South Korea's House of Representatives banned the production and sale of dog meat in the country on Tuesday (January 19) with an overwhelming majority of votes.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): According to the world media, although only a small minority of people in South Korea still eat dog meat, this traditional food has been the subject of strong criticism from foreign media and animal rights advocates. . In recent years, the young generations of this country have also joined the campaigns to announce its ban.

The new bill declares the slaughtering, breeding and sale of dog meat for human consumption illegal from 2027 and it has a punishment equivalent to two to three years in prison. The bill, however, does not set any fines for eating dog meat.

According to Euronews, recent surveys show that more than half of South Koreans want to ban dog meat, and the majority of them do not eat it anymore. This is despite the fact that one in three people in South Korea still opposes the ban despite not consuming it.

There is no reliable official data on the exact amount of dog meat consumption in South Korea. Activists and farmers say that hundreds of thousands of dogs are slaughtered for meat every year. In 2022, statistics from an official South Korean organization showed that more than half a million dogs are raised for food every year across the country, and 1,600 restaurants sell dog meat.

According to South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, as of February 2022, there were 1,156 dog meat farms and 34 slaughterhouses.

In the resolution approved by the parliament, a three-year deadline has been given for related industries so that they can go through the process of transition and closure and switch to alternative business options. Then, from 2027, the active confrontation with the remaining activists of this industry will begin.

The South Korean parliament has approved this bill with 208 votes against zero, and the approved text will become law after the approval of the cabinet and the signature of the president.

Animal rights groups have called this action a "historic victory". Meanwhile, dog farmers have expressed dissatisfaction with the approval of this bill and are going to hold protest rallies.