In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which is believed to have originated in a market in Wuhan, China, where live animals are sold for food, China is moving forward with plans to move away from the cruel slaughter of more than 10 million dogs by their meat every year.

In a significant change, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced new rules that reclassify dogs as pets rather than livestock.

A statement from the Ministry of Agriculture stated:

“When it comes to dogs, along with the progress of human civilization and public concern and love for the protection of animals, dogs have been ‘specialized’ to become companion animals, and internationally they are not they consider livestock, and will not be regulated as livestock in China. ‘

China declares that dogs are companions and not livestock

A big change that animal welfare activists hope will lead to a total ban on the practice.

The draft, which details which animals can be raised for meat, medical and other uses, lists 18 species accepted as livestock, such as: cattle, sheep, horses and chickens and 13 species have received a special exemption from the restrictions. commercial wildlife such as reindeer, alpacas, pheasants, ostriches and foxes.

The ministry is now seeking public comment on the guidelines before May 8, before they end, according to CBS News .

Bear in mind that eating cats and dogs is very common in some parts of that country, even in the city of Yulin, in the Guangxi region, an annual dog meat festival is held in the middle of the year, where thousands of dogs are slaughtered to be served on plates.

A tradition so horrible that it has been criticized for many years by organizations around the world.

However, the consumption of dogs has become increasingly unpopular in China, and the city of Shenzhen, which has more than 12.5 million inhabitants, became the first to ban the consumption of dog and cat meat. last month.

Lawmakers identified the ruling as a “universal civilization requirement for a modern society.”

A Shenzhen government spokesperson said :

“Dogs and cats as pets have established a much closer relationship with humans than all other animals, and prohibiting the consumption of cats and dogs and other pets is common practice in developed countries and in Hong Kong and Taiwan. This prohibition also responds to the demand and spirit of human civilization.

Shenzhen’s new decision on cat and dog meat will be a permanent ban, however citizens will still be able to eat pigs, cows, sheep, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese and pigeons.

COVID-19 has infected more than 1.6 million people worldwide and caused more than 100,000 deaths. As a result, in January, China temporarily banned wild animal markets to prevent people from getting infected.

The country has promised to analyze the ban once the end of the pandemic is established to see if it should be updated to a permanent measure.

While the Humane Society International (HSI) applauded the move, they remain concerned about the other animals on the list, both in terms of welfare and disease prevention.

Dr. Teresa Telecky, HSI Vice President of Wildlife , said :

“The rebranding of wildlife as livestock does not alter the fact that there are insurmountable challenges in keeping these species in commercial captive-breeding environments, and that their welfare needs simply cannot be met. In addition, there is clear evidence that some of these species can act as intermediate hosts for viruses, such as COVID-19, so we are urging governments around the world to stop trading with wildlife.