This year's Yulin Dog Meat Festival is underway as distressing footage has emerged of chefs preparing for the controversial festival where thousands of pooches will be consumed.
Campaigners from the NoToDogMeat charity have recently arrived in Yulin, South East China, preparing to document the slaughter and rescue as many dogs as possible.
In footage obtained by the charity and shared with the Mirror, shops are seen laying out dog corpses on the counters shops ahead of the June 21 Summer Solstice event.
The dogs, which have been rounded up from nearby villages and transported to the festival, will be consumed for a period of 10 days.
Festival organisers claim that the dogs are killed humanely and that it is "no different from eating pork or beef".
Meanwhile, animal rights campaigners claim the dogs are killed inhumanely using horrific methods including hanging and blowtorching.
Qin Xi Zhao, who runs the charity's largest shelter in Hebei: "This is the most devastating part of my life, and every year we see things which are so traumatic. But as a charity we will not look away, and will do all we can to help the dogs."
The Yulin festival began in 2009, and every year since - including during the pandemic - people have gathered to watch dogs being slaughtered and turned into stews and soups.
The price of dog meat varies, with small stalls charging less than bigger ones. But on average the cost to eat a butchered dog is £5 per pound, and around £10 for a kilogram.
Last month NoToDogMeat appealed to western tourists not to travel to the event, over fears that the spectacle could be bigger than ever due to the relaxing of Covid travel rules.
Julia de Cadenet, a London-based lawyer who founded the charity in 2009, told The Mirror: "This year is set to be bigger and nastier than in recent years, and we are bracing ourselves.
"As ever, we will be carrying out rescues, and campaigners are there now, but we need support and donations to help us rescue as many dogs as possible.
"At the moment we are creating a fighting fund to help with our efforts, and the money will go directly towards supporting NoToDogMeat on the ground saving dogs from a terrible fate."
In a prepared statement ahead of the festival, she said: "Two days ago, our team arrived in Yulin. We could not stand by and wait for the festival to begin.
"This year all of our volunteers are Chinese and hate what happens to dogs and cats. They are led by brave Mr Zhao, who has rescued dogs many times from this horror fest. We are sad to confirm that the dog meat markets are open, and the killing has started."
Two years ago the charity uncovered an illegal dog farm, and campaigners plan to go back there. The charity also plans to raid some slaughterhouses and try to stop the dealers, who are operating illegally.
Julia added: "From what we have seen so far, most of the people eating dogs are local. So far, no foreigners are in sight. As the weeks continue, people will arrive from out of state.
"We must remind the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture that dogs are on the 'safe list'. They are not for consumption."
NoToDogMeat is urging people around the world to write to Minister of Agriculture chief Tan Renjian to make their feelings known.
The Asia For Animals coalition says that it is hard to gauge how many animals are slaughtered each year at Yulin. However, where figures have been collected the festival is believed to be responsible for the slaughter of between 10,000 and 15,000 dogs.
Many of the animals are stolen pets, but despite this, the meat is not cheap, and promoted by traders as a health tonic.
The Asia For Animals coalition adds: "Dog and cat meat is NOT part of China's mainstream food culture. Dog meat was not on the government's food rationing list in the past, nor is it on the list of meat guaranteed by China's strategic meat reserve'."
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