4 men in Changzhou were prosecuted for producing and selling poisonous food on 15 October.

The 4 suspects had been putting dogs to death with succinylcholine and cyanide and sold their meat since November 2018. It was estimated that around 1500 kg of dog meat was produced.

The 4 suspects were found guilty and received a penalty of CNY 190,000, which was 10 times more than the amount they earned from selling dog meat. They also received imprisonment for 2 to 3 years.

Editor’s Note: On 29 May 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs published the National Dialogue of Livestocks, which explicitly listed out 33 kinds of recognised livestocks. Dogs have a long history of serving humans. From guard dogs to hunting dogs, dogs can now be pets, police dogs, rescue dogs and guide dogs. They are not included in the Dialogue because of the close relationship with humans. All dog meat in China is not quarantined legally.

This case has implied that dog meat sales is illegal in the country.

The World Dog Alliance is happy to see the National Dialogue of Livestocks being applied in prosecutions. Great news!