Unwanted and slaughter horses: A European and Irish perspective

Abstract

• Horse meat is eaten in many, but not all, European countries with peak consumption occurring in Italy, France, and Belgium and no tradition of horse meat consumption in Ireland or England. Horse meat consumption is declining and EU totals for horses slaughtered has fallen from 331,922 in 2005 to 299,903 in 2010. The European consumer tradition is for fresh horse meat. It is perceived by many to be a delicacy, free of growth promoters or additives, high in nutritional value and low in fat, with a short shelf life to avoid discoloration, that requires culinary skill in its preparation for the table. There is little or no demand for anything other than the fresh product, other than for derivates such as salami. The demand for fresh horse meat means that many of the horses that are destined for slaughter are produced or sourced in countries other than those in which they are slaughtered, either within the EU or outside its borders. • The economics of the horsemeat industry are therefore based on a balance between the purchase price of the horse and the costs of transport to slaughter. As Europe's horse numbers declined horse slaughter plants had to look further and further afield to meet their needs for equine raw material. Countries in the former "Eastern Bloc" beyond the then EU borders were slower to mechanize than some of their more affluent neighbors, but as they did so, they became the principal sources of supply and for many years Poland was among the main suppliers of horses for the slaughter plants of Italy. As horse numbers declined in Poland, sourcing was carried out further east and it was not uncommon for horses to be sourced cheaply in Russia to be destined to Italy. The high long-distance transport cost was offset against the low purchase price. • Transport of horses for slaughter has become a matter of public concern. Media campaigns aimed at stopping long distance transport for slaughter have been waged in many countries and petitions with large numbers of signatories have been presented to both national and EU legislators. The principal welfare concerns have been the type of vehicles used, rest periods, feeding and watering en route, the suitability of the horses for transport, many of which are by definition, no longer wanted or "spent", and injuries and fatalities that can occur en route. These concerns have led to revisions of European Animal Transport legislation. • Effective legislation and enforcement to protect slaughter horses during long distance transport within the EU has proved to be very difficult and EU legislation cannot extend beyond its own borders. This has significant implications for the US, where banning of slaughter has led to a massive increase in long-distance transport of slaughter horses. The distances travelled to slaughter from the US to Canada and Mexico are likely to be very much longer than journeys from the point of entry into the EU to EU slaughter houses. This may make effective legislation and enforcement even more difficult than it is in the EU. • The number of "unwanted" horses has been shown to have increased in Europe since the onset of the current recession. In Europe as in the US, existing rescue and rehabilitation facilities do not meet the need to care for unwanted horses due to limited capacity and funding. Unwanted horses in Europe are entering the human food chain through horse slaughter plants along with those from countries with increasing mechanization and also those horses that are specifically bred for meat. The numbers of unwanted horses in Europe are likely to continue to be substantial as the global economy works its way through recession and its aftermath. Europe's investment in its slaughter horse industry is a very effective way of dealing with unwanted horses. • Seizure of unwanted and abandoned horses is very costly. Slaughter is a cost effective and humane means of disposal of unwanted horses that have had to be seized by local government.