87% of dog meat farms closed ahead of February ban

South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Sunday that 87 percent of registered dog meat farms had closed ahead of the trade ban taking effect on Feb. 7 next year. Of 1,537 farms registered when the government announced the ban in February 2024, 198 remained operating as of Sept. 21. The government will inspect farms from November to December and prepare care measures for an estimated 7,600 remaining dogs.

The number of farms that had closed by Sept. 21 was 30 percent higher than the government had expected.

The number of dogs kept in cages was 468,000 in August 2024, the final month of the government’s six-month period for submitting closure notices and plans.

Farms that increase their dog numbers or fail to separate male and female dogs to prevent breeding are subject to immediate shutdown.

The ministry is conducting monthly nationwide inspections to identify unregistered dog farms and urge their owners to close.

Local governments are being asked to develop care measures for remaining dogs based on breed, size, age and sociability.

Published Oct 11, 2026 11:01 am KST

Updated Oct 11, 2026 11:20 am KST

Authorities strive to manage surviving dogs

Actor Daniel Henney interacts with dogs at a dog meat farm in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in May 2025. Courtesy of Humane World for Animals

With the country’s ban on the dog meat trade slated to take effect on Feb. 7 next year, 87 percent of dog farms have been shut down, a pace faster than the government had anticipated, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Sunday.

A total of 1,537 dog meat farms were registered nationwide when the government announced the ban in February 2024 and began accepting closure notices from farm owners. As of Sept. 21, 198 farms remained in operation. The number of farms that had closed was 30 percent higher than the government had expected by that point.

The number of dogs kept in cages stood at 468,000 in August 2024, the final month of a six-month period during which the government encouraged farm owners to submit closure notices and plans. As of last month, an estimated 7,600 dogs remained at farms still operating.

The ministry is encouraging the remaining farm owners to close their businesses before the ban takes effect next year. In collaboration with local governments, it will conduct a special inspection campaign from November to December to check whether closed farms have secretly resumed operations and review closure plans at farms still in business.

The government is ordering the shutdown of farms that have violated clauses under the Special Act on the Ban and Termination of the Breeding, Slaughter, and Distribution of Dogs for Consumption that became partly effective in February 2024. Farms that have increased the number of dogs or failed to separate male and female dogs to prevent them from breeding are subject to immediate shutdown.

How to manage the remaining dogs is emerging as a challenge for the government. The ministry estimates that about 7,600 dogs will need to be cared for after the ban takes effect.

To address the issue, the ministry is urging local governments to monitor dog farms in their jurisdictions and develop measures to protect and care for the animals based on their breed, size, age and sociability.

The ministry aims to identify every dog farm in the country, including unregistered operations. To ensure none are overlooked, it has been conducting monthly nationwide inspections to locate such farms and urging their owners to shut them down.

"The end of dog meat consumption marks a crucial turning point that will elevate our society’s animal welfare standards to the next level. We will closely monitor on-site operations to ensure the smooth closure of the remaining farms and make thorough preparations to address the issue of the remaining dogs after the ban takes effect," said Lee Yong-jik, director general of the ministry’s Animal Welfare Policy Bureau.

韩国农林畜产食品部周日表示，在明年2月7日狗肉贸易禁令生效前，87%的注册狗肉养殖场已经关闭。政府于2024年2月宣布禁令时，共有1537家注册养殖场，截至9月21日，仍有198家在运营。政府将于11月至12月对这些养殖场进行检查，并为预计剩余的7600只狗制定照料措施。

截至9月21日，关闭的农场数量比政府预期高出30%。

2024 年 8 月，也就是政府提交关闭通知和计划的六个月期限的最后一个月，笼养犬的数量为 468,000 只。

增加犬只数量或未能将公犬和母犬分开以防止繁殖的农场将被立即关闭。

该部门每月在全国范围内进行检查，以查明未注册的养狗场，并敦促其所有者关闭养狗场。

地方政府被要求根据犬种、体型、年龄和社交能力制定剩余犬只的照料措施。

发布于2026年10月11日上午11:01（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年10月11日上午11:20（韩国标准时间）

当局正努力管理幸存的犬只。

2025年5月，演员丹尼尔·海尼在韩国忠清北道清州市一家狗肉养殖场与狗狗互动。图片由人道世界动物组织提供。

韩国农林畜产食品部周日表示，随着该国禁止狗肉交易的禁令定于明年2月7日生效，87%的狗场已被关闭，这一速度比政府预期的要快。

2024年2月政府宣布禁令并开始接受农场主的关闭申请时，全国共登记在册的狗肉养殖场有1537家。截至9月21日，仍有198家养殖场在运营。关闭的养殖场数量比政府当时的预期高出30%。

2024年8月，也就是政府鼓励农场主提交关闭通知和计划的六个月期限的最后一个月，笼养犬只数量为46.8万只。截至上个月，估计仍有7600只犬只被关在仍在运营的农场里。

该部正敦促剩余的农场主在明年禁令生效前关闭农场。该部将与地方政府合作，于11月至12月开展专项检查，查明已关闭的农场是否已秘密恢复运营，并审查仍在运营的农场的关闭计划。

政府下令关闭违反《关于禁止和终止饲养、屠宰和销售食用犬的特别法》相关条款的养犬场，该法部分条款已于2024年2月生效。增加犬只数量或未能将公犬和母犬分开以防止其繁殖的养犬场将被立即关闭。

如何安置剩余的犬只正成为政府面临的一项挑战。该部门估计，禁令生效后，大约需要安置7600只犬只。

为了解决这个问题，该部敦促地方政府对其管辖范围内的犬只养殖场进行监管，并根据犬只的品种、体型、年龄和社交能力制定保护和照顾犬只的措施。

该部门的目标是查明全国所有犬只养殖场，包括未注册的养殖场。为确保不遗漏任何一家，该部门每月都会在全国范围内进行检查，以查找此类养殖场，并敦促其所有者关闭这些养殖场。

“停止食用狗肉标志着一个关键的转折点，这将把我们社会的动物福利标准提升到一个新的水平。我们将密切监控现场运营情况，确保剩余养殖场顺利关闭，并做好充分准备，在禁令生效后解决剩余犬只的问题。”农业部动物福利政策局局长李勇植表示。