[Provided by Humane World for Animals Korea]
[Provided by Humane World for Animals Korea]

With a full ban on dog meat set to take effect in February next year, 87 percent of dog meat farms across South Korea have completed closure. The number of dogs kept at such farms, which once exceeded 460,000, has plunged to around 7,600.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs tallied Sunday that 1,339 of the country's 1,537 registered dog meat farms had completed closure as of Sept. 21, the deadline for the fifth tier of its closure incentive payment program, according to Kookmin Ilbo.

The figure surpasses by about 30 percent the cumulative closure target of 1,030 farms the government had set for that point. The government has been disbursing tiered support payments — divided into six phases based on closure timing — to encourage farmers to switch industries or shut down early. Officials attributed the accelerated pace of closures to a combination of early-closure incentives and special on-site inspections conducted during the summer. A total of 198 farms remain in operation.

The scale of dog farming has also contracted sharply. When farmers submitted their closure implementation plans in August 2024, the total number of registered dogs stood at around 468,000. With the completion of fifth-tier closures, the number of dogs remaining on farms has fallen to around 7,600.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to tighten field enforcement in cooperation with local governments through Feb. 7, 2027, when the ban on dog meat takes full effect.

In November and December, the ministry will conduct winter special inspections of dog farms nationwide, focusing on whether closed farms have resumed breeding and whether farms still in operation are complying with their closure plans. Farms that unlawfully breed additional dogs or fail to separate males and females in violation of animal management obligations will face administrative measures including corrective orders and closure directives.

Under the Special Act on Ending Dog Meat Consumption, the breeding, propagation, slaughter, distribution and sale of dogs for food will be fully prohibited starting Feb. 7, 2027.


husn7@heraldcorp.com