Stop Slaughtering Us billboard for horses hits B.C.

CANADIAN HORSE DEFENCE COALITION PRESS RELEASE

Port Coquitlam, B.C. (Nov. 7, 2012) — “Stop Slaughtering Us” is the slogan on a billboard that has appeared in both Ottawa and Calgary earlier this year. Now the billboard’s message is attracting the attention of motorists and passersby in Port Coquitlam, B.C., on busy Lougheed Highway.

Horse Slaughter Billboard, Ottawa. Another is now on display in British Columbia, Canada. A bill banning horse slaughter is pending in Parliament. (click to enlarge).

The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC) congratulates U.S.-based horse advocacy organization, Angel Acres, on a powerful campaign that has resulted in billboards being launched in both the United States and Canada. Well over 60% of horses killed at each of Canada’s four equine slaughter plants originate from the U.S. and have been shipped across the border for slaughter.

The billboard’s message is aimed at stopping the mass butchering of horses for human consumption. Last year almost 90,000 horses died in Canadian slaughter plants, in spite of overwhelming evidence that the practice of horse slaughter violates both animal welfare and food safety principles.

Charlotte Uhrich, billboard sponsor states, “We are pleased to put this anti-horse-slaughter billboard up in support of NDP MP Alex Atamanenko and his Bill C-322, an Act to end horse slaughter in Canada. Horse slaughter is inhumane and we do not slaughter and eat our companion animals in Canada. The closet door has been opened to Canada’s dirty little secret and it is time to end this evil practice.”

A massive collaborative effort on both sides of the border has resulted in a campaign that seeks to inform citizens in both Canada and the U.S. that this archaic business still exists – despite citizen protests and undercover footage that reveals, time and time again, the cruelty of slaughtering an intelligent “flight” animal such as the horse.

“The campaign to end horse slaughter recognizes no borders,” states Sinikka Crosland, Executive Director of the CHDC. “Most U.S. citizens are adamantly opposed to the slaughter of horses for human consumption, as are many Canadians. Horses are our companions and working partners – not food for overseas diners. Many have received drugs in their lifetimes that are not permitted to enter the food chain.”

The CHDC calls upon the Canadian government to pay heed to the concerns of the majority of citizens in both Canada and the U.S., and to end the slaughter of horses on Canadian soil without delay.

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CFIA fails owns standards regarding live horse exports

CANADIAN HORSE DEFENCE COALITION NEWS RELEASE

CFIA Fails Again at Enforcing Regulations for Live Horse Exports to Japan

CALGARY AB CANADA (Oct. 18, 2012) — Footage taken of Alberta horses being shipped live to Japan for slaughter shows that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is violating their own standards set forth in the Health of Animals Regulations. The Regulations prohibit the transportation of all animals under conditions that would expose the animals to undue injury or suffering.

The 2012 footage shows horses in a feedlot being loaded with electric prods into transport trucks, transported to the Calgary International Airport and being crated in wooden crates so small they cannot stand in their natural position, in violation of Section 142 of the Health of Animals Regulations (“No person shall transport or cause to be transported animals in a railway car, motor vehicle, aircraft or vessel unless each animal is able to stand in its natural position without coming into contact with a deck or roof.”).

Some horses were even being crated together, even though it is in violation of Section 141.8 of the Health of Animals Regulations, which states that horses over 14 hands high must be segregated for air transport.

Canadian draft horses from various producers are routinely live shipped to Japan for slaughter from the Calgary and Winnipeg International Airports. On arrival in Japan, horses are transported to a feedlot; once they reach desired weight they are slaughtered for horse sashimi, which is considered to be a delicacy in Japan. The meat must be eaten within three days because it is highly perishable; according to the 2008 Alberta Horse Welfare Report, each Canadian horse is worth approximately $20,000.

“Footage shows large horses overcrowded (not segregated) into wooden transport crates, often unable to stand in their natural position for a long journey to Japan, in clear violation of two of the CFIA’s own regulations”, says Sinikka Crosland, executive director with the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition. These transport conditions not only are inhumane but also are likely to lead to injuries and potential deaths during transport.

“Once again we see the CFIA turn a blind eye and choose to protect industry profits rather than do their job”, says Crosland. “The CFIA’s mandate is both to protect human health and monitor animal welfare. We have recently seen them fail to protect the public from contaminated meat and now we have clear evidence of them failing to follow their own regulations when it comes to live transport of horses for meat.”

To view the footage of Alberta horses being shipped live to Japan:
http://www.youtube.com/user/defendhorsescanada

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To learn more about the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition: http://defendhorsescanada.org/

NOTE OF INTEREST

The CFIA “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirms it is to be audited later this month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the first time in three years,” states an article on CFIA meat recall.

Canadian restauranteurs respond to horse meat protests

Cross-posted from the National Post

Written by SHEILA DABU NONATO

TORONTO, ONTARIO: FEBRUARY 20, 2012 - Protesters hold signs urging the owners of La Palette, the French bistro seen in the background, to take horse meat off their menu on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario, Monday, February 20, 2012. (Tyler Anderson/National Post)

As they brace for a possible horse meat ban winding its way through Parliament, Canada’s small community of horse meat restaurateurs and enthusiasts is rising to defend the eating of cheval.

“I have a bigger fear of consuming industrially raised chicken than I would ever have about horses,” said Jean-Jacques Texier, chef-owner at Toronto’s Batifole Restaurant, which offers horse sirloin tartare.

Bill C-322, drafted by NDP MP Alex Atamanenko, is seeking to end the import and export of horses for slaughter for human consumption. Horses “are ordinarily kept as pets for sporting and recreational purposes,” reads the bill, which passed first reading in October. The document also alleges horse products “are likely to contain prohibited substances.”

Recently, seven Toronto-area horse meat establishments have been the target of a letter-writing campaign by the Canadian Horse Defense Coalition (CHDC). In one letter, Marie Dean, a supporter of the group, wrote that she is concerned about “serious food safety concerns with the horse meat that you are selling. There are serious animal welfare concerns as well.”

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