Next step to ban on ‘vile’ transport for slaughter
Number of horses being transported has fallen ‘significantly’, charity reports
THANKS to decades of work, another important milestone has been reached in efforts to end the “vile and needless” long-distance transport of horses to slaughter.
World Horse Welfare, which has been campaigning for an end to the practice for decades, is “delighted” to announce the latest figures it has obtained show the number of horses travelled across Europe to their deaths in 2016 has dropped to about 30,000. In 2012, it was around 54,000 — down from 165,000 in 2001.
“This is another hugely encouraging step in our longrunning campaign to end this vile and needless trade once and for all,” said World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers. “We believe a number of factors have contributed to the significant reduction, but campaigning has undoubtedly been a major influencer and we would like to thank everyone who has supported our campaign.”
Last year, H&H accompanied World Horse Welfare to see the conditions endured by horses en route to slaughter in southern Italy (news, 18 May 2017).
At the time, the charity launched a petition calling for maximum journey times for horses to be limited to 12 hours, including loading and unloading.
Should this be achieved, the knock-on effect could be to help end the practice of long-distance transport to slaughter for good.
“We know that 30,000 horses enduring these exhausting long journeys to slaughter every year is still shocking and we are committed to seeing that number reduced to zero by 2027,” Mr Owers said. “I urge everyone to sign and share our petition as widely as possible, so together we can complete the job of ending the long-distance transport of horses to slaughter in Europe for ever.”
The aim is to deliver the petition to the EU in early 2019, before Britain leaves the union.
World Horse Welfare is also to conduct consumer research in Italy on the motivations for buying and eating horse meat.
It will also undertake further research into horse behaviour and welfare during and after journeys and investigate non-compliance with transport regulations.
“This evidence is vital to show the European Commission that the law as it stands is detrimental to welfare, is unenforceable and unenforced,” the spokesman said.