Breeders, eating places say there’s not sufficient time to shut down
By KTimes
Son Gained-hak, 63, a canine farm proprietor in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, expressed his frustration with the federal government’s plan to part out canine meat, stating, “Shutting down canine farms for presidency compensation? That is almost unimaginable.”
Son, who has operated his farm for 20 years, criticized the plan for failing to think about real-world challenges.
“It takes two to a few years simply to shut or transition companies, and I must survive with out revenue for no less than 5 years. The compensation supplied by the federal government is much from sufficient,” he stated.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Meals, and Rural Affairs introduced on Sept. 26 its plan to make Korea canine meat-free, providing monetary assist to encourage early closures of canine farms and associated companies.
Nonetheless, stakeholders, together with farm house owners and canine meat distributors, have responded skeptically, expressing issues about their livelihoods and the sensible challenges of managing the a whole lot of hundreds of canine at the moment within the trade.
The federal government’s plan contains monetary assist for farm house owners based mostly on the timing of their closure, with compensation starting from 225,000 to 600,000 gained ($170 to 450) per canine.
After the closure, remaining canine might be managed by native animal shelters. If shelter capability is inadequate, the remaining canine will quickly keep on the farms below authorities supervision.
Issues of canine farmers
Farmers argue that the plan is unrealistic.
Music Bong-hyun, a 57-year-old farmer with 1,200 canine, expressed frustration: “If I conform to early closure, I have to hand over possession of the canine, however the authorities should cost me for his or her care. What am I alleged to do?”
Kang Jeong-yoon, one other farmer, questioned whether or not the federal government might successfully implement an entire phase-out in three years, contemplating the difficulties of promoting or returning canine within the present market.
Canine meat distributors are equally pessimistic.
Many, like 77-year-old Bae Hyeon-dong, who has been promoting canine meat for 58 years, expressed issues about discovering new employment at his age.
“I have been doing this my total life. It is not straightforward to change careers, particularly at this age,” Bae stated.
Destiny of launched canine
A significant concern is the destiny of the canine left behind. Shelters throughout the nation can solely accommodate round 20,000 canine, whereas roughly 466,000 canine are at the moment being raised on farms. The shortage of ample monitoring personnel additional complicates the administration of those remaining animals.
Shin Ju-un, from the Korea Animal Rights Advocates, stated, “The federal government promised to increase the safety infrastructure, however the capability remains to be inadequate. If the canine stay on farms, there should be correct oversight.”
Consultants emphasised the significance of life like and actionable plans to make sure the welfare of those animals.
Whereas there may be broad assist for the concept of enhancing animal welfare, specialists agree that extra concrete exit methods are needed.
Jo Hee-kyung, head of the Korean Animal Welfare Affiliation, warned that with out life like measures, the canine might face inhumane circumstances or worse.
Bae Soo-ho, a professor at Sungkyunkwan College, stated, “Farm house owners are caught in a tough state of affairs. The federal government must current a extra detailed exit plan for these companies.”
This text from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Instances, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Instances.