On Sept. 14, hundreds of people travelled from across the country to attend a briefing that I hosted on the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. At the briefing, Marc Ching, the Founder of the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation, played 60 seconds of footage he secretly recorded documenting the inhumane slaughter of dogs in cities throughout Asia. The compilation was disturbing: dogs being burned alive, dogs being skinned alive, and dogs being boiled alive; dogs having their paws cleaved off with dull butcher’s knives, and dogs being staked to the ground and beaten to death. No one can watch this type of footage and walk away unaffected.
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The purpose of the briefing was to shine a light on the horrific practices taking place in Yulin every year and to address the global dog meat trade.

The “festival” was established just a few years ago, when dog meat traders saw an opportunity to boost flagging sales of dog meat. Dogs are rounded up on the street or stolen from homes – indeed; many are still wearing collars when they are killed. It is notable that the Yulin city government itself has withdrawn as a sponsor of the festival. Yet disappointingly, city government officials have not yet taken meaningful action to enforce China’s already well established laws regulating animal disease control, food safety, and the transportation of dogs across provinces in China.

In May, I joined with organizations and dedicated individuals to raise awareness of this barbaric practice and other events like it around the world, by introducing H.Res.752, condemning the Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, and urging China to end the dog meat trade.

Events like this tarnish China’s reputation across the world. And while the majority of people in China do not consume dog meat and dog meat is not a part of mainstream Chinese culinary practices (in fact, 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), the government turns a blind eye to the practice of torturing dogs and cats. I have always advocated for the humane treatment of all living things. And in this regards, this festival and those like it are nothing short of barbaric.

It is alongside the millions of people who have spoken out against Yulin across the world that I introduced H.Res.752 and wrote 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. I have personally brought the issue to the attention of Secretary of State John Kerry, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, and Ambassador of China to the United States Cui Tiankai.

To date, over 110 of my colleagues in the House of Representatives, both Democrats and Republicans, have co-sponsored the resolution.  I sincerely hope that the House Republican Leadership will allow it to be brought to the floor for consideration before the end of the 114th Congress. 

We must do all that we can to stop this festival, end the global dog and cat meat trade, and to be a voice for the voiceless.  This barbaric practice can no longer be ignored.  Innocent animals should not be tortured and killed.  It is time for this to end, and it is time for Congress to take action and pass H.Res.752. 
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Rep. Alcee L. Hastings represents Florida’s 20th District, and serves as a Senior Member of the House Rules Committee, Ranking Democratic Member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, and Co-Chairman of the Florida delegation