Shenzhen becomes first city in China to ban consumption of cats & dogs

Shenzen has become the first city in the country to ban the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat after the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. The ban will come into effect on May 1st as part of food safety legislation known as the “Shenzen Special Economic Region Regulation on a Comprehensive Ban on the Consumption of Wild Animals”.

This legislation will permanently ban the consumption, breeding and sale of wildlife for consumption following the COVID-19 outbreak. The consumption of pet animals such as dogs and cats is also not allowed. This ban does not include pigs, cattle, sheep, donkeys, chicken, docks, geese, pigeons, and quail (among others).

Animal protection non-profit Humane Society International (HSI)—an organization that has long campaigned for the end of the dog meat trade in China—welcomed the latest move from the Shenzhen authorities, describing it as a “watershed moment” in efforts to ban the practice across the whole country.

Peter Li, China policy specialist for HSI said “The majority of these companion animals are stolen from people’s back yards or snatched from the streets, and are spirited away on the backs of trucks to be beaten to death in slaughterhouses and restaurants across China.”