Taiwan's legislature has outlawed the eating of dogs and cats, making the self-ruled island the first territory in Asia to ban the slaughter of both animals for human consumption.
Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan has introduced amendments to the Animal Protection Act, which include up to two years in prison plus a fine of up to NT$2 million (€62,000) for causing deliberate harm to dogs, cats and other protected animals that results in mangled limbs, organ failure or death.
Under a new provision to the law, the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat, as well as any type of food products that contain the meat or parts of the animals, is banned.
The names and photographs of offenders may also be publicly released, and the new rules also forbid drivers and motorcyclists from pulling animals along on a leash.
Although Taiwan is the first to outlaw eating both cats and dogs, Hong Kong banned eating dog meat in 1950.
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Dog and cat meat features on menus in a number of Asian countries including North and South Korea, Thailand and China, where an annual dog meat festival in Yulin has been widely criticised by rights activists.
“The law was amended as Taiwan has moved away from a society in which dog meat was regularly consumed to one in which many people treat pet cats and dogs as valued members of their families,” the Taiwan News reported.
Wang Yu-min, a parliamentarian for the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), who sponsored the amendment, said the rules marked a significant milestone for Taiwan to become an animal-friendly country.
Taiwan is where the Kuomintang Nationalists fled after losing the Civil War to the Communists in 1949, and it has been self-ruled since then, although mainland China insists Taiwan is part of China and has threatened to take it back by force if necessary.
Adam Parascandola, director of animal protection and crisis response for the animal welfare organisation Humane Society International, said the move was "a monumental step in ending the dog meat trade."
"This legislation is going to send a message to the Chinese mainland, Nagaland state in India, Indonesia and other Asian countries where dog meat consumption is still legal that ending the brutal dog meat trade is the positive trend across Asia and a step in the public's long-term interest," Mr Parascandola said in a statement.
“Most people in Asian countries do not eat dog and cat, and most find the cruel and often crime-fuelled trade appalling. The animal protection movement is growing rapidly across Asia and the calls for an end to dog meat cruelty are getting louder and louder,” he said.
