Yulin's Dog Meat Festival in China where annually 10 million dogs and 4 million cats are slaughtered for consumption has closed the first dog slaughterhouse

 

In a landmark victory for animal protection in China, a dog slaughterhouse that supplied animals for the Yulin dog meat festival has permanently shut down, marking the city’s first-ever livelihood conversion program.

The closure, led by Vshine Animal Protection Association with funding and technical guidance from Humane World for Animals, ended the operation of a facility that reportedly killed more than 15,000 dogs since 2007 and supplied dog carcasses to restaurants and markets associated with the annual Yulin dog meat festival.

Nine dogs were rescued from the property and spared from slaughter, including three dogs still wearing collars—a Labrador named An An, a beagle named Moli, and a poodle named Lian—who are believed to be stolen family pets.

The nine rescued dogs are currently receiving veterinary care before being transferred to a Vshine shelter. They will be quarantined, vaccinated, sterilized, and eventually made available for adoption into loving homes.

Located approximately 30 kilometers south of Yulin’s city center, the slaughterhouse reportedly killed an average of 15 dogs per week. According to the organizations involved, dogs were bludgeoned over the head before their throats were cut and their bodies butchered. June was the facility’s busiest month, accounting for roughly 70% of its annual income due to demand associated with the Yulin dog meat festival.

As part of the agreement, the owner has permanently exited the dog meat trade and is now exploring a new livelihood. He is considering launching a breakfast catering business serving rice porridge, fried dough, and steamed buns.

Reflecting on his decision to leave the dog meat trade behind, Mr. Huang said:

“I’m looking forward to a peaceful life. I have been killing dogs for almost 20 years. It’s a dirty business and I don’t feel good about it. Also, as fewer people are eating dog meat these days it’s hard for me to provide for my family. I am relieved to be leaving it behind me and having a more stable living. Without the support from this program, I would not have been able to make this life change but I think a lot more dog meat businesses in Yulin would choose to close if they had this kind of support.”

As Yulin’s first-ever livelihood transition project, the slaughterhouse closure serves as a tangible example of efforts to end the dog meat trade through practical solutions that benefit both animals and people. Through its Models for Change program, Humane World for Animals has spent more than a decade helping individuals involved in the dog meat trade transition to alternative livelihoods in countries including South Korea, Viet Nam, India, and Indonesia.

Earlier this year, Vshine submitted a legislative proposal to China’s National People’s Congress calling for stronger protections for companion animals, including a nationwide ban on the dog and cat meat trade.

Chen Xiaolei of Vshine described the emotional impact of entering the facility where thousands of dogs had lost their lives over the years:

“It was very disturbing to step foot into this dog slaughterhouse where so many dogs have lost their lives so brutally over the years. This cruel and dirty trade has no place in modern China and the Yulin dog meat festival is a stain on China’s international reputation. By supporting policies that enable traders to transition to alternative livelihoods, the Yulin authorities could help close this cruel trade for good and lead the way in China to end the dog and cat meat trade.”

According to Humane World for Animals, China remains the world’s largest dog and cat meat market, with an estimated 10 million dogs and 4 million cats slaughtered annually. Animal welfare organizations note that many of the animals killed for meat are believed to be stolen pets, former guard dogs, or strays captured from the streets.

Advocates also emphasize that Yulin’s so-called Lychee and Dog Meat Festival is not a long-standing cultural tradition. The event was launched in 2010 by dog meat traders in an effort to increase sales and promote dog meat consumption.

Animal advocates hope the successful closure will serve as a model for future efforts to help businesses transition away from the dog and cat meat trade while creating safer, more sustainable livelihoods for local communities.

The smell was the first thing that struck 'We Animals' photo journalist Resha Juhari: exposing the animals within our food systems

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INSIDE BALI'S UNREGULATED PIG SLAUGHTER

The face of a pig who stares out of a tiny metal cage, called a “blangsung”, at a slaughterhouse. Undisclosed location, Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia, 2025. Resha Juhari / We Animals “It was horrible to see pigs being killed in such a way. They were beaten over the head with clubs, then their throats were slit. This was the first time I had seen it in person.” — Muhammad Fajri, photojournalist

