THE FACTS OF LIFE AND DEATH IN FRANCE
Posted by on Sep 27, 2008 in Uncategorized | 3 comments
France is no different to any other country in that each year there are many horses, ponies and donkeys that are unwanted, sick, old, injured or simply unrideable. In France it is expensive and very unpleasant to have a horse euthanased, whereas the carcass has a value. Rural France is not a wealthy area, and the practicalities of gaining some money from an animal (injured, old, unwanted) whose future is only death overrides sentimentality.
The price of euthanasia is governed by the following; it is illegal to not use a vet, or licensed slaughterman, and the vet is only allowed to inject with fatal doses of drugs, not use a gun. Hence part of the cost lies in the vet’s callout charge, and the price of the drugs. Having the carcass collected is also expensive, and the body is usually not collected for several days. It is left lying at the end of the road to the property, bloating and being eaten by wild animals, a horrible and upsetting sight.
In the UK, there is a network of ‘knackermen’ and hunts to quickly slaughter and dispose of such animals. However, France is a country that traditionally eats horse and donkey meat and so mostly every equine has a price tag and therefore a different solution has evolved. France has a network of over 150 approved abattoirs which process over 24,000 animals annually. Healthy carcasses end up on the table and the rest go to the rendering plants.
The reality in France is that many horses are bred specifically for meat, in fact, many of the traditional heavy breeds have only survived by being bred for meat. These animals are really the same as cattle in their outlook on life and have had little or no human contact, barring being herded into a cattle crush to be microchipped. Often these horses are powerful older animals and have no comprehension of even basic handling. In attempting to save these animals from slaughter, the safety of both the horse and the human is endangered as we have seen on many occasions. Whilst often docile, they are clearly frightened and have no idea of leading. They are powerful enough to be impossible to control in a normal manner from the ground. There are dangers of horses falling off ramps and breaking limbs, or running loose across the countryside, possibly into traffic or even badly injuring the well-meaning people who want to try and find them a new life. Commercial transporters for the meat trade have specially designed lorries with very strong metal ramps and fixed gates to prevent the horses falling to the side or getting free when loading. Most commercial private horse transporters do not have suitable equipment for dealing with what are essentially wild horses, weighing at least a ton apiece.
Whilst as horse people we find it very sad, at ERF we believe that we cannot be opposed to the slaughter of equines at local, regulated abattoirs as the other options are unworkable and unthinkable. At the very least, 24,000 horses are locally slaughtered and avoid the horrendous long journeys to Italy which face nearly 10,000 others. At the same time, we need to work to reduce the number of ill, abandoned and unwanted equines through education and responsible ownership.
I totally disagree with this title and story.. Any slaughter of horses should be abolished even though it seems a slight humane with a bullet. Here in America horses are being slaughtered in mexico by stabbing them in the neck to severve there spinal cords there still being hauled in double deckers to both places once they reach the boarders. In canada slaughter isnt much more humane. The truth is slaughter has a few irresponsible people making money promoting more horses for papers while still relying on slaughter to discard there less desired race horse or show horse. They are the problem they cry about the closing of US plants et the number are much higher than they were before we shut them down. in 2004 as low as 42,000 horses were slaughtered. then they raised to nearly 99,000 due to there lobbyist and lawyers expenses not including the cost of fuel the economy and feed prices due to the ethonol productions. The word sick, old, or unwanted horses were not even a 1/2 precent of the horses going. This is only a big lie to promote there profits. Even the BLM is promoting slaughter its just another government program that has mix managed tax payers money to support the goals of the Cattle Association to promote more cattle in the wild lands and remove all wild horses into slaughter areas. To allow any slaughter is a cover up and should be exposed and obolished. Texas Plants operated illegal for years until exposed by the Internet together many people exposed them and had them shut down. For Any Horse Rescue to support or allow horse slaughter isnt a rescue in our eyes nor will they ever be allowed on a program we created called the Top Ten Rescues for Donations which can be viewed on http://www.SaveDaHorses.org Here is the recent statement of the Cattle association opposing our bills hr6598. http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=255728 Theses were the same Organizations collecting $3.00 per horse slaughtered at Texas Plants. The AVMA and the AAEP knew horses were being hauled in Double Deckers and ignored it they knew horses were going to mexico for a far worse slaughter and again did nothing. Despite the Oath in office they had taken to protect animals. They have failed the trust of responsible people and only have the support of Greed and courption lobbyist and lawers that feed off the evilness of horse slaughter.
