Dogs: Meat

(asked on 19th April 2017) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) his global counterparts and (b) animal rights groups on cruelty in the global dog meat trade; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Alok Sharma Portrait
Alok Sharma
COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
This question was answered on 26th April 2017

I met with animal rights activists earlier this year to discuss this issue and my officials are in ongoing discussions with them to identify how to improve animal welfare and raise awareness of the cruelty and potential health implications of the global dog meat trade.

The consumption of dog meat is legal in many countries, and the UK has no grounds to intervene or take trade measures to prevent this. As such, I have not raised the matter with my global counterparts. However, the British Ambassador in Seoul has raised the issue with the Korean authorities, and officials from the British Embassy in Seoul have accompanied non-government organisations on a dog farm visit. Officials have also met with police representatives from China to discuss their implementation of animal welfare regulations.

As I stated in the Westminster Hall Debate on 12 September 2016, it is encouraging that in countries where dog meat is consumed there are signs that attitudes are changing.

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