Livestock Farms: Payment of Compliance Promotion Funds upon Closure and Loans for Full Conversion... "Support Scale to be Announced in Next Month's Basic Plan"

Enforcement Decree of the 'Dog Meat Consumption Abolition Act' to Take Effect on the 7th
Establishing Support Grounds for the Dog Meat Industry's Business Transfer and Closure

The government has established a legal basis to support the full or partial closure of dog breeding farms and other dog meat industry businesses to promote the cessation of dog meat consumption. When dog breeding farms close, support will be provided for compliance promotion funds and demolition costs, and when switching industries, loans will be offered for facilities and operating funds. The specific scale of support will be announced next month through the "Basic Plan for the Cessation of Dog Meat Consumption."

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 6th that the enforcement decree of the "Special Act on the Cessation of Breeding, Slaughtering, and Distribution of Dogs for Food Purposes (hereinafter referred to as the Dog Meat Cessation Act)" will take effect on the 7th. The ministry had publicly notified the draft enforcement decree on the 12th of last month and obtained approval from the Cabinet meeting on the 30th of the same month.

The enforcement decree stipulates matters delegated by the Dog Meat Cessation Act and necessary details for its implementation, including support for full or partial closure of dog meat industry businesses, establishment of the Basic Plan for the Cessation of Dog Meat Consumption, the composition and operation of the Dog Meat Cessation Committee, and standards for imposing fines.

According to the enforcement decree, in the case of dog breeding farms, when closing, support will be provided for the amount calculated to promote closure compliance, the residual value of facilities, and demolition of the facilities. The closure compliance promotion fund is calculated by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the residual value of the facilities is determined through appraisal, and demolition costs will be supported based on a common estimated unit price for a certain scale. When switching industries, loans will be provided for necessary facility and operating funds, along with support for education, training, information provision, and consulting for the transition.

For dog meat food service operators, support linked to programs for small business owners closing their businesses, such as legal consultations, will be available upon closure. When switching industries, support will be provided for costs related to replacing facilities and goods, as well as information provision and consultations regarding food hygiene in the new industry.

The government plans to announce the specific scale of support in September this year through the "Basic Plan for the Cessation of Dog Meat Consumption," after consultations with related organizations and relevant ministries and once the government budget for next year is finalized. Park Jeong-hoon, Director of Animal Welfare and Environment Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "We express our gratitude to the related industries for faithfully complying with the law, including submitting operation reports and full or partial closure implementation plans under the Dog Meat Cessation Act. We will actively support all necessary matters so that all targeted industries can stably implement full or partial closure and strive to completely achieve the cessation of dog meat consumption by the legal deadline of February 2027."