5,625 Dog Meat Farms and Restaurants Reported... Over 2,500 More Than Two Years Ago

Including Health Centers and Small Farms Previously Omitted from Survey
Local Governments Conduct Actual Condition Survey Based on Reports
Support Targets for Closure and Business Suspension to Be Finalized by End of This Month

It has been revealed that there are more than 5,600 dog breeding farms and restaurants nationwide operating for the purpose of dog meat consumption. The number of reports from health centers and others, which had been reluctant to report until now, has increased, resulting in over 2,500 more reports than the survey conducted two years ago.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 9th that during the mandatory reporting period for operations under the Dog Meat Consumption Termination Act (February 6 to May 7), a total of 5,625 related businesses, including dog breeding farms operating for dog meat consumption, submitted reports.

In 2022, a total of 3,075 businesses operating for dog meat consumption were identified through administrative investigations by local governments. As a result of this year's operation status report submissions, the total number of businesses subject to the Dog Meat Consumption Termination Act reached 5,625, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs confirming that most of the reporting targets submitted their reports.

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An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explained, "Two years ago, distributors such as health centers that made and sold so-called dog soju avoided reporting, but this time, failure to report can result in administrative penalties such as fines, which has brought this issue to light. Also, small-scale farms with livestock manure treatment facilities under 60㎡, which were not included in the 2022 survey, are now included in the reporting targets, leading to an increase in the number of reports."

Among the 5,625 businesses subject to the Dog Meat Consumption Termination Act, dog meat food service businesses (restaurants) accounted for the largest number at 2,276. This was followed by dog meat distributors (1,679) and dog breeding farms (1,507). By region, Gyeonggi Province had the highest number of targets for the Dog Meat Consumption Termination Act with 1,301 cases, including 314 dog breeding farms and 588 restaurants.

According to the Dog Meat Consumption Termination Act promulgated in February, farms and businesses operating for dog meat consumption must report their operation status to the city, county, or district where they are located by May 7, and submit a termination implementation plan regarding closure or cessation by August 5 (Monday).

Businesses that properly prepare and submit reports and implementation plans within the period can receive support necessary for closure or cessation. Based on these reports, local governments and the central government plan to finalize the targets for dog meat consumption termination through on-site inspections as early as the end of this month. Subsequently, the government will specify support measures for closure or cessation of dog meat businesses and announce them through the basic plan for dog meat consumption termination scheduled for September this year.

An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs emphasized, "Financial support to promote the closure of dog breeding farms will be calculated based on the breeding area (the area reported for livestock manure discharge facilities) as an upper limit and will be structured to provide differential support depending on the timing of closure. We will thoroughly investigate and inspect any acts of temporarily expanding operations to seek excessive support and exclude such cases from eligibility."

Businesses that fail to report their operation status or submit implementation plans for closure or cessation within the designated period will be excluded from future government support. Additionally, under the Dog Meat Consumption Termination Act, they may face fines of up to 3 million KRW and orders or measures for closure.

Park Jeong-hoon, Director of Animal Welfare and Environmental Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "We plan to support the smooth closure or cessation of dog meat businesses by February 2027 in accordance with the Dog Meat Consumption Termination Act. Businesses that have reported their operation status but have not submitted implementation plans are urged to submit them by August this year."