From: The Honorable Alcee L. Hastings
Sent By:
LaRissa.Ferrell@mail.house.gov
Bill: H.Res. 752
Date: 6/20/2016

Join Resolution Condemning the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, and Urge Chinese Government to End the Dog Meat Trade

Endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States, Humane Society International, Humane Society Legislative Fund, Animal Welfare Institute, Stop Yulin Forever, the Vanderpump
Dog Foundation, the American Dog Rescue Foundation, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

Current Co-sponsors include: Reps. Robert Brady, Vern Buchanan, Tony Cardenas, ?Steve Cohen, Peter DeFazio, Ted Deutch, Chaka Fattah, Raul Grijalva, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Gwen Moore, Brad Sherman, Frederica Wilson, Jared Polis, Gregory Meeks, Matthew Cartwright, Katherine Clark,  Lois Frankel, EleanorHolmes Norton, Patrick Murphy, William Keating, Wm. Lacy Clay, Daniel Donovan, Suzanne Bonamici, Brendan Boyle, Gerald Connolly, Robert Scott, Suzan DelBene,  Leonard Lance, Pete Visclosky, Dina Titus, Scott Perry, Kenny Marchant,
Derek Kilmer, Peter Welch, Mark Pocan, Madeleine Bordallo, Jim Langevin, Joe Heck, Lee Zeldin, Sheila Jackson Lee, Ryan Costello, David Schweikert, Eliot Engel, Yvette Clarke, Albio Sires, Loretta Sanchez, Mike Quigley, Don Beyer, Jan Schakowsky, Jim McGovern, Dave Loebsack, Mike Bishop, Donald Payne, Jr., Earl Blumenauer, Frank LoBiondo, Jerrold Nadler, Steve Stivers, John Yarmuth, and Stephen Lynch

Dear Colleague,

I write in regards to the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China that dates back to 2009-2010, when it was launched by dog meat traders as a commercial
enterprise to boost flagging sales of dog meat. More than 10,000 dogs are reported to be captured, transported and slaughtered every year for this Dog Meat festival, with more than 10 million dogs killed annually in China for the dog meat trade. Animal welfare groups have found that a number of these dogs are stolen pets taken from their homes, still wearing their collars when they reach the slaughterhouse. Many dogs die during transport to the slaughterhouses after days or weeks without food or water, and others suffer illness and injury during transport, such as broken bones. These dogs suffer mentally from watching other dogs being disemboweled and blow-torched in front of them.

Yulin’s dog slaughter takes place in residential areas and public marketplaces, imposing scenes of extreme animal cruelty on local residents, including young children who
may, as a result, suffer psychological trauma and desensitization.  The capture, transport, and butchering of dogs and the consumption of dog meat poses a risk to human health by exposing people to a multitude of diseases, including rabies and cholera. This
practice, in my opinion, is completely unacceptable, and can be stopped by the diligent efforts of members of the Chinese government. Although the Yulin city government withdrew as a sponsor of the Dog Meat Festival, it has taken no meaningful action to enforce
China?s existing laws and regulations on animal disease control, food safety, trans-provincial dog transport, or youth protection, all of which are breached by the dog meat trade.

Tens of millions of people around the world have called upon the Government of China, the Governor of the Guangxi Autonomous Region, and the Mayor of Yulin to officially end
the Dog Meat Festival and stop the mass slaughter of dogs all year round in Yulin. In addition, the majority of people in China do not consume dog meat and dog meat is not a part of mainstream Chinese culinary practice.  Millions of Chinese citizens recently
voted in support of a legislative proposal by Zhen Xiaohe, a deputy to the National People?s Congress of China, to ban the dog meat trade.  Alongside these voices, I have already written a letter to the Chairman of the National People?s Congress Standing Committee
urging him to draft legislation to prohibit this festival from taking place ever again. I respect the traditions of the Chinese people, but these events and activities tarnish China?s reputation across the world.

Please join me by becoming a co-sponsor of H.Res.752, which does the following: 1) Condemns the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin because it is a spectacle of extreme animal cruelty
for commercial purposes, claimed by proponents to be in the name of tradition but not actually grounded in Chinese history, which is opposed by a majority of the Chinese people and potentially threatens global public health; 2) Urges
the Government of China and the Yulin authorities to enforce the 2011 Agriculture Ministry of China Regulation on the Quarantine of Dogs at the Place of Origin that requires “one certificate for one dog” on board transport trucks that
cross provincial boundaries; 3) Encourages the Government of China and the Yulin authorities to enforce China?s food safety laws regulating the processing and sale of animal products; 4) Urges the Government of China and the
Yulin authorities to impose a ban on the killing and eating of dogs as part of Yulin?s festival; 5) Urges the
National People’s Congress of China to enact an animal anti-cruelty law with provisions banning the dog meat trade; and 6) Affirms the commitment of the United States to the protection of animals and to the progress of animal protection
around the world.

