Campaigners have rescued more than 170 dogs being bred for meat in “horrific” conditions at a farm in South Korea.

The Humane Society International (HSI) has begun an international operation to transport the animals from the site in Namyangju, near Seoul, to safety in the UK and North America.

A total of 50 dogs have already been flown to Pearson Airport in Toronto, Canada, where they are in the process of being moved to shelters in Quebec.

Thirteen of the rescued dogs will be flown to shelters in the UK next year after completing quarantine.

Executive director of HSI Canada, Rebecca Aldworth, said: “This horrific dog meat farm is one of the worst HSI has ever seen and I am thrilled we are shutting it down for good.

“More than 170 dogs and puppies were intensively confined in cramped, filthy, barren wire cages positioned over months of accumulated waste.

“The dogs had no protection from the freezing temperatures. Many had open sores on their bodies and were severely emaciated because they received little food or water.”

The dog meat farm in Namyangju is one of an estimated 17,000 dog farms in South Korea breeding more than 2.5 million dogs a year for human consumption.

Most Koreans do not eat dog regularly and opposition to the practice is growing in the country, where production of the meat is neither classified as legal or illegal.

However, more than 30 million dogs are thought to be slaughtered across Asia for food each year.

In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade Show all 13 1 /13 In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China A cat climbs up the cage at the slaughterhouse, trying to escape. This cat was later rescued by Peter Li In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China A slaughterhouse butcher transfers a cat to a cage, to be handed off to Peter Li. Shortly after, Li rescued the cat from the slaughterhouse AP/Humane Society International In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China Two kitchen knives are shown stuck in an iron cage, which are used to butcher dozens of dogs and cats every day. These knives have to be sharpened daily due to the number of animals they're used to slaughter In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China Caged dogs sit on the side of Renminzhong Road, waiting to be transferred to a slaughterhouse in a narrow alley AP/Humane Society International In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China Workers are shown getting the day's dog and cat meat prepared for sale in the morning In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China Dog meat is displayed in the marketplace In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China Residents pick their dog meat from a stand on Riverside Road In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China A woman on her moped transports more than 10 dogs, which had just been slaughtered, to her market shop for sale AP/Humane Society International In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China Hundreds of pet dogs await their own death in a slaughterhouse, while they watch as their companions are slaughtered in front of them AP/Humane Society International In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China A group of cats from Sichuan Province arrive at Renmin Middle Road on a truck, and wait to be transported on carts to a slaughterhouse in a narrow alley In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China A truck arrives in Yulin with nearly 1,000 dogs of various breeds crammed into narrow wire cages with no space to extend their limbs. According to the driver, the truck came from Sichuan, 800 miles west of Yulin. The traumatized dogs waited in silence for the next stop on their journey In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China Dogs are hung up for sale for meat in Dong Kou market, as a dog looks on In pictures: Inside the Yulin cat and dog meat trade China Peter Li holds a puppy's collar found at a slaughterhouse AP/Humane Society International

One Korean dog farmer of 20 years, who only gave his name as Mr Kim, said he was planning to quit the profession after working with HIS.

He added: “I originally started farming dogs because I heard it would make money, but now in South Korea even in the summer the trade has reduced by about one third.

“I also have a young child, and the dog farming business won’t look good for her because she really likes dogs.”