|
100,000 Horses Transported To Canada For Slaughter
|
|
|
We’re a few years down the road since the laws that made horse slaughter illegal came into effect. Since 2007, with brief exceptions, horse slaughter plants have closed in the U.S. The majority of the U.S. population agrees that horses are companion animals, and are not meant for human consumption. But has the legislation really worked to prevent American horses from ending up on someone’s dinner plate?
I took a look at some statistics. The USDA data, although cumbersome to wade through, shows some interesting figures. You can research back several decades, and it’s a lot of fun if you like math. I don’t. However, lots of other people smarter than me have compiled the numbers. The good news for all horse owners is that, the number of horses that went for meat has steadily decreased since 1989. That year, over 340,000 horses were processed within the United States. Over the ensuing decades, the numbers hovered between 50,000 to just over 100,000 per year. In 2006, the last full calendar year horse slaughter was still legal, 101,123 horses were processed.
Related: Would You Ever Eat Horse Meat
Related: The Five Dollar Horse In The Shed
Related: Do You Support Chinese Horse Fights
Related: Canadian Parliament Considers Law to Limit Horse Slaughter
Prior to the year 2000, there are no reported statistics for the number of horses sent north and south of the border for slaughter. I'm not sure if it was because there weren't horses being shipped north and south, or that the the numbers were simply not being reported. I suspect the latter, since I vaguely recall hearing of horses from the mid-west arriving at a local auction yard. But, beginning in 2001, the reported numbers steadily increased. In 2002, 774 horses were sent to Mexico, and 21,709 were sent to Canada. As the U.S. slaughter numbers decreased, the number of horses sent out of the country increased. Since 2007, the USDA statistics reveal that there were no horses slaughtered in the United States for human consumption. However, in every year since, the number of horses shipped to Canada or Mexico have averaged between 98,000 and 160,000 head according to the Animal Welfare Alliance.
Horses are not being slaughtered on American soil. They're being subject to arduous miles in cramped trailers to reach their destination in the killing plants of Canada and Mexico. The U.S.A. hasn’t stopped horses from being slaughtered. They've just let someone else do the slaughtering.
In the Toronto Star, a 2011 story states “Canada has quietly become a major international horse meat supplier, exporting close to 20,000 tonnes each year to Europe and Asia. Canadians consume another 300 tonnes of horse each year, mostly in Quebec.”
I believe the majority of Canadians are blissfully unaware of the issue, although a poll by Ipsos-Reid poll found 64% of Canadians oppose the slaughter of horses for human consumption. They aren’t aware it’s happening in their own backyard. In Mexico, the picture is more grim.
The light at the end of the tunnel for anti-slaughter advocates is pending legislation, that may keep kill buyers from filling their stock trucks and heading to foreign processing plants. The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, H.R. 1094/S, could end the export of horses for slaughter as well as block slaughter plants from operating in the U.S. Then what? Will there be another ‘back door’ or loop hole for the kill buyers. If H.R. 1049 is passed, what do you think will happen? |
|
|
|
Oblivyous
Question: is it better for the horses to end up in a humane slaughter house where they will be shipped over seas to feed millions of people, or neglect, abuse, and let them starve to death over here because someone can't stand the idea of eating horse?
Question: is it better for the horses to end up in a humane slaughter house where they will be shipped over seas to feed millions of people, or neglect, abuse, and let them starve to death over here because someone can't stand the idea of eating horse?
|
Aug 31, 2014
• 4,211 views
|
|
|
|
Silver Magic Stables
I think it's disgusting. How could anyone with a heart do such a thing!Yes they could be mistreated in other ways but there are people to stop it. As Valkyrie pointed out they could be suffering for hours or days and no one is going to stop it. It's inhuman!
I think it's disgusting. How could anyone with a heart do such a thing!Yes they could be mistreated in other ways but there are people to stop it. As Valkyrie pointed out they could be suffering for hours or days and no one is going to stop it. It's inhuman!
|
Sep 1, 2014
• 4,067 views
|
|
|
|
Habitual High Flyers
I find it interesting that people will eat cows, chickens, sheep, etc. yet are appalled that people eat horse meat. How is it different? If you're a vegetarian/vegan and have your own reason against eating ALL animals, sure I understand, but why is horse meat so different?
I have several friends from various countries in Europe which all eat horse meat. However, all of the horses consumed have no other option for their life. Broken Thoroughbreds from the track are the main source, so if they're going to have to be killed anyway, what difference does it make?
