China Proposes Dog-Meat Ban

A team of legal experts, headed by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, is proposing a draft law to remove dog and cat meat from all butchers and restaurants in China. The law, which is part of China’s first draft bill against animal abuse, will be submitted to the National People’s Congress in March. If the law is passed, individual consumption will be punishable with up to 15 days in prison, and its sale can cost a business the equivalent of more than $73,000. The growing number of Chinese households with companion animals might be a possible cause of the changing mentality toward dog and cat consumption.