The smell was the first thing that struck We Animals photojournalist Resha Juhari when he stepped into a roadside slaughterhouse in Bali, Indonesia. Even through a mask, the stench of urine and decay was overwhelming. A pig looked out from inside a metal cage, next to piles of intestines, blood, and butchered meat. The scene was not an isolated case. We were able to obtain unprecedented access to these facilities and took the opportunity to document what was inside. Across Bali’s Badung regency, photojournalists Resha Juhari and Muhammad Fajri visited eight small slaughterhouses. They documented conditions and practices inside facilities that appear to operate with little oversight, raising concerns about animal welfare, worker safety, and public health. For most consumers, slaughter remains out of sight. But as global concern grows around animal welfare, food safety, and environmental protection, the conditions documented in these facilities raise a difficult question: how much oversight exists behind the pork that reaches the table? We have shared these visuals with local NGOs advocating for change, and hope that our investigation will encourage authorities in Indonesia to consider implementing legal protections for animals. [Content warning: Contains confronting images and/or video footage]

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PHOTO OF THE MONTH

A jockey and a pair of yoked buffaloes begin a Kambala buffalo race. The jockey hits the animals with a bamboo cane to increase their speed and steers them with a plough handle. Loud vocalizations are made by the people present to urge the buffalo on. Mulki Kambala Track, Mulki, Karnataka, India, 2025. Manju N Gowda / FIAPO / We Animals

Good photographs transport us. This image, by Indian photojournalist Manju N Gowda, was captured at a 2025 Kambala buffalo race. A jockey and a yoked pair surge forward through water and mud. He strikes them with a bamboo cane to increase their speed, steering with a plough handle. Around them, spectators are yelling, cheering. We’re often told not to anthropomorphize. But here, it is difficult not to. In this frame, we are inside the chaos. We feel the water splash. We brace for the strike of the cane. There is no option but to run. Context Kambala is a traditional buffalo race rooted in the culture of the Tulu people in coastal Karnataka, India. Once held in paddy fields as village entertainment, it is now staged at large, sponsored events, often organized by local politicians and Kambala committees. This photo is part of a larger assignment done in partnership with FIAPO (Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations) to challenge the narrative that Kambala is a harmless cultural tradition and advocate for new state-level legislation.

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A rescued red fox looks into the camera while The Fox Project (TFP) staff discuss her care. We Animals founder Jo-Anne McArthur visited TFP in Kent, UK in late 2025 to document their work. Jo-Anne McArthur / The Fox Project / We Animals

In Ghana Pigs are due to lack of alternatives, clubbed to death before slaughter: the Dutch Eyes on Animals are training farmers, butchers, abattoirs to use a stunning device

 

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After two years of waiting, it was finally here: the Ghanaian government approved the import of tranquilizers . Ten new tranquilizers, maintenance kits, and tens of thousands of cartridges. On December 19, 2025, we were finally able to pick them up! Sorf and his team were immediately ready to receive the equipment. There was no time to lose. The sooner the stunners are in use, the less animals will suffer.   Photo: Sorf with the newly arrived stunning devices in Accra, Ghana. Geomatela Pig Farm On December 24th, our Eyes on Animals and WACPAW) visited Geomatelain Somanya 2022-Annual-Report.pdf Please read their achievements with help from https://www.eyesonanimals.com/ for the first time What we saw there is unfortunately still the standard in Ghana—and many other countries: pigs are beaten over the head with a heavy wooden club until they no longer move. Then they are slaughtered. Not out of cruelty, but because there is no alternative. We immediately provided training and provided a stunning device . The staff learned how to approach the animals calmly and stun them in one go. The difference was immediately visible. The animals were unconscious in an instant. No clubs. No prolonged pain. The staff promised to use the stunning device on every animal from now on. We will return soon to verify that this is indeed the case. First pigs were clubbed to death, now they are stunned. Doweba Pig Farm Two days later, on December 26th, we visited Doweba. Sixty pigs are slaughtered here every week. Heavy metal rods were used to knock animals unconscious. Here, too, we provided training in working calmly and administering the correct stunning. We handed over a stunning device and cartridges. The killing was stopped immediately. The killing of pigs also came to an end on this farm. Pretty Pipers Pig Farm and Slaughterhouse On January 2nd, we returned to Pretty Pipers. Last summer, we had already given a training session here and left a stunning device. Around Christmas, it had broken due to heavy use. Thanks to the new maintenance kits, Sorf was able to repair the old stunning device. We also donated a new one. Now there is one stunning device on the farm and one at the slaughterhouse. All pigs are stunned before slaughter. The owner was visibly pleased with our visit and expressed his great appreciation. Sorf repairs the old stunning device and provides an extra one. Krofrom Slaughterhouse On January 3rd, we went to the Krofrom slaughterhouse in Kumasi. Since our first training in 2023, they had been using a stunning device we donated. However, this device had recently broken down. We provided a new one. This prevented them from permanently resorting to the baton. Stunning was resumed the same day. Stunned slaughter resumes in Krofrom. Olive Abattoir Finally, we visited Olivein Accra. We've been working on improvements there for three years. We improved the unloading facilities, had dangerous drainage holes covered, and provided training on handling the animals more calmly. We also donated a new stunning device with cartridges. The slaughterhouse slaughtered animals under stunning again that same day. The abattoir's veterinarian, Dr. Bonsu Gbawe, was visibly grateful for our continued support. Sorf presents a new anesthetic machine to Dr. Bonsu Gbawe. Our work in Ghana continues .Working in Ghanaian slaughterhouses is grueling. It's horrific to see animals being bludgeoned to death with heavy blows. But we also see that change is possible. That gives us hope. We can't prevent thousands of animals from being slaughtered every day. But we can reduce their suffering. A stunning device makes a world of difference. I'm incredibly grateful to Sorf and his team for their dedication. He's currently working with the Ghanaian government on legislation that will make stunning mandatory. He's also trying to simplify the import of stunning devices so that slaughterhouses can access them themselves. Until then, we'll continue to provide free training and make stunning equipment available. Lasting change requires continued commitment! Thank you for your support. A huge thank you to all the donors who make our work in Ghana possible. Thanks to your support, we can concretely and directly reduce animal suffering. Every training session. Every stunning device. Every company that makes the switch.   That's real, measurable progress. Help us and donate With sincere thanks for your support of the animals, Lesley Moffat Director and Founder, Eyes on Animals

