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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Simon Cowell donated £25,000 in September 2018 to support Humane Society International’s effort to close a dog-meat farm in South Korea and rescue its animals. HSI’s later account says the resulting October operation closed Farmer Lee’s 14-year farm in Gyeonggi-do, rescued 200 dogs and sent them to shelter and rescue partners in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
What Cowell’s donation supported
Humane Society International (HSI) announced Cowell’s contribution on September 27, 2018. The charity described the money as support for an appeal to close a South Korean farm and move more than 200 dogs and puppies to safety. The announcement did not publish additional terms explaining how the £25,000 was allocated, so it should not be treated as a documented payment for every cost of the rescue.
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In the announcement, Cowell explained his opposition to eating dogs in an interview with Good Morning Britain reporter Pip Tomson: “It’s like eating your friend. It’s the fact you’re eating such a kind, helpless, sweet animal.” HSI published the statement in its press release.
Read HSI’s September 27, 2018 announcement.
The farm closure in Gyeonggi-do
HSI’s later farm-closure retrospective identifies the October 2018 operation as the organisation’s 13th farm closure. It names the farmer as Lee, says he had operated the farm for 14 years, and records that the business was closed as part of HSI’s work with farmers who wanted to leave the dog-meat trade.
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The retrospective reports that 200 dogs were rescued. That completed figure comes from HSI’s later account, rather than from the September announcement, which described the rescue as a planned operation involving more than 200 dogs and puppies.
See HSI’s farm-closure retrospective.
Where the rescued dogs went
HSI says the 200 dogs were flown to its shelter and rescue partners in four countries:
- the United States
- Canada
- the United Kingdom
- the Netherlands
The available account establishes the international transfer to partner organisations. It does not say that every dog was adopted immediately, nor does it provide an individual outcome for each animal.
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What happened to Farmer Lee
HSI’s retrospective says Lee planned to expand a medicinal-herb farm after closing his dog operation. This was a livelihood transition, not evidence that the single closure ended dog-meat farming in South Korea.
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HSI describes its wider Models for Change program as working with participating farmers who agree to permanently close their dog-meat businesses. The organisation says the program offers a one-time transition grant and support for an alternative livelihood. However, the published account does not establish the amount or exact terms of Lee’s individual assistance, so those program-wide provisions should not be presented as a confirmed payment figure for him.
Read HSI’s report on ending the dog-meat industry in South Korea.
Why the rescue was part of a larger campaign
HSI’s 2018 release said that thousands of South Korean farms were breeding around 2.5 million dogs a year for human consumption. That is HSI’s historical 2018 estimate, not an independently verified current count. The charity framed farm closures as a way to combine animal rescue with a permanent change in the farmer’s source of income.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The approach described in HSI’s materials has several linked parts:
- working with a farmer who wants to leave the trade;
- securing a permanent closure agreement;
- helping establish an alternative livelihood;
- removing the dogs and arranging veterinary care and transport; and
- placing the animals through shelters and rescue partners.
HSI cited alternatives such as mushroom or chili growing in its 2018 explanation of the model. Lee’s reported medicinal-herb plan is the example connected to this particular farm.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this episode does—and does not—show
The documented sequence is specific: Cowell’s donation was announced on September 27, 2018; HSI later recorded an October closure in Gyeonggi-do; 200 dogs were rescued; and the animals were transported to partner organisations in four countries. The sources do not show that Cowell personally directed the operation, that his contribution covered all rescue expenses, or that all 200 dogs reached permanent adoptive homes at once.
Nor does one farm closure establish the present legal status or the current size of South Korea’s dog-meat trade. It demonstrates how HSI’s farmer-partnership and relocation model was applied to one operation, with the charity reporting the results.
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