Canada's Dirty Little Secret  

Filly Foal hung on hook  alive

The majority of Canadians polled do not want horse slaughter. Hidden video and cameras have exposed a violent and brutal industry. Horses are not food animals .

The slaughter of horses has been stopped in the USA since 2007. Over 50,000 horses are now sent across the Canadian border each year. 60,000 to 115,000 Canadian horses are slaughtered each year. National television and internet have broadcast images of animals being whipped, poked with electrical prods, and hung to bleed while still alive. 

When the undercover investigations came out it was thought that horse slaughter would be shut down in Canada because of the cruelty.   

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, MRCVS, states:
"Noise, blood and suffering is what you get at the Bouvry equine slaughter plant: Horses kicking after they have been shot, sinking down and rising up; sometimes periods of struggling or paddling before a second or third shot has to be administered. This atrocity goes against all veterinary guidelines for humane euthanasia.

Terror and suffering is the rule at this equine house of horrors … and all in the name of the gourmet meat market."

Canada's slaughter house regulations are being violated repeatedly and cannot be enforced as proven by undercover footage. Animals are very often fully conscious before "processing.”  The testimony of a horse slaughterhouse worker: "You move so fast you don't have time to wait till a horse bleeds out. You skin him as he bleeds. Sometimes a horse's nose is down in the blood, blowing bubbles, and he suffocates.They are often beaten, denied food and water for extended periods and hauled long distances. They can die or be injured from transport and holding conditions.

 

As  Canadian taxpayers we strongly object to the Ministry of Health funding the sale of horse meat. When food safety is such an important issue why are you continuing to use our scarce resources to support a barbaric and outdated AND UNSAFE practice?

Here are just a FEW reasons to defund CFIA inspections of horse slaughter and take horses off the menu.

1) NO HORSE MEAT IS SAFE TO EAT - Because horses are used in sport, in pleasure riding and as companions they are ROUTINELY given medications that are not safe for humans. THERE IS NO WAY TO DISTINGUISH between a so-called "meat horse" and any other type of horse. As long as we are slaughtering horses in this country people will try to make money slaughtering ANY KIND OF HORSE AT ALL. This fact has been proven time and time again by the despicable behaviour of kill buyers who go around and pick up "free to good home" horses and sell them for slaughter.

A 2010 toxicology report proved that individuals who consumed the meat of equines treated with the common anti-inflammatory drug Phenylbutazone could be at risk for life-threatening diseases. "The 2010 report and other studies about toxicity in horse meat changed the way our government and the EU view the slaughter of American-bred equines for food," said Equine Advocates President, Susan Wagner. "It's not only unethical, it also poses serious risks to human health and food safety."

2) WE NEED OUR TAX $ FOR OTHER FOOD SAFETY ISSUES - horse slaughter is a completely unnecessary BURDEN to the legitimate efforts of CFIA inspectors who are already underfunded and who need to focus their time and resources on livestock who are born and breed to be consumed by humans.

3) THE MAJORITY OF THE CANADIAN PUBLIC DOES NOT SUPPORT HORSE SLAUGHTER AND DOES NOT EAT HORSE MEAT.

4) THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO CONTROL THE HORSE POPULATION AND ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF THE SO-CALLED UNWANTED HORSE.
Visit http://www.meetup.com/Horse-People-for-Horses-in-GTA/
to find out how this can be achieved.

5) SLAUGHTER IS NOT THE SAME AS EUTHANASIA. SLAUGHTER IS NOT HUMANE. - undercover video footage has shown rampant cruelty in all slaughter plants. Horses are a special case because UNLIKE ANIMALS BRED FOR FOOD they have been bred for speed and agility. They are flighty by nature, have long necks and this makes it impossible to use the captive bolt effectively. They are often already hurt, lame and suffering. Sending them to slaughter prolongs their agony and the extremely long distance hauls violate our own weak shipping standards.
Visit http://defendhorsescanada.org/
to learn more details about the cruelty inherent in the slaughter process.

Horses are considered our most magnificent animal partner - they died beside us in wars, they symbolize our very nation (RCMP) they are used in therapy, and we reveal in their beauty and strength through events such as Cavailia and PanAm sporting competitions. Is sending them to slaughter the way we have decided to honour our equine partners and friends?

Did you know that it is actually illegal to slaughter horses in the states of Texas, Illinois and California? I am sure you know that horse slaughter inspections have been defunded throughout the entire USA?

 

A kill-buyer has one goal and thats to fill his truck.  He does not care if he fills his truck with a 2 yr old halter broke quarter horse, a mare who could very well give birth in-route to the slaughter yard, a well-broke hunter jumper school master, or a kid safe ranch horse.

Horse slaughter exists  to supply foreign countries with Canadian horse meat and make a profit for a very small number of people. The horse slaughter industry employs about 500 people.   

In the USA, abuse, neglect and horse thefts decreased when slaughter was stopped. The conclusion is clear: Horse slaughter is encouraging abuse and neglect of horses. 

There are many alternatives to horse slaughter. Horses can be given another chance at life through retraining and adoption programs or with rescues, retirement homes and sanctuaries. When a horse becomes old, infirm or mortally ill, the horse should be euthanized by a qualified veterinarian. There are a wide variety of options for post mortem disposal that range from the costly to economical. These include burial (where permitted), cremation, rendering, composting and landfills. Texas A&M, in response to this question, released a special report on composting as a viable alternative that would be both environmentally and politically beneficial. 

Links for more information: 

http://defendhorsescanada.org  ​;

http://www.meetup.com/Horse-People-for-Horses-in-GTA

A Last Minute Rescue 

After years of wear and tear, Bobby II became lame and was sent to a livestock auction that caters to slaughter houses. Many horses that age out of the carriage horse business are sent to slaughter and it is very rare that one is rescued before slaughter. NYC carriage horses can be identified by a serial number that is carved into their hooves, but to keep up appearances, these numbers are usually filed off the hoof before they are sent to auction and thereafter slaughter. 

The carriage horse operator who owned and worked him in New York City told the New York Times, ‘It got too old,’” which is why he deserted Bobby. Bobby was referred to as ‘it’ as though he were not even alive. 

It is estimated that NYC drivers send around 71 horses a year to auction, removing their serial numbers so animal rights advocates can’t identify where these sick and visibly abused horses come from. These horses are sold for slaughter and shipped to Canada. Bobby II is an exception from this sad slaughter circle for two reasons, first and foremost he was rescued, and second at the time of rescue, his serial number was still intact. 

While his serial number is what defined him as a carriage horse, it is also what saved his life. A woman in New Holland spotted Bobby’s number and quickly took a photo and posted it on an Internet alert. Elizabeth Forel, an advocate with the Coalition to Ban Horse Drawn Carriages, was able to identify Bobby based on records kept by the New York Department of Health, and promptly went into action to rescue this former carriage horse. Bobby had already been sold for slaughter, but there was a brief window in which he could be resold before he was shipped off. With the help of Friends of Animals, Ms. Forel was able to raise a sum of $800 to purchase Bobby and arranged to have him moved to Wagner’s Equine Advocates Rescue and Sanctuary in Chatham, New York.