Dog meat farmers held a press conference on Tuesday to call for an end to attempts to ban the trade.

Congregating in front of the National Assembly building, the farmers’ association said the consumption of dog meat is an individual right, adding that a unilateral ban by the government and parliament without considering public opinion is an abuse of power.

Regarding the government’s announcement of support for businesses, distributors, farms and restaurants forced to convert or close, the association demanded that compensation with a value equivalent to a permanent closure of the entire industry must be provided first.

It called for compensation of two million won, or one-thousand-520 U.S. dollars, per dog for a five-year period.

The government and the ruling People Power Party are pushing for the enactment of a special law to end dog meat consumption within the year, with an aim to ban the breeding, slaughter, distribution and sale of dogs for human consumption after a three-year grace period.