very differently from the way they are viewed in the west. The reverse is also true. Some Asian countries consider cattle and pigs in very sacred terms and view our slaughter and consumption of those species as completely unacceptable. I hope that highlights the extent to which we must be mindful of other nations’ rights and cultural practices. Again, that point was well made by the hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy).

The SNP Government in Scotland take the welfare of animals very seriously and have led the way in protecting and promoting animal rights. I wish that approach to be sustained. In that context, my colleagues and I in the Scottish National party strongly condemn the abuse and inhumane treatment of all animals, including dogs within the dog meat trade. We encourage a cautious and culturally sensitive approach to bringing about change that supports animal rights groups in South Korea, and indeed, in other countries. Some progress is being made in that regard, with a growing political movement in South Korea championing animal rights. We should encourage that movement, as I think we all agree.

E-petition 120702, which relates specifically to South Korea and the dog meat trade, seeks to urge the South Korean Government to end the unsympathetic and often brutal treatment of dogs. We know that in South Korea an estimated 5 million dogs are slaughtered every year for their meat and we understand that during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, the South Korean Government attempted to hide dog meat restaurants from the international media to avoid criticism. That act implies, of course, both an awareness of the dog meat industry in South Korea and, perhaps more importantly, an understanding by South Korea of how that trade is perceived by the outside world.

Thirty years later, many of us here today are concerned that the International Olympic Committee has authorised South Korea to hold the 2018 winter Olympics, given that the use and abuse of dogs remains the same, if perhaps not worse, as the hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) suggested. On behalf of the Scottish National Party, I ask the UK Government to speak against the IOC’s judgment and ask the South Korean Government to respond to the dog meat issues identified here today, with a view to making the abuse of dogs in this trade illegal.

I alluded earlier to the fact that South Korea is not alone in allowing the breeding and slaughter of dogs for human consumption. As we have heard, the World Dog Alliance has produced an important analysis of this lucrative trade across Asia. Sadly, the trade is common across Asia, with countries such as China, the Philippines and Vietnam, in addition to South Korea, considering it culturally acceptable to varying degrees to eat dog meat. Many will be surprised, however, to learn that dog meat is also consumed in Switzerland, Mexico, the Arctic and the Antarctic, despite most western cultures considering the slaughter of dogs for meat unacceptable.

What is perhaps important here is the condition in which dogs are often kept prior to being slaughtered for human consumption. Some argue that dogs are often tortured before being killed because of a belief that it causes their meat to be tender. There are also concerns that most so-called “meat dogs” are stolen companion dogs and strays who are kept in terrible conditions while being transported from country to country. There are distressing accounts that reflect practices that are inconsistent with the Korea Food and Drug Administration’s regulations classifying dog meat as a “repugnant” food.

I am also pleased that South Korea’s Animal Protection Amendment Act 2007 expressly prohibits some cruel methods used by people in the dog meat trade to handle and slaughter dogs. However, animal rights groups have found that the regulations have had little impact to date on the trade in dog meat. Perhaps more promisingly, animal rights groups have pointed out that the consumption of dog meat is going out of favour with younger generations. Again, that should be encouraged.

Given that there are no international laws prohibiting the consumption of dog meat, the challenge for the UK Government is not one of intervening or implementing trade measures against countries where the consumption of dog meat is regarded as culturally acceptable, it is one of diplomacy—and for the UK Government to instruct ambassadors and Foreign Office officials to raise the issues highlighted here today with the Governments of China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Switzerland, Mexico, South Korea and others.

[Alex Chalk (Cheltenham) (Con)]

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that for those approaches to be successful, they have to be handled extremely sensitively to avoid them being counter-productive? If they are handled sensitively, that gives us the best chance of achieving the progress we all want to see.

[Dr Monaghan]

I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman. Clearly, if we are to have an impact and an influence on other nations that are trading in dog meat and allowing its consumption, we have to do so very sensitively, in ways that are culturally sensitive and reflective of our practices here in the UK.

[Dr Lisa Cameron (East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow) (SNP)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that despite the apparent desperation of the UK Government regarding the potential trade ramifications of Brexit, that should be no rationale for failing to put pressure on countries that engage in animal welfare and cruelty issues, as is the case with South Korea and the dog meat trade?

--- Later in debate ---

[Dr Monaghan]

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. There is nothing to say that Brexit and our attempt to influence the practices of other nations cannot occur in parallel.

In doing all that, the UK Government must reflect the interests and concerns of all those who have signed this petition and advance those interests in a sensitive and supportive manner, as I said, to bring about an end to the abuse of dogs farmed or stolen for human consumption. The UK Government should also provide diplomatic support for animal rights groups that are operational in South Korea and support their valuable work in taking action in a culturally sensitive and educational manner.

In response to this petition, the UK Government have stated:

“The British Embassy in Seoul has raised the issue of cruelty towards animals on numerous occasions with the South Korean authorities and explained that the UK public and parliamentarians would like to see Korean regulation that would bring the practice to an end. We will continue to seek further opportunities to raise the issue, in particular as we approach the Winter Olympics in 2018, and will monitor developments in the practice in the Republic of Korea.”

In the absence of international norms, laws or agreements governing the trade and consumption of meat, the Scottish National party believes that it is necessary to work with Governments around the world to build consensus on animal welfare standards and to phase out cruel and inhumane farming.

The trend in South Korea is such that dog meat consumption seems likely to diminish and perhaps even end due to the growing public awareness and recognition of animal rights and the health risks associated with eating dog meat. Dogs are known to be intelligent, trusting and empathetic and possess a range of senses of such acuity that we have only just begun to identify and fully understand them.

Dogs are one of the few animals capable of following a human’s gaze, implying an awareness of “other”. Those attributes arguably differentiate dogs from other animals, and certainly other animals that are normally farmed. We ask the Government to take affirmative action, to listen and to hasten an end to the consumption of dog meat in South Korea. The Scottish National party will support that diplomatic mission.