Dear Mr Chen Wu - Governor of Yulin GuangXi Province China and Mr. Xi Jinping - President of China.

A large group of New Zealanders are taking a stand against the ''YULIN DOG MEAT EATING FESTIVAL'' which we are aware takes place in your Province every year in Yulin, China. This festival takes off in June to mark the summer solstice and typically runs for for approximately 2 weeks.

We are appalled that during this time vast numbers of dogs are brutally slaughtered each year. Despite residents and vendors in Yulin saying the animals are killed in a humane way, the majority of society who sympathise with animal rights would disagree as there is damming evidence to the contrary.

They are intentionally NOT humanely killed as it is believed that the more pain suffered by these animals, the more tender and aphrodisiac properties the meat has.

Evidence shows the dogs are tortured to such extent its heart wrenching! There is evidence of live dogs being burnt using a blowtorch, skinned, boiled, hung and beaten until the pain and suffering overcomes and results in death.

Prior to the slaughtering of innocent dogs they are crammed into tiny wire cages for prolonged periods which on its own is inhumane and causes undue stress and pain for the dogs. The dogs are then transported over long distances under these horrific conditions.

Although we accept the eating of dog meat has been a tradition and dates back 4 or 5 hundreds years, the festival itself began only in 2010 and this is what we take exception too. Critics claim that the dogs are usually illegally obtained, stolen family pets or picked up as strays. As these dogs are not always raised in farms and are questionably sourced, there are no quarantine systems in place to monitor the health of the animals, thereby raising additional concerns of safety to Yulin residents that partake in the festival.

We are repulsed that any human being could be so egoistic to actually torture an animal. If you are going to continue eating dog meat then please, do it humanely.

Please, PLEASE do something about this appalling 'festival'. You would be restoring hope for those who are watching your Province, Yulin, GuangXi China.