China has drawn up new guidelines to reclassify dogs as pets rather than livestock, the Agriculture Ministry said as part of its response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Key points: The Agriculture Ministry pointed to the progress of human civilisation and the public love for animal protection as factors in the decision

The Agriculture Ministry pointed to the progress of human civilisation and the public love for animal protection as factors in the decision The new guidelines are part of a wider tightening of regulations after COVID-19 was found to have likely originated from wild animal consumption in China

The new guidelines are part of a wider tightening of regulations after COVID-19 was found to have likely originated from wild animal consumption in China The southern city of Shenzhen banned the consumption of dog meat last month

Though dog meat remains a delicacy in many regions, the ministry said dogs would no longer be considered livestock.

It uses the livestock designation for animals that can be bred to provide food, milk, fur, fibre and medicine, or to serve the needs of sports or the military.

"As far as dogs are concerned, along with the progress of human civilisation and the public concern and love for animal protection, dogs have been specialised to become companion animals, and internationally are not considered to be livestock, and they will not be regulated as livestock in China," the ministry said in a statement.

COVID-19 is widely believed to have originated in horseshoe bats, and could have been passed onto humans by intermediary species on sale in the wet markets of the city of Wuhan, where the pathogen was first identified.

China subsequently banned the breeding, trading and consumption of wildlife, and revoked all existing licences.

It also promised to revise legislation to make the ban permanent.

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The draft guidelines, which have been opened to the public for consultation, listed 18 traditional livestock species — including cattle, pigs, poultry and camels.

It also added 13 "special" species that would also be exempt from wild-animal trading restrictions, including reindeer, alpaca, pheasants, ostriches and foxes.

Dog consumption has become increasingly unpopular in China, and the southern city of Shenzhen became the first to ban it last month.

However, the Humane Society International, an animal welfare group, estimated about 10 million dogs a year were still killed in China for meat, including stolen pets.

The city of Yulin, in the region of Guangxi, holds an annual dog meat festival in June.

"This draft proposal could signal a game-changer moment for animal protection in China," said Humane Society International spokeswoman Wendy Higgins.

Reuters