Hastings Introduces Resolution Condemning China's Yulin Dog Meat Festival

Press Release

Today, Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) introduced a resolution condemning China's Yulin Dog Meat Festival and calling on the Chinese Government to end the dog meat trade.

"During the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, 10,000 stray dogs and stolen pets are captured, caged, and slaughtered. This extreme spectacle of animal cruelty is both inhumane and a threat to public health in Yulin. The United States cannot stay silent, and so that is why I am introducing legislation in Congress today to shine a light on this horrific event."

More than 10 million dogs are killed for human consumption every year in China. The trade often includes criminal activity and the theft of pets, and poses a serious risk to human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has linked the trade to cholera and rabies.

"I recently wrote to the Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee urging him to draft legislation to prohibit this festival from taking place in the future. My legislation condemns the festival and calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to impose a ban on the killing and eating of dogs as part of Yulin's festival, enact anti-animal cruelty laws banning the dog meat trade, and enforce China's food safety laws regulating the processing and sale of animal products."

The legislation is endorsed by: The Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, the Animal Welfare Institute, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and American Dog Rescue

Joining Hastings as original co-sponsors of the legislation were: Representatives Robert Brady, Vern Buchanan, Tony Cardenas, ‎Steve Cohen, Peter DeFazio, Ted Deutch, Chaka Fattah, Raul Grijalva, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Barbara Lee, Gwen Moore, Brad Sherman, Frederica Wilson, Jared Polis, Gregory Meeks, Matthew Cartwright, Katherine Clark, Lois Frankel, William Lacy Clay, Patrick Murphy, William Keating, Dan Donovan, Suzanne Bonamici, Brendan Boyle, Gerald Connelly, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott.

Congressman Alcee L. Hastings serves as Senior Member of the House Rules Committee, Ranking Democratic Member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, and Co-Chairman of the Florida Delegation.

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