A Primer on Horse Slaughter (A)

First published in early November of 2011 – I have put this post up front because it has become buried beneath my more recent posts and readers often have to search for it.  Enjoy and don’t forget to check Primer part B, part B+,  part C (The Last Part – Possibly) and appendices, as well as the ‘Slaughter Stats and Facts’ category for updates. I have also created a ‘Featured Articles’ page to display popular blog posts.

Before I set up the Q&A format, let me say that, at no time, does this primer refer to animals traditionally raised for, and used as, food for human consumption.  Horses fall into a unique category, as North American pets such as dogs and cats fit into their own special category, justified by the place horses have always held in the history of civilisation, the building of nations; service, military and sport roles.  Even if (or especially if) you don’t agree with that statement, stay with me anyway and see if your pro-horse slaughter argument still stands in the face of the facts presented.  So, if you’re clear that we are not, at any time, talking about animals purposely bred for food, and that we are only talking about equines (vegetarians, leave the room and go have a smoke), let’s start with a few questions and then some definitions:

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Posted by on Nov 14, 2011 in *Featured Articles*, Health and all that Jazz, Horses, Human Health, Primers on Horse Slaughter, Quebec Horse Industry, Slaughter Facts & Stats | 4 comments

The CFIA Hedges its Bets on Our Health (Revised)

You have to wonder what the CFIA did before now.

 

UPDATE: In answer to that question, Roxanne (whose comment appears below) supplied the answer. Her remarks are laden with useful information which puts this post in a new light…so I have inserted her comment here. And pls read her comments below as well. (In fact, I may completely rewrite this post at a later date.)

Roxanne:

The CFIA is only 10 years old. Canada Border Services is only 8 years old. Prior to that there were several different agencies responsible for several different things at the border. Canada had international agreements with the United States where the U.S. was supposed to inspect loads of slaughter horses BEFORE they crossed the border and then because of both our laws, mutual agreements, and the risk of spreading disease, these loads were to remain sealed until they reached their destination.Obviously, we know that wasn’t a good policy, but it was like that for 50 or so years. Regulations, especially ones made in conjunction with other countries can’t just be changed overnight. So while everyone was raising h+%#, without knowing WHY things were the way they were, and the steps that needed to be taken to change laws, others were quietly going about their business and changing the regulations, And don’t forget you need staff to do all this and that only certain crossings could be designated because there are only facilities to unload horses at certain crossings. They do not inspect horses for drug residue ante-mortem. It is done post mortem.

 

[What follows is my original post from November 2011.]

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Posted by on Nov 6, 2011 in *Featured Articles*, Another Brick in the Wall, Horses, Human Health, Media Reports, Slaughter Facts & Stats | 5 comments