China’s frog breeders silenced over opposition to wildlife trade ban

Outlawing the industry would be unscientific and irrational, breeders say before umbrella association apologises for comments

Legislators set to fast-track prohibition on multibillion-dollar wild animal sector

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Frogs are a multibillion-dollar business in China. Photo: Biosphoto

Published: 2:00pm, 22 Feb 2020Updated: 11:31pm, 23 Feb 2020

A Chinese wildlife industry and conservation group has apologised for public opposition voiced by frog breeders to plans to outlaw the multibillion-dollar wild animal trade in the aftermath of the coronavirus epidemic.

China’s top legislators will meet next week to fast-track a ban on the trade and consumption of wild animals, following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call to review laws on wildlife protection.

The coronavirus epidemic is thought to have emerged from a seafood and meat market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan where wild animals were also sold.

Last weekend, defiant frog breeders on a subcommittee of the China Wildlife Conservation Association, an umbrella trade group, made their case against the ban in an online article arguing that it was part of a valuable tradition.

The group said it was “an arbitrary, unscientific and irrational move to put a blanket ban on all wildlife animal consumption just because of one viral outbreak”.

“Human demand for wildlife products has never ceased, and in a sense, it is an indispensable need,” the article said.

The group also drew contrasts with other animal-related disease outbreaks such as avian flu, mad cow disease and African swine fever.