Ireland: horse slaughter on the increase
26/11/2012
The report, in the Irish Independent, quoted official figures from the department of agriculture that said abattoirs in Ireland had slaughtered more than 12,000 horses in 2011 and that the figure has quadrupled in the last two years.
Meat from the horses is being exported to continental Europe for human consumption as well as being used in pet food. The article gave no information on demand for horse hides.
Since 2008, the US Department of Agriculture has quoted as zero the number of horses recorded in official slaughter statistics there. A spokersperson for the department told leatherbiz in 2009 that abattoirs in the US felt unable to handle horses owing to fears of protests from animal rights supporters.
Speculation in the Irish Independent is that abattoirs there are being asked to slaughter more horses because many animal owners who bought horses when the economy was riding high in the Celtic Tiger years can no longer afford to keep and feed the horses.
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