VietNamNet Bridge – British MP Steve McCabe said that British tourists may not travel to countries like China or Vietnam to protest the sale and consumption of dog meat.

Selling dogmeat at a market in Guangxi, China. Photo: China Daily

According to the Birmingham Mail, Steve McCabe, an MP from Birmingham, said the countries where people eat dog meat are in danger of losing tourists from Britain.

The British House of Commons discussed the annual number of dogs killed for meat in China (20 million dogs), Vietnam (5 million) and South Korea (2 million). 

MPs who spoke in the debate said they weren’t simply opposed to eating dogs, even though they did find the idea revolting. They explained that dogs sold to be eaten are often family pets which have been stolen.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned that eating dog meat and the way live dogs were transported are related to the outbreak of cholera and the spread of rabies.

Animal Asia has released a report based on four years of research which highlights the fact that people are eating family pets, even if they believe the dogs have been farmed.

The report said: “Our investigations strongly point to what everybody familiar with the industry has long suspected - that the vast majority of China’s dog meat comes from stolen companion animals and that misinformation and illegality is rife at every stage of the . . . supply chain.”

McCabe told the House of Commons: “It is probably not appropriate to think we can tell other countries what to do, but is it not reasonable to tell them what the reaction of the British public will be if the sorts of things they are doing become public knowledge?”

And referring to the Commons debate on Twitter, he said: “Horrific! Anyone hearing this wouldn’t holiday in these East Asian countries”.

VNN/Birmingham Mail