A respectful life or a cruel death? – Horsemeat stands trial

A new report by the Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) and Tierschutzbund Zürich (TSB) shows the systematic abuse and neglect of horses in the horsemeat production chain in Argentina. The two-year investigation, which included assembly centres, transport routes and slaughterhouses, revealed poor animal welfare in the handling of horses, their husbandry and during transport on unsuitable cattle trucks. Despite the fact that the slaughterhouses participate in the European importers’ “Respectful Life” project, the investigation found that animal welfare conditions had not improved over the past decade, and horses continue to suffer.

The film shows workers beating the horses incessantly with sticks and brooms. The animals are not adequately supplied with food or water, nor do they have sufficient protection from the sun and rain. Seriously injured and highly emaciated horses do not receive any veterinary care, nor are they euthanised. Heavily pregnant mares are transported despite being unfit. Foals that are born in the slaughterhouse wander unprotected between nervous, thirsty and hungry horses.

The lack of traceability in the horse industry has created opportunities for fraud, as evidenced by numerous media reports. Criminal organisations exploit the horse business for illegal activities such as money laundering and tax evasion. Despite prosecutions for horse theft and animal cruelty, certain dealers continue to supply horses to the slaughterhouses, further perpetuating cruelty within the sector.

The Belgian Meat Federation FEBEV and the Swiss importer Skin Packing try to prevent publications on the cruel conditions by taking AWF and TSB to court.

Please support our petition that calls on the European Commission to stop the import of cruelly produced horsemeat from overseas:
www.change.org/p/european-commissioner-stella-kyriakides-dg-sante-demand-an-import-ban-for-cruelly-produced-horsemeat-from-overseas

More information:
www.animal-welfare-foundation.org
www.tierschutzbund-zuerich.ch