In South Korea, a month after the ban on dog meat, certain breeders are in the sights of Parliament. Pet dogs are sold at auctions where their living conditions are criticized by animal rights activists. A bill to ban these auctions is under study in the Assembly.
1 min
With our correspondent in Seoul, Celio Fioretti
The measure is debated in the country with eleven million dog owners. The bill in the National Assembly, carried by animal rights associations, aims to prohibit a practice well established in South Korea : the sale of animals at auction.
“Puppy Mills”
The majority of Korean dogs come from veritable “puppy mills,” where females are kept in unsanitary conditions and continually impregnated. Their young are then piled up by the hundreds in small enclosures waiting to be sold at auction.
The living conditions of the animals have already been criticized on numerous occasions, but the current law does not sufficiently regulate this type of breeding, according to animal rights associations. They are now calling for a ban on dog auction houses.
A black market?
Breeders denounce a measure that could shut down their entire industry, which represents nearly three billion euros per year. They also warn of the possible emergence of a black market for the sale of animals if this bill is passed. The Assembly must vote on this ban soon.
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