For more information or to become an original co-sponsor, please contact La Rissa Ferrell of my staff at
LaRissa.Ferrell@mail.house.gov or 5-1313.

Sincerely,

Alcee L. Hastings

Member of Congress

RESOLUTION

Condemning the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, and urging China to end the dog meat trade.

Whereas the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, was launched by dog meat traders during the period of 2009 to 2010 as a commercial enterprise to boost flagging sales of dog meat;

Whereas a reported 10,000 dogs are captured and slaughtered each year for the Dog Meat Festival, and more than 10,000,000 dogs are killed in China each year for the dog meat trade;

Whereas many of these dogs are stolen pets, still wearing collars when they reach the slaughterhouses;

Whereas many dogs die during transport to the slaughterhouses after days or weeks without food or water, and others suffer illness and injury during transport, such as broken bones;

Whereas dogs who reach the slaughterhouses are typically beaten to death with shocking brutality, without any regard for their welfare;

Whereas these dogs also suffer mentally from watching other dogs being killed, then disemboweled and blow-torched in front of them;                          

Whereas respected animal welfare organizations have exposed the extreme suffering of dogs at the Dog Meat Festival and determined that such suffering would breach the animal welfare laws of
the United States;        

Whereas dog slaughter in Yulin happens in residential areas and public marketplaces, imposing scenes of extreme animal cruelty on local residents, including young children who may, as a result,
suffer psychological trauma and desensitization;

Whereas the dog meat trade?the capture, transport, and  butchering of dogs and the consumption of dog meat?poses a risk to human health by exposing people to a multitude of diseases, including rabies
and cholera;

Whereas dog meat traders sell meat from dogs who have died of poisoning by dog thieves or unknown causes or who have been slaughtered without the required vaccination and health records;

Whereas the dog meat trade breaches China?s food safety laws and regulations that ban processing and selling meat from livestock who have died of illnesses or unknown causes;

Whereas, in 2011, China?s Agriculture Ministry issued a regulation to limit the illegal transport of dogs by requiring ??one certificate for one dog,?? applicable to any dog who is shipped across provincial
boundaries;

Whereas dog transporters are unable to produce ??one certificate for one dog?? because many of the animals are stolen pets or the certificates are too costly to provide;

Whereas, although the Yulin city government withdrew as a sponsor of the Dog Meat Festival, it has taken no meaningful action to enforce China?s existing laws and regulations on animal disease control,
food safety, trans-provincial dog transport, or youth protection, all of which are breached by the dog meat trade;

Whereas millions of Chinese citizens recently voted in support of a legislative proposal by Zhen Xiaohe, a deputy to the National People?s Congress of China, to ban the dog meat trade;

Whereas the majority of people in China do not consume dog meat and dog meat is not a part of mainstream Chinese culinary practice; and

Whereas tens of millions of people around the world have called upon the government of China, the Governor of the Guangxi Autonomous Region, and the Mayor of Yulin to officially end the Dog Meat Festival
and stop the mass slaughter of dogs all year round in Yulin: Now, therefore, be it  

Resolved, That the House of Representatives? 

 (1) condemns the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin  because it?

 (A) is a spectacle of extreme animal cruelty;

              (B) is a commercial activity claimed by proponents to be in the name of tradition,but is not actually grounded in Chinese history;

              (C) is opposed by a majority of the Chinese people; and

              (D) threatens global public health;

  (2)  urges the government of China and the Yulin authorities to enforce the 2011 Agriculture Ministry of China Regulation on the Quarantine of Dogs at the Place of  Origin that requires ??one certificate for
one dog?? who is on board a trans-provincial transport truck;

  (3) encourages the government of China and the Yulin authorities to enforce China?s food safety laws regulating the processing and sale of animal products;

  (4) urges the government of China and the Yulin authorities to impose a ban on the killing and eating of dogs as part of Yulin?s festival;

   (5) urges the National People?s Congress of China to enact an animal anti-cruelty law with provisions banning the dog meat trade; and

   (6) affirms the commitment of the United States to the protection of animals and to the  of animal protection around world.