Open Letter to Julie Bishop on Dog and Cat Meat Trade, by James Doogue.

Dog and/or cat meat consumption occurs in South Korea, The Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nigeria, Ghana, even Poland and Switzerland and the region of Nagaland in India, PNG, some South Pacific islands and other places around the world.

Last year Taiwan banned the selling and eating of cats and dogs after a series of cruelty cases that caused widespread outrage.

This only proved something I have known for years. The majority of people who live in countries where dogs and cats are eaten do not approve of the practice.

Dog meat for sale in a market in Hanoi, Vietnam.

I have had some involvement with village people in Vietnam and Cambodia over the years who have dogs as pets. They find the idea of eating dog and cat meat abhorrent.

Cages of dogs and cats — some of them bred as domestic pets — are piled high and when an animal is chosen for sale it is bludgeoned with an iron bar until it is close to death before, being handed over to the purchaser. Source.

In 2016 a poll conducted by Horizon, commissioned by the China Animal Welfare Association, found that most Chinese citizens want the Yulin [dog meat] festival to end. In fact 69.5% of those surveyed had never eaten dog, 64.0% support an end to the Yulin festival, 62% believe it damages China’s reputation and 51.7% of Chinese surveyed supported making farming, selling and eating dog illegal. …

The only reason the dog meat trade persists is because of primitive beliefs. For example, some believe that eating black dogs in winter will help you stay warm. In Nigeria some believe that eating dog helps build immunity to disease. …

Eating dogs and cats is unnecessary — fish farming, duck breeding, and azolla production are far easier, cheaper and more productive.

Hanoi street vendor’s wooden table containing several dogs stacked on top one another that have been cooked and roasted for human consumption.

There is no humane way to get dog or cat meat to the plate. …

There is also a certain persistent belief that adrenaline, particularly the kind from fear, makes the dog or cat meat taste better and be more tender. In order to get this result, dogs and cats are sometimes tortured before death. They can be beaten to death slowly, boiled alive, or caused severe pain before slaughter, which is supposed to make the meat better so it can be sold at a higher price.

James makes some constructive suggestions for actions Australia might take, at the link.