70% of dog farms in S. Korea closed business after dog meat ban: Ministry

Seven out of 10 dog farms in South Korea have closed their doors since the country enacted a law banning dog meat consumption a year earlier, the agriculture ministry said on Thursday, 14 August.

Of a total of 1,537 dog farms nationwide, 1,072, or 70 per cent, have shut down their operations since the special bill on banning dog meat consumption took effect in August 2024, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The shuttered farms had raised 346,000 dogs, which account for 74 per cent of the 468,000 dogs raised for meat across the country, reports Yonhap news agency.

By the end of 2025, more than 75 per cent of the farms are expected to have closed their doors, according to the ministry.

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A ministry official said the closure rate was higher than expected thanks to growing public awareness that it is the "task of this generation" to end dog meat consumption and government incentives.

The special legislation bans the breeding, butchering, distributing and selling of dogs for meat. It also calls for subsidies to help people in the dog meat industry switch jobs.

Following a three-year grace period, violators of the law will face a maximum sentence of two years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won (US$21,753), starting in 2027.

The bill bans the breeding, butchering, distributing and selling of dogs for meat while calling for subsidies to help people in the dog meat industry switch jobs.

Following a three-year grace period, violators of the law will face a maximum sentence of two years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won (US$20,583), starting in 2027.

"We will help all dog farms change or close their businesses by 2027," an agriculture ministry official said, vowing to work to make South Korea a nation with an advanced animal welfare system.