Dog meat

Dog meat

　　Dog meat is a low-fat, high-protein food with health benefits. In recent years, as living standards have improved, there has been a growing trend of eating dog meat across various regions. Additionally, the stewed dog meat from Pei County was created by Fan Kuai, a renowned general under Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, and has gained fame both in China and abroad throughout history. Insightful individuals in Pei County have actively conducted research and proposed developing the meat dog breeding industry as an economic sector to leverage the impact of celebrity-associated specialties and revitalize the rural economy of Pei County. Currently, there are 10 dog farms in the county producing 5,000 puppies annually, and over 600 households raising more than 100 dogs each. The total number of dogs raised in the county has exceeded 150,000, forming a large-scale breeding industry that continues to expand. Jiangsu’s Pei County is the hometown of Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty. The stewed dog meat first created by Fan Kuai has a history of over 2,000 years. With the deepening of reform and opening up, the dog meat processing industry in Pei County has flourished. It has evolved from individual workshops into a diverse structure involving state-owned, collective, and private enterprises. With its unique production techniques, distinctive local flavors, and modern packaging, the products have earned widespread praise from consumers. They are sold across the country and have received honors such as provincial, ministerial, national quality awards, and international gold medals. In recent years, Pei County has produced over 3,000 tons of stewed dog meat annually, requiring the slaughter of nearly 300,000 dogs. However, the number of dogs raised in rural areas is limited, as most are kept for guarding homes and are not sold unless sick or dead. This creates a significant supply gap, necessitating the purchase of slaughtered dogs from Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Shanxi, and other regions. If the county were to raise dogs on a larger scale, it would eliminate the need to spend large sums buying from elsewhere, while also ensuring fresher meat. Therefore, the county has seized the opportunity presented by the tight market supply and rising prices of dog meat, guiding farmers to utilize idle land, surplus labor, and time between farming activities to develop meat dog production using scientific methods. Farmers in Pei County have long had the habit of raising and eating dog meat. With the deepening of reform and opening up and increasing demand for dog meat, dog breeding has become an important part of livestock production. The production of meat dogs in Pei County has rapidly recovered and developed, with an increasing number of households raising dogs and rising dog populations. To facilitate trade, the Pei County urban area established a dog market. Observing the favorable market conditions, some dog traders continuously introduced new breeds from outside, accelerating the improvement of meat dogs in the county. To support the development of the dog industry in Pei County, some insightful locals have conducted extensive scientific research on dog breeding. Wei Yilun, a nearly 80-year-old traditional Chinese medicine doctor at the county hospital, has accumulated extensive data on dog breeding and authored publications such as "Pei County Dog Meat" and "The Fun of Dogs," which have been published and distributed. Chang Shengping from the county’s Forestry and Animal Husbandry Bureau conducted a survey on the county’s dog resources in 1986, and his report was commended by provincial and municipal science and technology departments. Zhang Hongjing from the county’s Food Company measured the nutritional content of Pei County dog meat and published the findings in the second issue of the 1993 edition of China’s Dog Breeding Magazine, marking the earliest — and only — such data in China, attracting attention from domestic nutritionists. Fan Xiantao, a descendant of Fan Kuai, invested 600,000 yuan to build a meat dog breeding farm 3 kilometers north of Pei County. This facility has played a significant exemplary and guiding role in the large-scale breeding of meat dogs in the county. Subsequently, dog farms were also established in towns such as Cuizhai and Zhangzhuang, sparking a dog-raising boom in Pei County and pushing its meat dog breeding industry toward large-scale production. With the successive establishment of large-scale dog farms across various towns, numerous clients from around the country have visited for inspection and to purchase breeding stock. To prevent non-standard business practices, the animal husbandry authorities in Pei County have recently implemented effective measures to standardize the production of breeding dogs. All units and individuals producing breeding dogs within the county must apply to the county animal husbandry authorities for a "Breeding Livestock and Poultry Production License." Those selling breeding dogs must obtain a "Breeding Livestock and Poultry Qualification Certificate." For providing breeding services, a "Breeding Livestock and Poultry Use License" is required, and registration with the local industrial and commercial administration is mandatory. The essential requirements for applying for licenses include: breeding dogs must be qualified and of good pedigree, sourced in accordance with technical requirements, and accompanied by lineage records and a certain scale of base female dogs. Breeding farms must have corresponding animal husbandry technicians, and individual breeders must possess basic breeding knowledge. Additionally, the animal husbandry authorities require that those selling breeding dogs maintain professional ethics, ensure proper disease prevention and quarantine, and guarantee breed quality. They must provide buyers with qualification certificates, as well as quality assurance documentation for disease prevention and quarantine, and sign relevant contracts. (Pei County)