Just my two cents...
I find it interesting that people will eat cows, chickens, sheep, etc. yet are appalled that people eat horse meat. How is it different? If you're a vegetarian/vegan and have your own reason against eating ALL animals, sure I understand, but why is horse meat so different?
I have several friends from various countries in Europe which all eat horse meat. However, all of the horses consumed have no other option for their life. Broken Thoroughbreds from the track are the main source, so if they're going to have to be killed anyway, what difference does it make?
Just my two cents...
|
Sep 8, 2014
• 3,930 views
|
|
|
|
|
Related Horse News
|
|
So where are these buyers likely to be found? There are quite a number or auction houses in North America where trucks leave filled with horses bound for slaughter. Here is a look at some of the larger auctions where kill buyers f ...
|
|
We’re a few years down the road since the laws that made horse slaughter illegal came into effect. Since 2007, with brief exceptions, horse slaughter plants have closed in the U.S. The majority of the U.S. population agrees that h ...
|
|
You get the feeling that despite legislation that should have wiped out horse slaughter in the U.S., the issue never really seems to go away. Most of you know that back in 2007 rules were changed so that there was no funding for s ...
|
|
The horse slaughter industry in Canada, according to 2016 statistics brings in about $80 million dollars in exports. That represents about 12 million kilograms of meat (26,000,000 lbs) or about 65,000 horses earmarking Canada as a ...
|
|
But since the new U.S. President took office back in November of 2016, there has been speculation that the bill that ended horse slaughter would be repealed. It now looks that looks like it may actually happen. ...
|
|
The public may be more aware of the negative side of horse racing as the number of race horse deaths at Santa Anita and other tracks becomes publicized. Now, USA Today has shone an unflattering light on another dark side of the sp ...
|
|
Earlier in 2018 the rules governing the horse slaughter industry in Canada changed and at the time some speculated that it would be dealt a crippling blow. The changes came about because of the European Union’s requirements that a ...
|
|
The FY19 Agriculture Appropriations bill has been passed by the United States Senate Appropriations Committee with a provision to continue the ban on horses and donkeys being slaughtered for human consumption. There will be no fu ...
|
|
As the popularity of horse racing increases in South Korea, so has the number of horses that are sent for slaughter. Most sources claim the number of horses slaughtered has tripled. And while most of the horses are raised for that ...
|
|
The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition, has been provided with video of dying, emaciated and dead horses in a pasture near Buenos Aires by their partners Tierschutzbund and The Animal Welfare Foundation. The 400+ horses, destined fo ...
|
|
More News by Winniefield Park
|
|
16.3 hand Thoroughbred mare RSS Ovanta R, with a highest jump of 104 inches and a jumpoff record of 683 - 169 has captured the top spot and earned 1,179,600 PB for stable RavenSide Stud TBS as we enter the month of August 2022. ...
|
|
The Calgary Stampede is an annual July event with competitions for professional and amateur rodeo riders. The Wild Pony race was received with enthusiasm by an excited audience who turned out to watch teams of young rodeo athletes ...
|
|
A race at the Cazoo Derby got off to a very bad start for one jockey who parted with his horse. Then a mistake by the starter put the rest of the field in jeopardy as they raced down the turf track with a riderless horse leading t ...
|
|
Trail cams often provide a peek into the activities of the nearby wildlife. Imagine watching your footage and seeing your camera has captured a speedy pursuit that includes a grizzly bear and 6 horses. The ensuing melee happened o ...
|
|
At 13-year-old the 17-hand Thoroughbred stallion MH Shameful Fame captured the #1 spot and held the record for the highest jump over the last weekend in July. He had earned 4,932,500PB for Mountain Hollow Estate and his jumpoff re ...
|
|
Jljflldlllllllllllllllllll BBBB uilyndlll. That’s the email message. Because it was sent by a horse. How do you teach a horse to type? Here’s how a group from Iceland went about training some Icelandic horses to send reply emails ...
|
|
One horse really isn’t enough. And for a woman with Skydog Rescue, that first horse led to another. As she found more horses in need, she decided she need more space to keep them. Eventually, she was responsible for rescuing hundr ...
|
|
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas may have found themselves having to rehome 14 donkeys and a horse that someone left on a large property. The horse had escaped and was galloping down a highway. After being safely captur ...
|
|
|
MOD