Very special thanks to Maggie Hinton of Canadians Against Horse Abuse who writes:  

Many Canadians and Americans do not realize that even though horse slaughter is currently not allowed in the United States, horses from both countries are slaughtered in Canada for human consumption.

Additionally, since 2012 draft horses have been shipped by air from Canada to Japan to be slaughtered for consumption, including for sushi.

The Canadian Meat Council, a member of the *Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) coalition worked on a **deal with the Canadian Government and Japan to eliminate tarriffs on the export of horses from Canada to Japan for slaughter.

Since that time individuals and organizations including the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition(CHDC) have been lobbying the Canadian government to stop the shipment of live horses for slaughter to Japan.

CHDC issued the first press release on the subject of live horse exports to Japan for slaughter in 2012, and were quick to point out how shipping horses live to Japan is economically feasible, because the CFIA is turning a blind eye to their own shipping regulations…

More recently CHDC sued the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which is a Canadian Federal Government agency for blatantly ignoring international shipping regulations.

So again, like many others, you may be wondering how shipping horses by air to Japan could possibly be economically feasible. 

Eliminating tariffs helped keep costs down. In addition, kill buyers and producers get away with keeping horses in crowded, wet, dirty, cold, feedlots without adequate shelter, including in winter — and we all know how cold Canadian winters can be.   Horses are transported in crowded trailers to the airport.

Then because the Canadian Food Inspection Agency turns a blind eye, horses are shipped by air to Japan in flimsy, wooden crates, with as many as possible crammed into each crate.  (Shipping regulations allow for one draft horse per crate, but that regulation is consistently ignored.)

When shipping by air, horses are denied basic nutrition and water, pushing the limit to what the horses can tolerate.  Horses destined for slaughter travel to Japan without the watchful eye of a trained equine specialist.  After all, that would mean an added expense. 

Pictures of horses in a holding pen in Alberta, Canada and destined for slaugher -- are courtesy of Christine Gallant.

*The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) is a coalition of national and regional organizations that support a more open and fair international trading environment for agriculture and agri-food. CAFTA’s members: Canola Council of Canada, Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Pulse Canada, Soy Canada, Canadian Pork Council, Canadian Meat Council, Canola Growers Association, Grain Growers of Canada, Cereals Canada, Canadian Sugar Institute, Alberta Cattle Feeders Association, National Cattle Feeders Association, Barley Council of Canada. Based on domestic exports data for 2015, CAFTA’s members account 48 billion dollars of exports, representing 80% of the total value of Canadian agricultural and agri-food products exports.

**In 2012 Canada and Japan announced the launch of negotiations towards a comprehensive and high-level economic partnership agreement (EPA). The  agreement known as the Canada-Japan Economic Partnership seeks to reduce  and in some cases eliminated the non-tariff and tariff barriers that  limits trade between the two nations.

CAFTA seeks expanded market access in Japan through the removal of import tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers.

CAFTA supports Canada’s participation in the EPA and believes it will  significantly contributes to the growth and competitiveness of the  agricultural sector.”

http://cafta.org/trade-agreements/canada-japan-epa/

The following is page 2 of a 1,134 page report – a spread sheet: 

 https://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/assets/pdfs/tpp-ptp/2-D.Japan-Tariff-Elimination-Schedule.PDF (Global Affairs Canada)

“TARIFF SCHEDULE OF JAPAN (HS2012)

(Year 1 – 21 and subsequent years)

LIVE ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS – (NO TARIFFS with exception of 010121.290) 

01.01 Live horses, asses, mules and hinnies 

Horses 

0101.21 Pure-bred breeding animals 

010121.100 Certified as being those other than Thoroughbred,Thoroughbred-grade, Arab, Anglo-Arab or Arab-grade horses (hereinafter referred to as “light-breed horses”) in accordance with the provisions of a cabinet order

2 Other

010121.210(1) “Light-breed horses” certified as being those used for purposes other than horse-race and as being not pregnant in accordance with the provisions of a cabinet order

010121.290(2) Other 3,400,000 yen/each

0101.29 Other

010129.1001 Certified as being not “light-breed horses” in accordance with the provisions of a cabinet order

2 Other 

010129.210(1) “Light-breed horses” certified as being those used for purposes other than horse-race and as being not pregnant in accordance with the provisions of a cabinet order “

T-SHIRTS IN SUPPORT OF HORSE RESCUE FUND 

LIMITED TIME OFFER FREE SHIPPING CANADA & USA 

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