29 May 2020 – A historic moment for animal welfare: China's publication of a new National Catalogue of Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources, which was announced on 29th May, means that live dogs for food and dog meat are not allowed to be sold anymore. Cats were never part of the livestock list and therefore also not allowed to be sold for food. Global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS welcomes this landmark decision and calls on the Governments of Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam to follow China’s example. FOUR PAWS warns that the dog and cat meat trade is not only the biggest companion animal welfare issue in Southeast Asia but also poses a major risk to both public and global health. The unhygienic conditions under which the animals are captured, transported, held and slaughtered – often in live animal markets – are the perfect breeding ground for new zoonotic viruses.

In Vietnam – China's neighbour – around five million dogs and one million cats are stolen and brutally slaughtered for their meat every year. The animals are frequently transported across borders, including to and from China. With an estimated four million pets and stray animals killed each year, the situation in Cambodia and Indonesia is similarly devastating.

Slaughterhouses and live animal markets: ticking time bombs

The injured and traumatised dogs and cats – including stolen pets – are crammed together in small cages and transported without food and water for hours or even days to unsanitary slaughterhouses and live animal markets across Southeast Asia. The conditions the animals endure lead to them having weakened immune systems, which makes them contract and transmit diseases. The markets and slaughterhouses themselves create the perfect breeding ground for deadly zoonotic viruses, such as the novel coronavirus. “The rampant dog and cat meat trade and the live animal markets throughout Southeast Asia are ticking time bombs. If governments don't stop this brutal trade now and shut down the cruel markets and slaughterhouses, the next global pandemic could originate from Vietnam, Cambodia or Indonesia,” says Dr Polak.

FOUR PAWS’ fight against the dog and cat meat trade

In order to put a sustainable end to the brutal dog and cat meat trade in Southeast Asia, FOUR PAWS has launched a campaign on an international and national level. 

Furthermore, FOUR PAWS supports local animal welfare organisations and communities with humane and sustainable stray animal care programmes. FOUR PAWS is also part of the animal welfare coalitions DMFI (Dog Meat Free Indonesia) and ACPA (Asia Canine Protection Alliance), which lobby against the trade in Southeast Asia, as well as the Asia for Animals Coalition, which works to improve the welfare of animals across Asia.

In addition, FOUR PAWS has launched a petition against the dog and cat meat trade, which has already been signed by over 750,000 supporters worldwide since it launched late last year: https://help.four-paws.org/en/end-dog-and-cat-meat-trade-southeast-asia