Total ban and new legislation to make the killing of cats and dogs for the purpose of food consumption illegal in the U.K. and to give the animal charities, police and other governing bodies clear guidelines to enable simple and swift prosecution for this barbaric act. We are calling on the government to take action before this behaviour takes a foothold within our society.

The current law is that it is illegal to sell dog meat through licensed channels to the public, and there are no abattoirs in the U.K. with a licence to kill dogs and hopefully never will be, but actually eating dog meat is not a specifically banned practice here in the U.K. This means that the practice of slaughter for their meat is effectively 'underground' and obviously avoiding official channels. Dog meat is considered to be a health tonic and a delicacy amongst many cultures in the Far East and there is growing evidence both here and in the U.S. that this practice is happening, although obviously not on the scale that we have seen in places like Indonesia, China, Cambodia etc.

Cats and dogs in the U.K. are bred and kept by the vast majority of the population as pets for their loyalty and companionship. There is a real public outcry at these same practices being carried out in other countries around the world. The people of the U.K. must make a clear stand and make their voices heard that this practice is totally unacceptable on any level, and any persons caught engaging in this practice must face swift justice.