Yulin Festival and real fur export – a fact check

At the Yulin Festival, the meat of thousands of dogs and cats is eaten and goods that are declared as fake fur often turn out to be dog and cat fur... right?

Yulin Festival and real fur export – The most important thing to start with:

1. At the “Lychee and Dog Meat Festival” in Yulin, the meat of thousands of dogs and cats is consumed, and goods from China that are declared as fake fur often turn out to be dog and cat fur.
2. The sale of dog meat at the Yulin Festival has been banned since 2017, but not everyone adheres to it. In fact, dog and cat fur still ends up in Europe using code names.

We constantly receive requests for shocking photos. You can see men torturing dogs, flambéing them or hanging them on hooks.

The same applies to the following status post:

...Please please avoid the so-called fake fur (often it is real fur) - Please, please share the post everyone!!!!

Did you know that more than 10 million dogs are killed every year for their meat and fur in China alone?

And despite the EU import ban of January 1, 2009, (deliberately mislabeled) dog and cat fur still finds its way into Europe and is sold as fake fur, for example. This is done for cost reasons, as even a real dog fur from China is cheaper to produce than a well-made faux fur. …

The fact check

A lot has been thrown together here. So let's go through everything step by step:

Photo of man flambéing a dog
Sourced from STR/AFP via Getty Images . The description is as follows:

A vendor prepares to cook the slaughtered dog at a stall along a street in Guiyang, southwest China's Guangxi province, December 22, 2013, as dog meat is a popular delicacy during the winter months.

Cat and dog meat is not widely available in China, but it can be found in some restaurants, particularly in the south, where it is sometimes considered a specialty as the country has become wealthier, with increased pet ownership and more than 30 million households now have a cat or dog.

The photo of the man holding the dog in the air with pliers
This photo is part of a whole series from 2014 ( Warning: The photos may appear disturbing ). It shows a vendor at the " Lychee and Dog Meat Festival " in Yulin. In order to sell the dogs at a high price to animal lovers, he tortures them to get a better deal.

This festival is also known as the Yulin Festival and has been held annually in Yulin (Guangxi), China, since 2009. ( We reported )

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During the festival, until around 2015, the meat of around 10,000 - 40,000 dogs and cats slaughtered specifically for the festival was consumed. It is served with, among other things, lychees and liqueur.

Many are protesting against the Yulin Festival, but even though a ban on the sale of dog meat at the festival was issued in 2017, this ban is not being enforced. ( Look here )

Claim: Faux fur from China is often real fur.
The trade in dog and cat fur has been banned in Europe since January 1, 2009, but dog or cat fur can still be hidden behind certain code names. ( we reported )

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In a statement from the BW Ministry of Economic Affairs on the application by the Abg. Dagenbach, among other things, about leather and fur goods made from dog and cat skins from December 18, 1998 says:

Fur from dogs:
The furs are traded on the world market under the names that correspond to their regional origin and each contain the word “dog” in the local language.

Source:  German Animal Welfare Association

The German Animal Welfare Association has prepared a list that lists various names and their meanings.

Conclusion:

So the information in the post is mostly correct. Only the first photo does not belong to the Yulin Festival, and the number of dogs slaughtered is also incorrect. From Guiyang to Yulin it takes approximately 9 hours by car.

Unfortunately, there is still no animal protection law in China and even though the sale of dog meat was banned at the Yulin Festival in 2017, not everyone adheres to it.

When it comes to the import of real or fake fur, dog and cat fur still ends up in local shops from time to time because they are sold under cover names.