Horse Slaughtering in Canada: What is it and what can we do about it.
Horse slaughtering is a practice in which horses are taken to slaughterhouses and kept in feed lots before they are killed and the meat is then sold to people for consumption. The meat travels mostly to Europe and Asia. The description sends shivers up my spine, as both a horse lover and human being. In Canada horse slaughtering has become a growing industry. In the past five years with as many as 100, 000 horses being slaughtered per year
There are numerous ethical issues surrounding the issue of horse slaughtering. Horses end up at auction houses because their owners often can no longer afford them, can no longer provide adequate care for them, or they are a retired race horse or show horse that is no longer performing well. Wild horses are also captured by slaughterhouses as they don\t have to pay any money for a horse they catch. Horses are bought at auctions by slaughterhouses for very cheap and then transported in trailers to the slaughterhouse. The trailers are designed for smaller farm animals and the horses become very crammed, many are injured during the trip and some even die. Horses are often not given enough food or water for the trip either and are emaciated upon arrival. It is blatant animal cruelty. When horses are transported to Canada from the US the same thing occurs and the horses often suffer in hot temperatures on the drive and many die from heat exhaustion. At the moment, horses can be transported without food of water for 36 hours according to guidelines
Horse slaughtering can affect everyone and the environment. Horses are given numerous vaccines when they are younger all the way into their adulthood. The slaughterhouses have been known to dump horse blood into fields which in turns makes its way into our rivers and streams which is dangerous not only to the animals that live in the water but also because water is a non-renewable source and that could be our drinking water at some point! A video can be viewed at this link http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/IllegalDumpingofHorseBlood.html Humans would then be exposed to the chemicals in the vaccines. The same happens to those consuming the horse meat. Horses are not bred for human consumption and as a result people consuming horse meat are consuming the chemicals that have been injected into the horses to fight or strangles or an infection. The horse remains are put into a field almost like compost but it has been found that slaughterhouses do not follow regulations when disposing of the remains
I chose to present this issue because I am an avid horse girl who has a passion for riding and a love for horses. I have been riding horses since I was about 5 years old and I don’t think I will ever stop. I consider horses to be friends, not food! I hope to one day open my own rescue center to take in injured, abandoned, and unwanted horses. The relationship between a human and a horse is a very special bond that is like no other. Horses are more than a pet, almost like a friend in a way. I have a great amount of respect for these creatures and they should be treated humanely and not treated like dirt. Many people do not know about this occurring in Canada which makes the problem even more serious. Educating the public about the issue is key so that letters can be written to local MP’s requesting action be taken immediately to stop the practice.
This issue is so important because there are ethical issues at hand which are listed and described above. It is both a humane and environmental issue. This disgraceful practice takes place in our own back yard and we need to do something now to stop it. We as Canadians protect other animals from harm so what is stopping us from rescuing the horses. Defenceless horses are being sold and our wild herds are disappearing. If the USA can ban the practice, so can Canada. There is hardly a market for horse meat in Canada, those living in Europe and Asia pay top dollar for the meat so it is making a lot of money for those in the industry in Canada. Money should not be a reason to continue this unethical practice.
How people can you help? Spread the word! Educate everyone, the more that know about the unethical treatment the better. Contact your local horse shelter to volunteer, host a fundraiser in support of a rescue shelter for horses, contact your local MP, and write a letter to the Prime Minister as well as the Canada Food Inspection Agency. You can also start a petition and gather signatures and then send the petition to the federal government urging them to do something about horse slaughtering. Please see the sites listed below for more information on horse slaughtering and protecting the Canada and the USA’s horses.
More resources for consideration:
http://www.voiceforthehorse.com/
http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/saveamericashorses/index.html
http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/Home.html
http://www.spca.bc.ca/welfare/campaign-issues/horse-slaughter-in-canada.html
http://www.savingamericashorses.org/
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/horse_slaughter/
CBC News. (2008, June 11). CBC probe raises questions about horse slaughtering. Retrieved August 1, 2011, from CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2008/06/10/horses-slaughter.html
CBC News. (2010, May 17). Horse slaughter rules violated, video shows. Retrieved August 2, 2011, from CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/05/17/f-horse-slaughter.html
Humane Society International/Canada. (2010). Horse Slaughter. Retrieved August 1, 2011, from Humane Society International/Canada: http://www.hsicanada.ca/horses/horse_slaughter/
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