Hong Kong man jailed for selling cat flesh for food at frozen meat shop
- Authorities raided Wu Siyuan’s Yau Ma Tei shop after media reports indicated he was selling cat meat from Kaiping in Guangdong province
- Authorities welcome sentence, saying imprisonment has a significant deterrent effect and reflects gravity of offence
A Hong Kong frozen meat shop operator convicted of selling cat flesh for food was jailed for 10 weeks on Thursday.
Wu Siyuan, 40, was sentenced in the Kwun Tong Court. He was earlier convicted of using or permitting the use of feline flesh for food and selling restricted meat in breach of the Dogs and Cats Regulations and the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance.
The authorities raided the man’s shop on Reclamation Street in Yau Ma Tei in February after a media outlet reported that it might be selling cat meat from Kaiping in Guangdong province as food. The packages were sold at HK$100 (US$12) for about 600 grams (21 ounces).
A shop operator was seen in a video showing the meat to a reporter. But he denied the incident later and insisted his business was legal.
The meat samples collected by the authorities were later confirmed to be from cats, according to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
The court heard some 1.255kg (2.2lbs) of cat meat were found in the shop.
The department welcomed the court’s judgment.