It’s time for Canada and Canadian politicians to wake up. Canada’s dirty little secret is not so secret any more.
More and more publications are running articles about the inhumane export of horses to Japan for slaughter for human consumption (and slaughter within Canada for the same purpose).
Today an article from The Guardian.
PROTESTS AT ‘INHUMANE’ EXPORT OF LIVE HORSES TO JAPAN FOR FOOD
Activists seek ban on flying horses to Japan with thousands sent every year from Canada and France
Some of the 40,000 horses flown to Japan in similar crates from Canada since 2013. Canadian law allows them to be exported without food, rest or even water for up to 28 hours. Photograph: Canadian Horse Defence Coalition
Tens of thousands of horses are being subjected to long-haul flights, confined in crates with no food or water, to meet demand for horsemeat in Japan.
Since 2013, about 40,000 live horses have been flown to Japan from airports in western Canada. Under Canadian regulations, the journey can stretch up to 28 hours, during which the animals are allowed to go without food, water or rest.
The multimillion-pound global trade in fresh horsemeat to Japan is dominated by Canada and France. The little-known sector has burst into public view in Canada in recent years, fuelled by footage captured by campaigners of the near-weekly flights.
The footage prompted one vet, Judith Samson-French, to travel to the Calgary airport three times to see for herself what was happening. “As a veterinarian, I did not like what I saw,” she said. “These horses have not been trained nor conditioned for this kind of transport.”
She watched as the horses were loaded, in groups of three or four, into wooden crates that leave just the top of the animal visible. “You hear them in the crates,” said Samson-French. “There’s a lot of kicking going on there.”
At times, the horses appeared to be too tall to comfortably fit into the crates, she said. “These are big horses,” she added. “It’s absolutely impossible for a horse to lay down in those crates.”
She worried that the crating of horses, combined with the animals’ high centre of gravity, could prove dangerous on a plane.
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CANADA SLAUGHTERS HORSES FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION
It may be hard for some to believe that tens of thousands of horses, including pets, are routinely slaughtered in Canada, for human consumption.
Some of the meat is consumed in Canada and much of it is shipped to the European Union and other markets, including Japan.
The barbaric slaughter of horses is currently not legal in the United States, BUT horses, including pets and ex-racehorses, from the United States are shipped to Canada and to Mexico to be slaughtered.
In addition Canada allows for the transportation of live horses to Japan, to be slaughtered for human consumption, and unfortunately the transportation of horses destined for slaughter within Canada, and by air, is far from humane.
SURVEY EQUINE CODE
NATIONAL FARM ANIMAL CARE COUNCILTHANK YOU TO ALL WHO TOOK THE TIME TO FILL OUT THE SURVEY. IT IS NOW CLOSED. May 6, 2024: Thank you to BCSPCA for making us aware of this survey. They write:Are you passionate about the welfare of equines in Canada? Now is your chance...
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