Racehorses train at dawn in Canada. What does their future hold? With 17 racetracks in Ontario expected to close by 2013 due to the end of the Slots-at-Racetracks program, the Horse Racing Transition Panel predict as many as 13,000 racehorses face death. Google image.
THOUSANDS of racehorses face slaughter in Canada. This issue is making headlines usually with the number 13,000 attached to it.
These horses may face death, but they cannot be slaughtered. I will tell you why in a minute.
Sarah Ferguson, reporting for the Welland Tribune, reports:
With 17 racetracks in Ontario expected to close by 2013 due to the end of the Slots-at-Racetracks program, the Horse Racing Transition (HRT) Panel created by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is predicting 13,000 horses could be euthanized.
The number of horses expected to be euthanized is concerning to local horse trainer Bill Warner, who said “the numbers just don’t make sense.”
The horse racing industry “is just like any other business,” so it doesn’t seem right to destroy these animals when they can be sold to other trainers in the U.S. or used recreationally, the trainer, who has been in the business for more than 40 years, said.
Warner said some horses who can no longer race and are not suitable for other uses are sold at public auction and can be used for meat — but the lives of many horses don’t have to end, he said.
Although he did admit “more horses will be slaughtered than in the past” because of the number of racetracks closing.
“Warner said some horses who can no longer race and are not suitable for other uses are sold at public auction and can be used for meat . . .” and “more horses will be slaughtered than in the past”. I can see Claude Bouvry licking his lips at the very idea.
Hold on Messrs. Warner and Bouvry.
If Canada is following the letter of the law regarding the slaughter of horses according to EU regulations — which the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) claims to be — racehorses cannot be legally slaughtered and must be turned away.
Unlike horses who are slaughtered with banned substances in their bodies because of the leaky Equine Identification Documentation (EID) system, these racehorses will have known, verifiable medication histories. Those medication histories will show that these racehorses have been given at least one if not both of two highly significant drugs on the banned substance list automatically eliminating them from the human food chain — 1. Phenylbutazone or “Bute” and 2. Clenbuterol or “Clen”.
So if Canada’s politicians or members of the horse racing industry expect to dump racehorses in slaughter plants should the Slots-at-Racetracks program indeed end, they are either willfully ignoring or expecting to circumvent the law.
And this is why, in case you have been wondering, why the Horse Racing Transition Panel are careful to say the word “euthanized” and avoid the word slaughter.
However, the word slaughter — the idea of which was there are along — now is being said.
So with all of this in mind, the question that begs asking is how exactly are they going to “euthanize” and dispose of the carcasses of 13,000 racehorses full of drug residues toxic to humans?
With 13,000 horses lives’ and up to 60,000 human jobs at stake, seems it would be a much better business in this instance simply to let horse racing keep the money.
Political circle jerk….A Progressive CONSERVATIVE MPP Monte Mc Naughton going after the Liberal Government about horses that MIGHT be slaughtered while the Conservative Government of Canada has been supporting the slaughter of thousands & thousands……Conservative MPP Garfield Dunlop has been playing the same game…yet he continually says NOTHING about those already slaughtered & has no voice for those in the slaughter pipeline…..What is really going on here? Garfield is quite vocal about the racing industry but so quiet about the poor horses on feed lots all over Canada awaiting their doom! I post the articles about tainted horse meat on his facebook page …NEVER a response…..
You got that right!
All about power and who is getting voted in – the politics of lying and deceit.
His rallying for the horse racing industry is simply in response to the current minority Liberal government and the severe disappointment Hudak proved to be in the last provincial election .
All of these lowlifes will use any and all forms of spin, propaganda, and lies as a means of manipulation in hopes of swaying the public in their favour with the ultimate goal of getting themselves voted into power. After all many believe that the Liberal’s budget to be introduced next spring could trigger another general election.
What better way to win the votes of rural Ontario as well as others in the fight against the Liberals.
It is all corrupt.
As I overheard at a recent horse auction…….”looks like a quarter horse to me.” The regulations regarding horse slaughter at the plants are not being obeyed and everyone knows it!!
This is a story that is garnering” MAJOR PUBLIC INTEREST”. Exactly what is required for the PUBLIC to read the lies and deceit by the likes of those such as G. Ritz, T. Menzies, C Bouvry ,and let’s not forget the irresponsible HORSE breeders who knowingly provide a continious supply of young and healthy HORSES to Canadas SHAMEFUL horse SLAUGHTER HOUSES, where these animals are killed in a BARBARIC fashion. This is an opportune time to write to” Premier Dalton Mc Guinty of Ontario at Toronto Legislature BLDG.”and express your OUTRAGE AT SUCH A THOUGHT. We need to FLOOD HIS OFFICE with your letters NOW. I have already taken advantage of this opportunity and written to him.
This makes me sick.Does not surprise me.We are living in a inhumane society. One day we will pay for our treatment of animals.
Mexico or Canada, ect SHOULD NOT be accepting these horses, for “meat”! NOT these horses, not any following horse, not any future horse. Period! C-322
tks.
About the SHAMEFULL and BARBARIC HORSE slaughter industry
LETS NOT FORGET this,although the new European Union rules that take effect in July 2013 will essentially EXEMPT HORSES from the U.S. and Canada from slaughter, the dealers of death are desperately working OVERTIME to enter into a trade agreement with countries such as China, Phillipines and Kasakstan, where NO RESTRICTIONS ARE IN PLACE, freely permitting ANY and ALL HORSES regardless of medications and drugs to be exported alive over thousands of miles by sea where they will be slaughtered for human consumption. It is also worth noting that these countries have a cultural history of slaughtering animals in unspeakable ways, that we in North America will not be able to do anything about, seeing they will be in FOREIGN countries on the other side of the world. That is why it is IMPERATIVE that the U.S. Bill that has stalled be PASSED INTO LAW a.s.a.p.
This is interesting.
Why would they export the horses live when they can “process” (such a dirty word) them here and ship the meat. It would be a poor business decision if they want to keep the industry alive in Canada (or Mexico). It is only the EU not these so-called other countries that don’t have laws in place regarding the toxicity of horse meat. As such there should be no restrictions then as far as export.
No doubt they are looking at different markets but I can’t see how shipping them live would benefit the economic incentive. Doesn’t make any sense as if this is an option the US wouldn’t bother sending them to Canada or Mexico in the first place…simply adds extra cost when they could reap all the profits and ship from the US. They ship to Canada live, what’s the difference? Is there a law that says they can’t ship to other country’s?? I personally am not aware of any such laws but maybe there are.
I would like to see references to this before I would believe it.
Sorry if I can’t get my mind around it but it seems a tortuous and expensive path versus what’s in place at the moment. If this is a possible route the US would already be doing it. At least that’s what I assume. But I agree that if the EU strictly enforces these initiatives in 2013 it may be the only alternative for the “easy way out”.
Horses cannot be exported by sea for the purpose of slaughter from the US. Please see http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1824a. Note paragraph (b).
However, there is no such legal bar in Canada. The cost would most likely be prohibitive, yet there are statements on the internet that it is going on. However, their citations relate to traditional food animals, and not horses. But livestock is livestock, right? So horses may be included although not specifically stated.