Tension over ban on dog meat in South Korea, conflict between government and farmers over compensation

The South Korean government has decided to ban the dog meat industry from the year 2027, due to which the government has now announced compensation for farmers and others before banning the dog meat industry, but both farmers and animal rights activists are opposing the plan made by the government for compensation.

The South Korean Parliament passed a historic bill in January this year, under which slaughtering dogs for human consumption, breeding them, or selling dog meat will be banned after 3 years. This law of the government will come into effect in 2027 and violating it can also result in a prison sentence of 2 to 3 years.

How much compensation will the government give to the farmers?

The Agriculture Ministry of South Korea has said that if farmers agree to shut down their dog meat business in advance, they will receive compensation ranging from about Rs 14,000 to about Rs 37,500 per dog.

However, it is believed that the farmers will not accept this proposal of the government because they were demanding about Rs 1.25 lakh per dog. The farmers say that this ban violates their freedom and this will increase financial problems for them.

On Tuesday, the association of farmers associated with the dog meat business issued a statement demanding the government to amend the law and extend the grace period as well as make a proper compensation plan for the farmers.

Question on the government's compensation plan

At the same time, Sanghyung Lee, campaign manager of Human Society International, an organization working against animal cruelty, has said that this announcement of the government will prove to be an important milestone for this historic law. He said that this will completely implement the ban and will end the dog meat era in the country.

However, he has described the government's compensation plan as disappointing. Lee says that in this plan the South Korean government decides compensation based on the number of dogs farmers have, due to which there is a high possibility of dog breeding increasing so that they can get more compensation. He said that this can increase the problem even more.

Dog breeding is done on a large scale.

The practice of eating dog meat is centuries old in the Korean Peninsula. Dog meat is also eaten in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and some African countries. However, South Korea's dog meat industry has attracted more attention due to its reputation as a cultural and economic superpower. It is also the only country where dogs are farmed on an industrial scale.

South Korea's anti-dog meat campaign got a boost when the country's First Lady Kim Kyon-hee repeatedly expressed her support for banning it. Due to this, she has been a target during the protests and agitations of the farmers, who have strongly opposed her.

At the same time, surveys have found that one in every three people in South Korea is against this ban. While most of the population no longer consumes dog meat and supports the ban.

Government scheme for farmers

Deputy Agriculture Minister Park Boesu told reporters that a study shows that about 466,000 dogs are currently being raised for food across the country. He said that the government is trying to convince farmers to stop breeding their dogs before the ban is implemented. He said that the government plans to give the dogs that survive after the ban is implemented for adoption or to keep them in care facilities instead of killing them.

The Agriculture Ministry said that butchers will also be compensated, while local authorities will be responsible for destroying dog farms and slaughterhouses. According to the ministry, farmers and butchers associated with this business will also be given loans at low interest rates so that they can start another agricultural business.