IF YOUR HORSE IS MISSING OR STOLEN…
UPDATED: First published October 2016:
I’m sorry to have to tell you this but as long as horse slaughter exists in Canada, even if you are not sure that your horse has been stolen, but is missing, the BEST thing to do is to IMMEDIATELY call the brand inspector at the nearest horse slaughter plant.
Please EVEN if you are not in Alberta or Quebec where horse slaughter plants are, call the brand inspector for the areas where the plants are. (See below.)
AND yes, even if your horse does not have a brand, call. I repeat, your horse does not have to be branded for you to call the brand inspector.
Call your local brand inspector as well.
(Be prepared, take a few moments right now, and save the numbers where you have other emergency numbers.)
CALL THE RCMP or your local law enforcement and FILE A REPORT with livestock investigators.
Unfortunately many have reported that they’ve struggled to get RCMP or other law enforcement to file a report, be prepared to be firm, to insist.
Please don’t trust that your local brand inspector will make the call to the brand inspector at the slaughter plants, for example, to the one for Bouvry Exports Slaughter Plant in Fort McLeod, Alberta — please make that call yourself.
Unfortunately in Canada horses dropped off for slaughter are often slaughtered the same day they are dropped off.
And unfortunately the protocols in place at slaughter facilities are very lax when it comes to protecting against stolen horses being slaughtered.
(See several examples of stolen horses being slaughtered for human consumption below.)
Believe it or not there is NOT a mandatory hold time before horses sold to slaughter plants are killed. Again, horses may be slaughtered the same day they are dropped off.
AND ownership, as well as declaring whether or not drugs not intended to enter the human food chain have been used on a horse — are BOTH on the honour system.
(That’s just one reason reason why horse meat produced in Canada is NOT safe to eat, and why recalls of drug tainted horse meat are a regular occurrence.)
Again, proof of ownership, and whether the horse is safe to eat, are BOTH based purely on the word of the person selling the horse to the slaughter plant.
The exception is if the horse has been branded and that brand is easily visible.
Keep in mind that often brands on horses are not very easy to spot, especially in the winter when horses generally have a heavier, thicker coat.
Horses, are for the most part, not branded and when they are there is not any consistency with where that brand might be. The brand might be on the front on either side or the back on either side making it even harder for a brand inspector to do their job. Even if your horse is branded, please don’t trust that it will keep them safe.
With slaughter plants in both Quebec and Alberta, most Canadians, and many in the USA, live within a few hours, and at most a 1 to 2 day drive of a horse slaughter plant.
With same day as drop off slaughter and with ownership proof being on the honor system, your horse could be stolen during the night, or while you are at work — and slaughtered before you even realize your horse is missing.
PLEASE take a few minutes, do the research and mark down the numbers of your local brand inspectors and brand inspectors for where the horse slaughter plants are in Canada, so that if you should – heaven help – ever need them, you have them handy!
As well as brand inspectors, make note of horse auctions in your province and neighbouring provinces.
For example, no matter if you live in Alberta or not, if you are in Western Canada and your horse goes missing your first call should be to Tim, the brand inspector for Fort MacLeod where the horse slaughter plant in Alberta is. His number is: (403) 634-5799
WESTERN CANADA & USA
IF you are in Western Canada or the western part of the USA your first call should be to he brand inspector for Fort MacLeod, Alberta Tim. His direct line is: (403) 634-5799
Again, even if your horse does NOT have a brand, call.
The slaughter plant in Fort MacLeod, Alberta, Canada is Bouvry Exports AKA Bouvry Canada and their phone number is: (403) 253-0717
File a report with the RCMP or local law enforcment.
RCMP LIVESTOCK DIVISION
British Columbia: Cory Lepine (250) 314-1800
Alberta: Andrew Grainger (780) 509-3293
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Please take a few minutes right now to make note of the numbers above, add them to where you store other emergency numbers.
And please take a minute and find the brand inspector for the area in which you live.
No matter if you live in Alberta or not, if you are in Western Canada and your horse goes missing your first call should be to Tim (above), the brand inspector for Fort MacLeod where the horse slaughter plant in Alberta is.
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ALBERTA: Livestock Identification Services Ltd. (LIS) is a not-for-profit and legislated organization that is responsible for providing livestock inspection services, maintaining a brand registry and administering the licensing of all livestock dealers in Alberta. By providing these services LIS is able to help protect livestock owners from strayed and stolen livestock.
Look up the number for the brand inspector in your area of Alberta here.
BRITISH COLUMBIA: Ownership Identification INC. Under the designation from the Government of BC, Ownership Identification INC administers the Livestock Identification Act and the Livestock Identification Regulation. To fulfill this role there are livestock inspectors spread throughout the prescribed area of the Province. These are all part-time employees of OII that have been appointed by the Minister of Agriculture to be inspectors under the Livestock Identification Act.
Look up the number for the brand inspector in your area of B.C. here.
SASKATCHEWAN: Livestock Services of Saskatchewan (LSS) is a not-for-profit organization that provides livestock inspection services for cattle and horses, administers livestock brand registration, and livestock dealer licensing for the Saskatchewan livestock industry.
Look up the number of who to call in your area of Saskatchewan here.
EASTERN CANADA & USA
Quebec is home to a horse slaughter plant, Viande Richelelieu. The phone number for the plant is: (450) 788-2667
Information about livestock inspections/inspectors in Quebec here.
Again, please take a few minutes, do the research and mark down the numbers, so that if you should – heaven help – ever need them, you have them handy!
As well as brand inspectors, make note of horse auctions in your province and neighbouring provinces.
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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.
JESSICA SCOTT REID
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