Cats and dogs that use a minority of Chinese for their meat are excluded for the first time from an official list of edible animals that will be the focus of legislation by the Chinese authorities.
This text has been published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, which will be circulated until May 8th, and it specifies a list of animals that can be raised for their flesh and fur or for medical purposes.
The list does not include dogs and cats.
Chinese law does not prohibit the consumption of meat for these animals in China, but this practice is limited to a small minority and provokes growing opposition from the population.
"It is the first time that the Chinese government has noticed that cats and dogs are domestic animals and are not intended for eating," the American Humane Society, said in a statement.
The association’s figures indicate that ten million dogs are killed annually in China because of their flesh.
Thousands of dogs are eliminated every year during the Dog Meat Festival in the southern city of Yulin, in conditions that animal defenders describe as brutal, as dogs are beaten to death to live barbecues.
The decision comes after wildlife trafficking and consumption was banned in February, a practice that is suspected of contributing to the spread of the emerging corona virus.
Trade in wild animals was also prevented during the crisis of the SARS virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in 2002-2003, which is a virus of the Coronian strain whose transmission was also linked to eating wild animals. However, this trade quickly reappeared.