Controversy erupted over a Seoul restaurant serving lobsters with their bodies severed while still moving. (Photo: a screenshot from an online video)
SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – Eight out of ten South Koreans believe the country’s animal protection laws should be extended to include fish raised for food consumption, according to a new survey highlighting growing public awareness of aquatic animal welfare.
The Animal Welfare Awareness Research & Education (AWARE) released findings on October 24 from its “2024 Public Perception Survey on Animal Welfare,” which polled 2,000 adults nationwide between December 13 and 17 last year.
The survey found that 84% of respondents support including fish under animal protection laws, up significantly from 65.4% in 2021.
While current legislation covers fish in general, it specifically excludes those raised for food – a stance that differs from international trends where vertebrate animals are protected regardless of their intended use.
An overwhelming 91.6% of respondents said standards should be established for the breeding, capture, transport, and slaughter of fish intended for consumption, marking a 14.5 percentage point increase from the previous year.
Similarly, 91.8% supported introducing government certification systems for farmed fish welfare, up 13.2 percentage points from 2021. Additionally, 93.1% emphasized the importance of minimizing suffering during slaughter.
The issue gained recent attention after controversy erupted over a Seoul restaurant serving lobsters with their bodies severed while still moving. In countries like Switzerland and Italy, even invertebrates are recognized as capable of experiencing pain and are protected under animal welfare laws.
The survey also revealed strong support for farm animal welfare improvements, with 95.4% of respondents saying changes are needed – continuing an upward trend from 90% in 2021 and 94.7% last year.
Awareness of controversial farming practices has increased, with 70.4% of respondents reporting familiarity with the use of gestation crates for pregnant sows, up 11.5 percentage points from last year.
These crates, which restrict movement to the point where animals cannot turn around, will be banned in South Korea after 2030 in favor of group housing systems.
Among those surveyed, 83.1% believed reducing the use of gestation crates would positively impact sow welfare, and 76.6% expressed willingness to pay additional costs associated with these improvements.
The survey found that 58.4% of respondents had purchased welfare-certified animal products in the past six months, primarily due to perceived safety (51.3%), quality (37.1%), and health benefits (36.6%), rather than animal welfare concerns (25.1%). Looking ahead, 89.6% indicated they would be willing to purchase welfare-certified products in the future.
In a separate survey of 74 pig farmers conducted in January, 55.4% expressed willingness to transition to welfare-certified farming.
However, they cited the need for government support, particularly with initial costs (87.8%), market expansion for welfare-certified products (61%), and administrative assistance (58.5%).
Notably, 52.7% of pig farmers indicated they plan to cease operations before the 2030 gestation crate ban takes effect. The farmers identified government financial support (86.3%) and administrative assistance (54.9%) as crucial factors for transitioning to group housing systems.
“While this survey confirms strong public demand for improving farm animal welfare, we must acknowledge the practical challenges farmers face,” said AWARE founder Lee Hyung-ju.
“Effective implementation of these improvements will require government support and stakeholder dialogue.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
