Icelandic slaughterhouse advertises for horses to feed overseas diners

Icelandic Horse

If you ever wonder why I consistently point out the supply and demand aspect of the horse slaughter business, here is a story that clearly demonstrates this principle.

Horse slaughter exists for one reason and one reason only: to supply the demand by consumers for horse meat and make a profit from it.

The Iceland Review Online reports:

There was considerable supply of horse meat at slaughterhouses in Iceland last winter but now more horse meat is needed to fill orders from abroad said Guðmundur Svavarsson, managing director of meat production company SS in Hvolsvöllur, south Iceland.

“Last summer we advertised for slaughter horses because we were having difficulties fulfilling agreements. Now we might have to advertise for horses again,” Guðmundur told Morgunblaðið. SS supplies the domestic market and also ships horse meat to Russia and other European markets.

Ágúst Andrésson, director of the meat production center of KS in Sauðárkrókur in north Iceland, also said that while the winter was busy, supply of slaughter horses has now become slim. “We need to fill two containers [of horse meat to Russia].”

KS’ agreement with Russian meat production companies is for 150 tons of horse meat. The company also exports horse meat to Kazakhstan but the best bits are sold on the domestic market, Agúst said.

Horse slaughter is not about horse welfare, population control, providing a service to horse owners or eliminating abandonment and abuse. It is business; strictly business.