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This is the sickening reality of the brutal dog meat trade in South Korea.

More than 200 pups are stuffed into filthy rusting cages, fed on scraps before being dragged to the slaughterhouse.

This hell exists for 2.5 million dogs across 17,000 farms in the country.

Now for the first time, dogs destined for the dinner plate are to be rescued and brought back to Britain and Mirror readers also have the chance to give one of six tragic mutts the chance of a new life

OUr shocking footage shows helpless dogs manically hurl themselves at the bars of rusting metal cages, their cries of misery creating a deafening din.

(Image: Phil Harris/Daily Mirror)

This is the hell on earth endured by the 2.5 million canines a year destined for dinner plates in South Korea.

Yet the cruel dog farming industry remains a taboo subject for a nation proud to be a global technology powerhouse and host of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

South Korea is the only country in the world known to routinely and intensively farm dogs for human consumption and today the Daily Mirror exposes the ­horrendous cost to the animals.

TV wildlife presenter Chris Packham told us: “A lot can be made about the cultural difference here, but if we want to share this world then we have to bring each others behaviour into light.

“So if you are going to have the Olympics and everything that it means in terms of humanity and a leveller of race, creed, colour or religion, then South Korea can’t just say they want the benefits of the Games and stand by while animals are being mistreated and slaughtered in this way.

(Image: Phil Harris/Daily Mirror)

“I don’t want to turn on my TV to watch the opening ceremony knowing that round the corner is a dog farm where animals are suffering in horrendous conditions.”

The controversial industry is worth nearly £200million and supplies up to 10,000 licensed and unlicensed dog meat restaurants in South Korea alone.

We found 200 tragic animals kept in filthy conditions at a farm in Gangwon province, about 100 miles east of the capital Seoul.

Our pictures show row after row of dogs of all shapes and sizes bred for their meat with little regulation and no compassion. The farmers primarily raise a type of large, light-coloured, mixed breed called Jindos.

But virtually every other breed can be exploited for meat – including Labradors, beagles, huskies and even Chihuahuas.

Abandoned pets and dogs snatched on the streets can find themselves stuffed into tiny wire cages and taken to market.

Wendy Higgins, of animal welfare charity Humane Society International, described the farming methods as “horrific”

She said: “Most of the animals spend day in day out with their paws splayed as they try to walk on the harsh wire floor, some resorting to sleeping in their food bowls as it is the only solid surface in their cage offering respite from the wire.

(Image: Phil Harris/Daily Mirror)

“Dogs with pressure sores is a common sight, sometimes we see puppies who have injured paws as they slip through the wire floor. The stench of faeces and ammonia mixed with the slop they are forced to eat, is overpowering.”

These farms, which range in size – some housing more than 1,000 dogs, others fewer than 50 – supply the thousands of dog meat restaurants throughout the peninsula.

An estimated 30 million dogs are killed for human consumption each year across Asia, including China, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. In South Korea the consumption of dog is most popular during the summer months over the “Bok Nal” days.

The period centres on the three hottest days during July and August according to the lunar calendar. This is when a peppery dog meat soup known as “bosintang” is served up in restaurants.

(Image: Phil Harris/Daily Mirror)

Those who favour the meat believe it improves stamina and virility in summer.

As part of a pioneering scheme to end the trade, the Humane Society is now offering incentives to farmers to give up their animals and leave the industry behind.

In exchange, they are trained with new agricultural skills, some going on to run successful blueberry and chilli farms.

Vets and animal welfare experts vaccinate the rescued dogs before they undergo a rigorous blood testing programme to make sure they conform to international regulations and are safe to be adopted.

Most of them are flown to the United States and Canada to find new homes – but six will be flown to the UK within weeks.

One farmer who has decided to turn her back on the barbaric trade is Mrs Seung-hwan, who has been in the industry for more than 20 years.

(Image: Phil Harris/Daily Mirror)

After sending thousands of pups to their deaths she has handed over her farm of 200 dogs for adoption. Her teenage children, who keep a pet Chihuahua in the home, pleaded with her for months to start a new life.

Typical of the differing generational attitudes among South Koreans, her view remains the same – there are dogs that are “companions” for the home and others to breed for food and profit.

In little over a year, not far from this farm, thousands will come to celebrate host city Pyeongchang’s participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The games are returning to South Korea for the first time in nearly three decades. In advance of the 1988 Summer ­Olympics, dog meat sales were temporarily outlawed in Seoul City – the home to global technology and car giants Samsung, LG, Kia and Hyundai.

But within weeks, the evil trade was back up and running once the glare of the global media spotlight had disappeared.

However, with younger generations developing different attitudes toward animal welfare, the Humane Society International hopes real change is on the horizon.

(Image: Phil Harris/Daily Mirror)

And with the help of 100,000 Britons who successfully petitioned our ­Government to raise the issue in Parliament this year, it may soon become a reality. Tory MP Oliver Dowden, who led the debate, said “It is absolutely clear from what the Daily Mirror has uncovered that dogs are not meant to be farmed for meat.

“Some of the practices seen here in operation are truly horrific.

“I will be raising this in Parliament at the earliest opportunity and ensure the issue is raised with our South Korean counterparts to highlight our concerns about the trade.

“How we treat animals is a measure of our civility as a country. Britain is a nation of dog lovers and cruelty to them or any other animal is abhorrent.”

Chris Packham added: “It’s time we used our collective will to encourage other nations to change their behaviour and by highlighting examples like this, perhaps we can make it happen.”

Daily Mirror readers have the chance to adopt one of six dogs rescued from their living hell in South Korea.

Tomorrow we will feature the lucky pups being flown to the UK within weeks.

To find out how you can help, pick up a copy of tomorrow’s paper. If you would like to help Humane Society International rescue these dogs and stop the dog meat trade, please text WOOF03 £3 to 70070 to donate £3, or text WOOF03 £5 to 70070 to donate £5.

If you wish to help with a larger donation, donate online at www.hsi.org/savethedogs