A list published by the Chinese agriculture ministry on Wednesday offered to restrict, for the first time, eating dog meat in mainland China, for “They are generally not regarded as livestock and poultry in the world.”
The statement list 13 species that are allowed to be bred for meat, fur, and medical use include pigs, deers, ostriches, minks, and foxes.
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Chinese authorities in February banned the sale of wild animals in response to suspicions that the virus had jumped to humans through a species at the Wuhan market.
The ministry explains its offer to exclude dogs from the list read: “With the progress of human civilization and the public’s concern and preference for animal protection, dogs have been “specialized” from traditional domestic animals to companion animals.”
Although they were not specifically addressed in the statement, cats were also omitted.
Meanwhile, Shenzhen has become the first city to ban the eating of dogs and cats meat. The consumption of dogs is an increasingly controversial issue as pet ownership has surged. Coronavirus has made eating non-traditional animals a health concern after the meat market in the city of Wuhan, where non-traditional animals were sold for food, linked to the spread of Coronavirus.
