The Korea Times close
National
  • Politics
  • Diplomacy
  • Defense
  • Labor & Environment
  • Law & Crime
  • Health & Welfare
  • Embassy
  • Seoul & Provinces
  • Education
  • Foreign Communities
  • Obituaries
Biz & Tech
  • Auto
  • IT
  • Game
  • Manufacturing
  • Retail & Food
  • Energy
  • Construction
  • Airlines
Finance
  • Policies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Banks
  • Non-banks
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
Lifestyle
  • Arts
  • Books
  • Travel & Cuisine
  • Trend
  • Fashion
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
Entertainment
  • K-pop
  • K-dramas & Shows
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Performances
  • Asia Model Festival
Sports
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Baseball
  • Other Sports
World
  • Asia Pacific
  • Americas
  • Europe & Africa
  • SCMP
Video
  • On the Spot
  • Feature
  • News
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
Community
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
National
  • Politics
  • Diplomacy
  • Defense
  • Labor & Environment
  • Law & Crime
  • Health & Welfare
  • Embassy
  • Seoul & Provinces
  • Education
  • Foreign Communities
  • Obituaries
Thu, March 4, 2021 | 18:30
Dog Farms Under Sanitation Rules
Posted : 2008-08-14 17:52
Updated : 2008-08-14 17:52
Mail
Print Preview
Font Size Up
Font Size Down

Dogs are put in a pen on a dog farm. The government plans to categorize dogs as livestock to regulate the sanitation of farms raising dogs for human consumption. / Korea Times

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

The Ministry of Environment said it will categorize dogs as livestock to regulate the sanitation practices of large-scale dog breeders.

The central and local governments have refrained from putting dogs on a par with cattle, chickens and other livestock as it means an official recognition of dog meat as food. Under the current law, it is theoretically illegal to butcher dogs and trade their meat.

As dogs are not currently listed as livestock, there are no legal grounds to regulate dog meat restaurants and those who breed dogs for human consumption. However, under the revised law, which will come into effect Sept. 28, large-scale ``dog farmers" must build facilities to handle the disposal of dog excretion and report it to regional authorities.

Dog farms have been one of main sources of pollution, as massive amounts of dog excretion are dumped into water and soil due to the absence of regulations, according to the ministry.

``The revised law aims to properly regulate dog farms and tackle the soil and water pollution in areas around them,'' an official from the ministry said. ``We have received a lot of complaints from local residents in areas where dogs are raised.''

The revised Livestock Night Soil Disposal Act requires dog farmers with facilities of 60 square meters to have proper waste disposal facilities and report them to local authorities by Sept. 27. Violators can face a maximum penalty of a one-year jail term or 10 million won ($10,000) fine.

According to the ministry, there are about 720,000 dog farms nationwide, raising some 2.3 million dogs as of December of 2005. The ministry estimated one third of them must follow the new regulations.

Still, the status of dogs remains ambiguous, depending on which laws you adopt.

However, laws on the trading of dog meat have yet to include dogs in the list of livestock, which means the authorities cannot regulate the trade of dog meat and inspect the sanitation of markets and restaurants selling dog meat.

This blurry definition of dog meat has resulted in the unsanitary status of dog meat even though many Koreans enjoy eating it. There were previous attempts to categorize dogs as livestock and recognize dog meat as food, but they were scrapped due to strong criticism from animal rights groups inside and outside of the country.

Civic groups opposing eating dog meat were reserved in their reaction to the Environment Ministry's move to classify dogs as livestock.

``Given serious pollution issues, we cannot simply oppose the move to regulate the night soil from dog farms,'' Jun Kyung-ok, director of the Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, said. ``But we will keep an eye on how it will affect other issues, such as recognition of dog meat as food or legalization of the dog meat trade.''

Seoul City earlier this year planned to propose categorizing dogs as livestock, citing dog meat is suspected to contain harmful substances, such as heavy metals, antibiotics and bacteria due to the absence of proper regulations. But it fell short of carrying it through as it confronted strong criticism and only began inspections of restaurants that serve dog meat.

e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr









 
 
  • Transgender ex-soldier forced to discharge found dead at home
  • 2 people die after getting COVID-19 vaccine
  • 2 Korean nursing home residents die after getting AstraZeneca vaccine
  • Management of foreigners' ID to be strengthened
  • 'Chinese virus, get out!': Chinese lecturer assaulted in UK amid fears of anti-Asian racism
  • [INTERVIEW] 'We fight the gov't for our rights and future'
  • Hate crimes against Asian American on rise in US amid pandemic
  • Gov't to push for 'quarantine-free corridors' to support ailing aviation industry
  • Coupang Eats' new delivery fee policy hits riders
  • New virus cases bounce back to over 400
  • BLACKPINK's Rose to drop solo album next week BLACKPINK's Rose to drop solo album next week
  • Lee Seung-gi says new TV thriller series 'Mouse' is his 'most unique' piece Lee Seung-gi says new TV thriller series 'Mouse' is his 'most unique' piece
  • Gong Yoo, Park Bo-gum's 'Seobok' to hit theaters, streaming service in April Gong Yoo, Park Bo-gum's 'Seobok' to hit theaters, streaming service in April
  • Ha Eun-byeol, 'The Penthouse: War in Life,' actress denies bullying accusation Ha Eun-byeol, 'The Penthouse: War in Life,' actress denies bullying accusation
  • BTS again tops Billboard's Artist 100 chart, sets record as group act BTS again tops Billboard's Artist 100 chart, sets record as group act
DARKROOM
  • Bloody Sunday in Myanmar

    Bloody Sunday in Myanmar

  • Earth is suffering

    Earth is suffering

  • NASA's Perseverance rover is landing on Mars

    NASA's Perseverance rover is landing on Mars

  • Fun in the snow, sledding for everyone

    Fun in the snow, sledding for everyone

  • Our children deserve better: Part 3

    Our children deserve better: Part 3

  • About Korea Times
  • CEO Message
  • Times History
  • Content Sales
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Location
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Mobile Service
  • RSS Service
  • 고충처리인
  • hankookilbo
  • Dongwha Group
  • Code of Ethics
Copyright