Call For A Ban On People Eating Dog Meat In The UK

UK law says that you can't buy or sell dog meat, but if you humanely kill a dog you own, you can eat it.

But there have been calls to make it illegal, including from SNP MP Dr Lisa Cameron who believes the public would be "right behind legislation calling for a ban".

A spokesman for the prime minister says the UK has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and "we wish to maintain that".

Dr Cameron is the chair of the All-party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group.

She told Newsbeat she wants a law banning eating dog meat to be passed quickly, adding: "I don't imagine that there will be any party in parliament which would stand against that."

A ban is also backed by Foreign Office minister and Conservative MP Sir Alan Duncan who told the Sun it is "absolutely right".

Dr Cameron says there has been a rise in the consumption of dog meat in the UK, but two animal welfare organisations that Newsbeat spoke to say that they don't have evidence for this.

The World Dog Alliance says it doesn't know if there are people in the UK who eat dog meat - but still wants it to be made illegal.

Humane Society International told Newsbeat it has "never come across any evidence to suggest that dog meat is being consumed in the UK".

Some countries in Asia eat dogs, and it is also said to happen in Switzerland, although it isn't widespread.

Animal organisations claim that some dogs which are eaten in other countries are stolen pets, are kept in horrible conditions and are tortured before they're killed.