Korea allocates $41 million budget to end dog meat consumption next year

A dog meat restaurant near Moran Market in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Aug. 7 / Newsis

A budget of 55 billion won ($41 million) has been allocated to end dog meat consumption next year, the Hankook Ilbo reported, citing government sources.

The 2025 budget for ending dog meat consumption includes 54.4 billion won from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and 600 million won from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, totaling 55 billion won.

Specifically, about 28.1 billion won will be allocated to encourage farm owners to transition or close their businesses, 1.5 billion won to support local government animal shelters caring for remaining dogs and 5 billion won for the demolition of slaughterhouse facilities.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's budget will be used to provide 2.5 million won to restaurants that switch their businesses. The government estimates that approximately 30 percent of dog farms and 10 percent of dog meat restaurants will transition to new businesses next year.

Although the Dog Meat Consumption Ban Law was passed in February this year, it includes a three-year grace period, meaning all dog farming, slaughter, distribution and sales for consumption will be fully banned starting in February 2027.

Considering a 50 percent national subsidy rate, it is estimated that more than 280 billion won in total will be invested until the law is fully enforced in 2027.

Additional support scheme

The key issue is the scale of the closure support funds for dog farms. The ministry is considering a variable support scheme based on the number of dogs and farm size, as well as the timing of closure.

The basic support will be calculated considering the proper farming area (1.2 dogs per square meter) under the Livestock Manure Management Act and the recent survey showing an annual net profit of 310,830 won per dog.

Additionally, farms that close earlier will receive higher support. The specific amount of support and plans will be finalized through discussions at the Dog Meat Consumption Ban Committee of the National Assembly next month.

A ministry official said, “Nothing has been finalized yet. We plan to announce it in September after discussions at the Dog Meat Consumption Ban Committee.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.