[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7422]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCING A RESOLUTION CONDEMNING THE DOG MEAT FESTIVAL IN YULIN, 
    GUANGXI ZHUANG AUTONOMOUS REGION, CHINA, AND URGING THE CHINESE 
                  GOVERNMENT TO END THE DOG MEAT TRADE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2016

  Mr. HASTINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce a very important 
resolution condemning the dog meat festival in Yulin, Guangxi Zhuang 
Autonomous Region, China, and urging the Chinese Government to end 
their dog meat trade.
  The Dog Meat Festival begins on June 21st. More than 10,000 dogs are 
reported to be captured, transported in cages under horrific 
conditions, and slaughtered every year for this Dog Meat festival, for 
human consumption, which poses a risk to human health by exposing 
people to a multitude of diseases, including rabies and cholera. In 
addition, more than 10 million dogs are killed annually in China for 
the dog meat trade. This festival epitomizes the cruelty of the 
industry. Many of these dogs are stolen from their owners and are still 
wearing their collars when they reach the slaughterhouses. Many 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.
  The festival 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. It is a spectacle of extreme 
animal cruelty for commercial purposes. This practice, in my opinion, 
is completely unacceptable, and can be stopped by the diligent efforts 
of members of the Chinese government.
  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, it is 
often wrongly assumed to be a Chinese tradition, however, 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.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and 
sincerely hope that the House Republican Leadership will bring this 
critically important measure to the floor without delay.

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