Getty Dogs are brutally slaughtered at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival

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Charities last week said dog meat sales were due to be banned in the southern Chinese region on June 15, a week before the annual festival opens on the summer solstice in which thousands of dogs and cats are slaughtered in brutal conditions. However, despite saying the ban would be strictly enforced with fines of up to £11,250 and the threat of arrest, local authorities have said today they will not authorise a ban. A statement from the Yulin Political Affairs Director and the Yulin Chief of Police said: “There is no ban on dog meat sales during the festival as some animal rights groups have claimed.”

There is no ban on dog meat sales during the festival as some animal rights groups have claimed Yulin officials

Officials told the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation they do not support the festival, but said there is little they can do to stop the sale of dog meat. Campaigners claimed a premature victory last week after 11 million people signed a petition to stop up to 15,000 cats and dogs being brutally slaughtered at the annual 10-day festival in Yulin, Guangxi.

AHWF Marc Ching visited Yulin officials to demand an answer about a sales ban

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES Celebrities including Ricky Gervais and the late Carrie Fisher joined the campaign over the past few years as shocking images of dogs being burnt alive with blow torches, beaten and squished into tiny cages revealed the horrific circumstances in which they are kept and slaughtered. Marc Ching, founder of the Animal Hope and Wellness Foundation met this week with the Yulin Food and Drug Administration, which oversees dog meat sales and food quality control of meat in the city.

Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China : Heartbreaking latest pictures Wed, June 20, 2018 An estimated 11,000 cats and dogs are due to be slaughtered for the annual Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 21 Puppies are seen in a cage at a dog meat market in Yulin, in China's southern Guangxi region

Officials told him: “There is no current or proposed ban on dog meat sales during the festival.” Mr Ching and his colleague, Suki Su, visited the two largest dog meat markets, DongKuo and NanQiao, in a bid to find out if they knew about the proposed ban.

The pair said: “In conversations with over 20 dog meat vendors, no one had any knowledge or was aware of any pending or proposed dog meat sales ban.” An owner of one of the largest slaughterhouses in Yulin told them the festival is still happening and he is expecting sales to reach more than 2,000 dogs.

Getty Every year there are protests, but this year there has been less pressure, sellers said

Getty Dogs are burnt alive and tortured for their meat during the festival

One vendor said: “Restaurants have already begun putting in orders, and trucks will start their travel to the province.” He added it was usually a “sensitive” time of year, however “nobody seems to be protesting like they have in prior years”.

Related videos SHOCKING footage of dogs being tortured shown at Yulin briefing