87% of Dog Farms Have Closed... "Ending Dog Meat Consumption Nears Final Stage"

Dog Meat Consumption to End on February 7, 2027
1,339 Farms Had Closed by September 21

With the ban on dog meat consumption set to take effect next February, nearly 90% of dog farms have shut down, bringing the process into its final stages. About 7,600 dogs remain in farms.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said on October 11 that, according to its tally of farm closures, 1,339 of the 1,537 farms (87%) had completed closure by September 21, the deadline for the fifth phase. To encourage farms to close early, the ministry has established six closure phases and provides differential payments under its closure incentive program.

A ministry official said, "This is 30% higher than the original target of 1,030 farms cumulatively. We believe the results reflect efforts to actively encourage closures, including incentives for farms that close early and special inspections during the summer," adding, "The number of dogs being raised has also fallen significantly as farms have closed."

When farms submitted their closure plans in August 2024, they reported a total of 468,000 dogs. Following closures through the fifth phase, about 7,600 dogs remain.

The ministry plans to work with local governments to strengthen on-site inspections in the coming months and sustain the closure trend until the ban on dog meat consumption takes effect on February 7, 2027. In particular, from November through December 2026, it will conduct special winter inspections of all dog farms to check whether farms that have already closed have resumed raising dogs and whether farms that have yet to close are properly carrying out their closure plans.

Farms that fail to properly manage their dogs, such as by increasing the number of dogs they raise or keeping males and females together, will be informed in advance that corrective or closure orders may be issued under relevant laws, including the Dog Meat Prohibition Act, to encourage them to close promptly.

The ministry is also establishing a protection and management system in advance for dogs that may inevitably remain during the transition away from dog meat consumption, including dogs whose owners relinquish ownership. To enable local governments to respond swiftly on the ground, it will develop plans for protecting and managing the remaining dogs that take into account each dog's characteristics, including breed, size, age and sociability. It will also gather input from relevant organizations and other stakeholders and flesh out the details.

Under the Dog Meat Prohibition Act, the raising, breeding, slaughter, distribution and sale of dogs for consumption will be completely banned starting February 7, 2027. Lee Yong-jik, director general of the Animal Welfare Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "Ending dog meat consumption is an important turning point that will raise the level of animal welfare in our society. We will carefully oversee the remaining farms to ensure they close without disruption and thoroughly prepare for issues involving dogs that may remain after the ban takes effect."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.