One of the givens with breeding horses for any job, is that there will always be unwanted horses. We are in agreement with you about the unneccessary overproduction of animals, for whatever destination, be it a competitive career, irresponsible dealers and breeders, or the foals produced as a result of PMU. Without a shadow of doubt, this is an issue that the horse world in general needs to address and be responsible for. Until that day arrives and the overproduction of horses is ceased, there will be a need for regulated slaughterhouses. The surplus of animals with no-one to care for them every year will not disappear just because the abbatoirs have. They cannot be turned into the wild, so where are they to go? To keep horses well, they cost money. They are too large to be garden pets, and require knowledge to handle them. There are not enough homes in the US to take these animals in. There is no alternative, sadly.
The horrors of the horses travelling to Canada and Mexico came about because of the abbatoirs in the US closing. As much as the idea is abhorrent, unwanted horses ( which includes the ex racers or sports horses) do need to be slaughtered. The closing of the abbatoirs in the US has increased the suffering of these horses, not improved their lot. Now they still face slaughter, but with a horrendous long journey in front of them and in unregulated conditions. In our opinion this was a naive decision made in the name of welfare that has badly backfired and one that we could not support happening in Europe.
Horsemeat is not eaten in the US, and thereby the US does not breed horses for meat. France does, the culture is different. Horses raised and bred for meat having had a free life are no different to the cattle and sheep and pigs et al that are raised and bred for meat. Until the world stops eating meat, an unlikely scenario, the welfare issues have to be in policing the conditions these animals are raised and slaughtered in.
Our concerns are for the welfare and suffering horses endure. Our rescue cases are not just taken from the dealing yards where they may or may not go for meat, they are animals in genuine distress. Many are unable to walk properly, with twisted or swollen joints as a result of foot neglect, or are so thin that they are close to death. Some we have rescued from being locked in barns for the winter, with no food and the prospect of starving to death. We will continue to educate and influence owners to reduce the over production but we fully understand the mountain that this represents. In the meantime, we support humane, regulated, local slaughter.
Unfortunately, these are the facts in France, whether or not you or we agree with them, it is how it is at the moment.
Worse than death there is suffering…………..
Horse slaughter exists because there is a demand for the meat, and probably always will be. Attitudes to animal welfare in the EU are different to those in Britain and consumers are not aware or do not care how the horsemeat, beef, etc, arrives on their plate. Conditions at slaughter in the EU have caused great concern to Compassion in World Farming, Animals Angels and others, so much so that the EU commission is now revising its directive to give higher priority to welfare at slaughter. So that is good news.
In the USA the horsemeat business has always been brutal and predatory. Even before the last horse abattoirs were shut down in the US horses were trucked in from Canada for slaughter. Consider that there were only finally 3 abattoirs in the whole of the USA, a vast country. Horses trucked for hundreds of miles, no food, no water, the usual story. Not a lot different to what happens now, or Polish horses trucked to Italy. Animal welfare in USA, Canadian and Mexican slaughterhouses is appalling. The meat goes to the EU and Japan. Because EU consumers demand horsemeat, US horses suffer and there is money to be made and greed and cruelty.
I personally think the results of a shut down in the US trade might be surprising.
Humane Farming Association and Vets for Equine Welfare have websites worth visiting.
Meanwhile on a happier note I saw on the BBC that cart horses/heavy horses are now becoming popular in the carriage driving world, particularly in France. To see these huge animals doing the cross country was a magnificent sight. This is also helping to preserve the breeds.
Best wishes to all at ERF