The Chinese Communist Party will no longer consider man’s best friend to be livestock.
Dogs were reclassified as pets as part of a series of regulatory changes in China following the coronavirus outbreak that is believed to have started in a wet market in Wuhan, China. The decision, which was made by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, was lauded as a “game changer” by the Humane Society.
Dog meat has been considered a delicacy in many regions of China. The reclassification from livestock to pets means that dogs can no longer be bred specifically for food, fur, or other consumption.
“As far as dogs are concerned, along with the progress of human civilization and the public concern and love for animal protection, dogs have been ‘specialized’ to become companion animals, and internationally are not considered to be livestock, and they will not be regulated as livestock in China,” the ministry stated.
The reclassification for dogs was part of several changes China has made. The ministry also revoked all existing licenses related to the breeding, trading, and consumption of wildlife. This decision, which the ministry intends to make permanent, was tied to the theory that the coronavirus transferred to humans from a bat butchered in the Wuhan wet market.
Chinese officials said they plan to reduce the traditional livestock label to 18 animals, including pigs, cows, chickens, and camels, while adding 13 “special species” that are exempt from the current wildlife bans, including reindeer, alpaca, pheasants, and foxes.
Since the coronavirus outbreak began, many have called for China to outlaw wet markets fully to prevent future pandemics.
