China bans trade, eating of wild animals in battle against coronavirus

Fast-tracked decision to prohibit consumption of wildlife comes into effect immediately

China’s wildlife trade and consumption industry is valued at 520 billion yuan (US$74 billion), according to a government-sponsored report published in 2017

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A man chops and cleans crocodiles at Huangsha Seafood Market in Guangzhou in southern China in 2018. Photo: EPA

Published: 10:00pm, 24 Feb 2020Updated: 8:31am, 25 Feb 2020

China said it will ban the trade and consumption of wild animals, a multibillion dollar industry that employs millions of people, as part of efforts to curb virus outbreaks.

The Covid-19 epidemic that has killed more than 2,500 people in China and spread overseas has been linked to wild animals carrying a coronavirus and sold in markets for food. Most researchers believe the virus jumped from a market animal to a human host, mutated and then infected others.

“Since the Covid-19 outbreak, the eating of wild animals and the huge hidden threat to public health from the practice have attracted wide attention,” the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress said, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday.

The fast-track decision prohibited the consumption of wild animals and included a crackdown on the illegal wildlife trade to protect public health, the report said, adding that the ban took effect immediately.

Demand for such meat has created a breeding industry in China for animals such as civet cats. The epidemic 17 years ago of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or Sars, which killed more than 800 people worldwide, has been linked to consumption of civet cats in China by the World Health Organisation.

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