UPDATE from the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition:
Canada has its first Bill to ban horse slaughter! A big thank you to NDP MP Alex Atamanenko and horse supporters everywhere for this huge, historical step toward banning horse slaughter in Canada.
Bill C-544, "An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act (slaughter of horses for human consumption)", was tabled on June 16, 2010 by MP Alex Atamanenko: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4633655&Language=e&Mode=1
Click on the various sub-titles on the left of the document.
On June 16, 2010, a Private Member's Bill to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption was tabled in Canadian Parliament by MP Alex Atamanenko (NDP Agriculture Critic). The basis of the bill is the fact that horses are not food-producing animals and many are treated with drugs that are prohibited from entering the human food chain.
This bill is a huge step forward in the movement to abolish a cruel, archaic and unnecessary industry, and we applaud Mr. Atamanenko for his monumental initiative.
What can horse advocates do to ensure that this bill becomes law?
There is a process involved: All Private Member's bills must be debated and pass three readings. In order to move forward, a vote must take place and a bill must have the support of the majority of Members of Parliament.
For more information on this process please click on the link below:
http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/leg_proc_canada.pdf.
While Parliament is in recess for the Summer, this is the time for horse advocates to reach out to their MP to brief them on this issue and to encourage them to support this Bill when the Fall session resumes.
To reach your MP:
Please visit this page to find your Member of Parliament: http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainConstituenciesCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E.
Ask your MP to support Bill C-544!
We ask you to remind your elected official that horsemeat may contain drugs that are unsafe for human consumption. Horses are generally considered to be sport and companion animals. They are not meant to be served at dinner tables!
Background Information:
In February 2010, the CHDC received covert footage from two horse slaughter plants, Bouvry Exports in Fort Macleod, Alberta, and Viande Richelieu in Massueville, Quebec.
The evidence of inhumane practices as an industry norm was overwhelming. For more information from this investigation please click the link below:
http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/ChambersofCarnage.html
It is evident from this investigation that horses cannot be humanely slaughtered in an assembly-line manner.
We have also researched the troubling issue of banned drugs commonly found in horsemeat, as well as new requirements from the European Union stipulating that horsemeat for human consumption must be drug-free.
For more information on what this will mean to North America's horse industry, go here:
http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/finaldisc100314.pdf.
Read a letter from the European Commission that outlines their requirements for countries that export equine meat:
http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/residues.pdf.
Click here for the media release from MP Alex Atamanenko.
The Issue:
With the ban on horse slaughter in the United States, horses are being shipped into Canada and Mexico to be killed. Animal Alliance has has begun meeting with MPs to promote support for Bill C-544. The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC) has completed a report and released undercover footage of a horse slaughterhouse in Saskatchewan.
"The CBC has obtained internal documents that show Canadian Food Inspection Agency officers were instructed to break their own rules regarding the use of firearms to render horses unconscious before being killed" (Viewer Discretion is advised)
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/TV_Shows/The_National/ID=1512789968
Click here for CHDC's June 2010 media release
Click here for a June 2010 Globe and Mail article
Click here for Animal Alliance's 2009 "Horses Betrayed" report
History:
In April / May 2008, animal welfare investigators documented at a horse slaughter house in Saskatchewan graphic evidence of animal welfare violations.
CBC television's The National devoted 30 minutes to an investigative report in June 2008 called "No Country for Horses", exposing the cruelty and suffering experience by the horses. After much resistance and foot dragging, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) finally responded to pressure and investigated the allegations raised in the CBC report. The slaughter house was eventually shut down, due to "food safety concerns" according to the CFIA.
In September 2008, CHDC Central Region Director, Twyla Francois, filmed horse blood from the slaughter plant being illegally dumped on the banks of a nearby river.
On April 5, 2009, the CHDC reported the following:
Great News for Horses - Natural Meat Company Shuts Down!
According to the Director of Parliamentary Affairs for Canada, Natural Meat Company was shut down by the CFIA for food safety concerns. At this time we are attempting to clarify details surrounding the closure.
Further Good News from the U.S.
On April 3, 2009, the governor of Montana issued an amendatory veto on a bill that had already been passed by the Montana House and the Senate and simply needed an official signature. That bill was intended to stop any citizen from launching a lawsuit that might prevent a horse slaughterhouse from being built in the state. On April 2, 2009, CHDC had assisted U.S. horse defenders by supplying proof of the closure of Natural Meat Company for food safety reasons. This evidence then found its way into the hands of the governor. As a result of the veto, the amended bill will now go back to the legislature for consideration, thus opening up an opportunity for debate. With such strong evidence of food safety and environmental concerns, to say nothing of animal welfare violations that are inherent in the horse slaughter industry, it is clear that step-by-step progress for the horses is being made. We applaud the Equine Welfare Alliance for serving as an intermediary between our efforts and the many wonderful grass roots groups involved in the state and federal initiatives in the U.S.
In April 2010, the CHDC "received and reviewed undercover video footage taken recently at Bouvry Exports in Fort Macleod, Alberta, and Viande Richelieu in Massueville, Quebec. The evidence clearly demonstrates that horses cannot be humanely slaughtered in assembly-line situations." For more information, visit the CHDC website at http://www.defendhorsescanada.org
Horse slaughter has become national news and the politicians are being forced to act. We need to keep the pressure on Gerry Ritz, the Minister of Agriculture, to ban this cruel and inhumane practice. So please, mail and call him. Hand-written letters are best, but you can also print our sign-on letter and petition by clicking here. Letters can be mailed postage-free.
The Honourable Gerry Ritz
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
781 Confederation Bldg.
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Tel: 613-995-7080
Fax: 613-996-8472
Progress:
In order to meet the importation requirements of the European Union, Canada will be implementing new policies for equine slaughter. The CFIA website states the following:
Effective July 31, 2010, it will be mandatory for all Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspected facilities in Canada engaged in the slaughter of equine for edible purposes to have complete records for all animals (domestic and imported) presented for slaughter. These records will include unique identification for each animal, a record of illness and a record of medical treatments administered to the animal for the six-month period preceding slaughter. The template entitled "Equine Information Document" (EID) of this annex (see E.2) shall be used by equine owners for this purpose.
A completed EID contains a standardized description of the animal or unique lot identification, as well as a comprehensive record of the equine's medical treatment for at least the preceding six months. (http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/meavia/man/ch17/annexee.shtml)
Some groups believe that these changes will spell the end of horse slaughter in Canada. These rules will be applied to ALL horses destined for slaughter for human consumption, including any horses imported into Canada.
For the February 2010 Horsetalk article on these new policies, visit http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2010/02/010.shtml
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