20 FURY AS 49 THOROUGHBREDS AGED UNDER 2 AMONG 1,428 HORSES KILLED FOR MEAT
NEARLY 50 thoroughbred racehorses under two years old were among 1,428 slaughtered for meat in Ireland last year, new figures have revealed.
The age profile of the horses killed in meat factories last year has been described as “deeply disturbing” by the Animal Aid charity.
Their own investigation into the slaughter of racehorses led to major changes in the industry in 2021.
They formed the basis of a Panorama documentary, which claimed that injured Irish racehorses were being transported to UK abattoirs contrary to animal welfare guidelines.
Now details have emerged ahead of the UK Grand National at Aintree this weekend where 33 of the 50 runners will come from Ireland.
It also follows the launch of a new communications campaign regarding animal welfare by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) last week.
The new figures provided to People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy by the Department of Agriculture show that 49 thoroughbred racehorses were slaughtered before the age of two during 2023.
Mockery
Another 100 ended up in meat factories before they were three and 193 of those slaughtered last year were aged between three and four.
A spokeswoman for Animal Aid said the findings “make a mockery” of welfare campaigns by the racing industry.
Nina Copleston-Hawkens said the “truth is that horrific slaughter is still the inevitable end for so many horses”.
She added: “These figures are deeply disturbing and make a mockery of any welfare rhetoric the industry will try to push amidst the Grand National meeting this week. “Again, despite industry spin, the horrors of slaughter are categorically not ‘euthanasia’.”
The slaughter of 1,428 horses in Ireland in 2023 represented a rise of over a third compared to the previous year.
Most Irish carcasses are exported to Europe, where they are eaten as burgers, steaks or roasts.