In eastern China’s Jiangsu Province, cats that were almost sold as lamb and pork were rescued.
According to Chinese state-run media ‘The Paper’ on the 20th (local time), on the 12th, police in Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province received a tip from an animal protection group and responded to the situation and rescued over 1,000 cats from a truck on its way to a slaughterhouse.
After these cats were slaughtered, they were planned to be transformed into lamb and pork skewers or processed into sausages and sold.
Previously, animal rights activists had investigated the truck’s destination for several days after discovering that several cats trapped in wooden boxes were being loaded onto the truck. Afterwards, it was confirmed that the cats were being taken to the slaughterhouse and it was reported to public security.
According to animal rights activists, the reason cats sold to meat processors are turned into lamb meat is because cat meat costs about 4.5 yuan (about 830 won) per 500g compared to lamb, which costs about 30 yuan (about 5,500 won), so the cost can be lowered. Because. 500g of cat meat is disguised as sheep or pork and sold for about 5,500 won.
Channel AThe rescued cats have now been moved to an animal shelter. It is not clear whether it is a wild cat or a pet. Although it is not illegal to eat cats in China, hygiene cannot be guaranteed when they are sold disguised as sheep or pork.
As this incident became known, voices calling for a thorough investigation are growing in China. A resident of Beijing, China said, “This incident is truly vicious. “The government must conduct a strict investigation,” he said. Netizens were also angry, asking, “Does this mean you can do anything with money?” and “Isn’t the meat I was eating also mixed with cats?” Some have even called for legislation to ban the consumption of cats.
Controversy over the sanitary conditions of Chinese food has continued recently. On the 19th, a video was posted on social networking service (SNS) Weibo showing a worker at a beer manufacturing plant in Tsingtao, China, appearing to urinate on raw materials. In March 2021, a ‘naked kimchi’ video was released in which a Chinese man takes off his clothes, enters a water tank and pickles cabbage, causing a stir.
Hyewon Lee, Donga.com
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.