MPs call for UK to ban dog meat consumption

After legislation was passed in the US to stop people eating dog meat, a call has been made for the UK to follow suit, to change the outdated legislation.

Banning dog meat in the UK

You may be quite shocked to hear this, but although UK law says that you can't buy or sell dog meat, if you humanely kill a dog you own, you are in fact permitted to eat it. Yes, it shocked us too!

There has not been any evidence to suggest that dog meat is being consumed in the UK. Nevertheless, The World Dog Alliance is urging the government to put an end to the outdated law, just like the US. Banning it in the UK will hopefully encourage other countries that currently eat dog meat to follow suit.

Some Asian countries are well-known consumers of dog meat where there are no or limited regulations around its consumption. In some countries, animal welfare organisations cite cases where dogs are stolen from their pet parents, and kept in terrible conditions before being tortured and killed.

While this practice is hardly ever heard of in the UK, it appears that international pressure is beginning to see certain countries crack down on various practices, as seen with the recent closures of the largest dog meat market in Asia and South Korea's largest slaughterhouse. Let's hope it continues!

MPs standing up for dogs

A cross-party group of MPs are supporting the change to the UK law.

Shadow animal welfare minister David Drew, Labour MP for Stroud, said: "This is an incredibly important commitment, from the US, towards protecting the 30 million dogs that are killed for human consumption worldwide. The UK government needs to stand up for man's best friend and ensure that we are upholding our reputation as leaders in animal welfare. This is the time for the UK to lead by example and enact a ban on the consumption of dog meat in the UK."

The UK government has said that they will look closely at the decision made in the US before drafting up new legislation.

Let's all stand up for dogs!

Photo used for illustration purposes only.