World Dog Alliance: Dog Meat Festival Opens Up Opportunities for International Collaboration on Animal Protection

WASHINGTON, June 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Yulin Dog Meat Festival held in June every year in Guangxi, China, attracts wide criticism across the world. Some radical activists even use the festival as an excuse to stereotype China, spreading ethnic and racial hatred. Throughout the course of their campaigns around the globe, the World Dog Alliance (WDA) has found out that while some countries do not engage in the practice of eating dog meat, many dogs are tortured and treated inhumanely in other ways:

The beagle is one of the most iconic dog breeds of the United Kingdom. The British even named their spacecraft "Beagle 2," and deployed it to Mars in 2003. Surprisingly, despite this significance, thousands of beagles are used in laboratory experiments in the United Kingdom every year.

In 1975, an undercover reporter did an exposé on a laboratory that locked beagles in tiny cages, and forced them to chain-smoke cigarettes for over a year to test an allegedly safe cigarette. Although smoking experiments on beagles have been outlawed in the UK since 1997, using them for medical experiments is still legal today.

Stanley Johnson, a former member of the European Parliament and a long-time animal rights enthusiast, is a key supporter for the WDA. He wrote an article criticizing the British government for approving a giant puppy farm that breeds beagles for experiments.

"Testing toxic substances on beagles is hypocritical. It is cruel. It is bad science and it is quite simply unnecessary."

- Stanley Johnson

When campaigning for a ban on dog and cat meat in the UK, the World Dog Alliance was also faced with obstacles in the form of rigid animal welfare policies. Former Prime Minister Theresa May once pledged to follow the United States if they outlawed dog and cat meat. On 6^th August 2018, The Sun reported that the British government would "look closely" at outlawing dog and cat meat.

However, after the World Dog Alliance successfully lobbied the passage of the dog and cat meat ban in the United States, Theresa May refused to follow suit, claiming there was "no evidence that dog meat is being sold or consumed in this country." The government's attitude led to public outcry, and some designed the slogan, "Mayday, payday." In May 2019, Theresa May stepped down due to the failure of Brexit.

In March 2020, Member of Parliament (MP) Giles Watling united 67 other British MPs to send a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging the government to outlaw dog and cat meat, and to initiate the International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats proposed by the World Dog Alliance. A year after that, thanks to the follow-up by MP Sir Roger Gale, the government finally gave a response, in which it dubbed itself as the world leader on animal protection. However, it refused to stop the loophole of dog and cat meat through legislation.

The UK is a nation of dog lovers, and the Queen's corgis are loved by the public as members of the royal family. In her speech delivered on 11^th May, the Queen promised the highest standards of animal welfare in the UK. The government committed to pass three bills: the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, the Kept Animals Bill, and the Animals Abroad Bill.

Animal activists point out the shortcomings of the bills: the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill focuses on theory and lacks practicality; the Kept Animals Bill only deals with domestic issues such as microchips for cats and dog theft; and the Animals Abroad Bill could get delayed by lawsuits, just like the Ivory Act which was passed in 2018.

While the Queen's speech shows her strong support for animal protection legislation, it also reveals the short-sighted animal policy in the UK. The two prime ministers have only pledged minor reforms on the existing framework, without fulfilling the vision of making the UK an international role model on animal protection. Presented with the golden opportunities of outlawing dog and cat meat after initiating the International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats, the government's excuses have disappointed all animal lovers.

The World Dog Alliance is against any form of animal cruelty, be it the consumption of dog and cat meat, or using dogs and cats for experiments. Genlin, the founder of the World Dog Alliance, urges all countries to stop criticizing each other and jointly initiate the International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats, which could bring us to a new era of harmony between humans and animals.

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SOURCE World Dog Alliance