China set to clamp down permanently on wildlife trade in wake of coronavirus

Wild-animal markets are the suspected origin of the current Coronavirus outbreak and the 2002 SARS outbreak.

China’s top law-making body is expected to permanently tighten rules on trading wildlife in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, which is thought to have originated in a wild-animal market in Wuhan. Scientists speculate that this could include a ban on eating some wild meat.

Last month, the national government temporarily suspended the buying and selling of wild-animal products, which are commonly used for food, fur and in traditional medicines in China. But the emergency measure will be lifted once the outbreak ends.

Next Monday, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s highest decision-making body, will meet to decide how the trade in wildlife products should be regulated in the long term.

The coronavirus outbreak has drawn public attention to the significant health risks posed by eating wild animals. The government has signalled that it wants to take immediate action to prevent any future outbreaks of diseases that spread from animals to humans, says Li Zhang, a conservation biologist at Beijing Normal University.

Conservation scientists speculate that on Monday the committee will ban the eating of wild animals, such as snakes and bats, but say that whether such a ban would extend to farmed wild animals, such as sika deer, is unclear. Researchers don’t think that wildlife used for fur and traditional medicines will be affected. Any decision will be legally binding and will come into immediate effect.