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In Australia is lab-grown meat set to go on sale: cells extracted from an animal does not require farming and the slaughter of animals ( video )

Cultivated meat products are set to go on sale in Australia as the government has now issued its approval to a food company which produces cell-cultivated quail.

Also known as cellular agriculture or lab-grown meat, cultivated meat is cultivated - grown - in a controlled setting using cells extracted from an animal. The production process crucially does not require the farming or slaughter of animals. 

Following a two-year-long approval process, Sydney-based company Vow received regulatory approval from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for three products made from cultured quail cells.

The regulatory approval means Vow can now sell its cultivated meat in restaurants and supermarkets across both countries. The decision follows the startup’s launch of its Japanese-inspired quail in Singapore in 2024, where demand reportedly grew by 200% a month.

“We’ve worked closely with FSANZ over the past two years, and we’re proud to have earned their approval,” said George Peppou, Vow CEO and founder. It’s a rigorous process, and rightly so. This is an important milestone for cultured meat in Australia and around the globe – to have the stamp of approval from a trusted global regulator such as FSANZ – and we’re excited to bring safe, high-quality products to local diners through some of the country’s most talented chefs.”

Vow’s whipped parfait, foie gras, and a tallow candle developed from cultured Japanese quail cells will soon be served at high-end restaurants under their premium brand, Forged, starting with Bottarga in Melbourne and Nel in Sydney.

“This isn’t about replacing the meats we know and love. It’s about trying something entirely new – something that can only exist because of how it’s made,” said  Mike McEnearney, owner and executive chef at Kitchen by Mike in Sydney. “For chefs, that’s incredibly exciting. But for all of us, it’s a huge opportunity.

“The future always lies in bold ideas that seem impossible at first but are rooted in real innovation – the kind that drives culture forward,” McEnearney added.

Also known as cellular agriculture or lab-grown meat, cultivated meat is cultivated - grown - in a controlled setting using cells extracted from an animal. The production process crucially does not require the farming or slaughter of animals. 

Cultivated meat has already generated a huge amount of buzz in the food sector, where it is being seen as having the potential to create a more sustainable food system that can produce meat with significantly less environmental, ethical, and sourcing issues.

Vow’s approval in Australia marks a positive step forward for an emerging industry that continues to weather a political storm, as cultivated meat becomes a target for politicians who view the innovation as a threat to traditional animal agriculture.

“Australia has always punched above its weight when it comes to food – we’re a country of curious, creative, and deeply thoughtful chefs and diners” said Peppou. “To now be able to offer something completely new – not an imitation, but a new category of food that complements local farming – is something we’re incredibly excited about.”

In the United States, four companies have now been approved to sell cultivated products. Mission Barns received approval for its cell-based pork in products earlier this year, following previous government approval back in 2022 for cultivated-chicken from Upside Foods and Good Meat.

Wildtype met the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) requirements for its cell-cultured seafood product just this week. The company’s cultivated salmon is now on the menu at Kann, an award-winning Haitian restaurant in Portland, Oregon. 

This marks the first time a cultivated seafood product is available for sale anywhere in the world, according to the alternative protein think tank Good Food Institute (GFI) and signals the FDA isn’t blocking cultivated meat under Trump, despite political pushback.

Credit: Vow