CHICAGO, (EWA) – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued the long awaited health requirements for all horses bound for slaughter in Canada. In 2009, 56% of the 93,812 horses slaughtered in Canada were U.S. exports.
The requirements posted on the CFIA website state, “Effective July 31, 2010, it will be mandatory for all CFIA inspected facilities in Canada engaged in the slaughter of equines for edible purposes to have complete records for all animals (domestic and imported) presented for slaughter.”
A January 21st article in the Western Producer indicated that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was cooperating with the CFIA. When contacted on January 28th to determine how the USDA was cooperating, Dr. Cordes, National Equine Coordinator, stated that compliance was Canada’s responsibility.
The European Union (EU), FDA and CFIA regulations have prohibited the slaughter of animals for human consumption that have ever received prohibited substances, but until now, there has been no serious attempt at enforcement.
Of particular concern is the common and widely used prohibited drug Phenylbutazone, also called PZB or Bute. “PBZ is a known carcinogen and can cause aplastic anemia (bone marrow suppression) in humans”, states Equine Welfare Alliance’s (EWA) Food Safety Subject Matter Expert, Dr. Ann Marini, Ph.D./M.D. PBZ is used so prolifically in the racing industry that its administration before a race is noted on racing forms at many tracks.
Also listed is Clenbuterol, one of the most effective FDA approved drugs for treating COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder), a debilitating condition common in horses. Anabolic Steroids such as Winstrol, commonly used in racing and performance horses are also banned, as are drugs used by horse breeders to regulate estrus cycles.
Unlike the EU countries that electronically track veterinary records from birth, the US and Canada have no such system for horses, since they are not raised as food animals. Many slaughter bound horses have had multiple owners, and without a tracking system, it is impossible to guarantee that the horses have not been given prohibited substances. Also, most horse owners do not intend to send their horses to slaughter, as they unknowingly end up in the slaughter pipeline when sold to unscrupulous buyers or are taken to auctions where they are purchased by kill buyers.
The CFIA announcement states, “These new requirements are only the first step towards strengthening Canada’s food safety and traceability system for equines.” The EU has indicated this was part of a three year plan to bring third countries into complete compliance with current EU standards. This would mean that horses presented for slaughter will eventually require documentation from birth, assuring they have never received banned substances.
During 2008, in response to the closure of the three US based slaughter plants the previous year, the export of US horses for slaughter in Canada and Mexico soared to over 77,073 and 56,731 respectively. However in 2009, as the world economy declined, exports dropped by 20%. “The only practical means to meet these requirements is quarantine”, explains EWA’s John Holland, “and we estimate that will double the cost of these horses, further reducing the demand.” The CHDC’s Sinikka Crosland added, “The welfare of the horses has not been considered, and horses in quarantine feedlots will be at huge risk of sickness and suffering”.
A Discussion Paper will be released by the EWA and CHDC in the coming days, detailing concerns with the newly announced regulations.
The EWA and CHDC have always warned that our equines are not safe for human consumption and implores Congress to step up to protect the health safety of foreign consumers by passing the legislation before it (HR 503 and S 727) that will stop the export of American horses.
CHDC and EWA urge all horse owners to end their horse’s life by humane euthanasia as we do for all non-food animals
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
What about horses bound for non-human consumption (pet food, zoos, etc.)
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I read here “NEVER received banned substances” but I see in the actual documents, only a 6 month period of time needed, that the horse could have recieved the substance, but just not in the last 6 months. I have not really studied the EU report in depth – maybe some substances need 6 moths, maybe some are “never”?
In any event, if EU thinks that this will actually be inforced they have already eaten too much tainted horse meat.
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Some are 6 months; forbidden substances are FOREVER – like bute. If the label says: “Not for use on horses intended for human consumption,” that is forever. Check your horse stuff – just about everything has that on the label! Look at R.T.’s picture above.
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I was happy to see this when it came in as a google news alert but I agree with Roxy, the chances that this will be enforced are not great. Kinda the same as our California law stating our horses cannot go to slaughter–never once been enforced. We still need to get our anti-slaughter laws passed.
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Think positive, even if just for your own sanity! This is a positive move and I can bet that all of our followers here and on other sites will watch it’s progression with great interest, and kick up unholy hell if it isnt abided by
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I guess I’m trying to warn off horse meat eaters that this is not a “cure” necessarily for what they fear will ail them. They should just simply say “NO” to American horse meat, period!
I mean, look how well we took care of our banking system and what that has done to the rest of the world – is there a clue in this somewhere? I’m all over the YouTubes telling EU to be wary of so called “clean” American horse meat. I believe in going at the whole problem, rather than reacting, in this case being the “demand” end of the chain.
Overall, stop breeding, cut out demand = no more horse slaughter (except underground illegally – but then more rescources could be put to stop more of that too).
UOH, by the way, under thier research and resources is promoting how wonderful horse meat is, scientific reports about good human health from it and all! S. H. Sue is a busy gal.
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Or, better yet, how do you really know where your horse meat comes from locally or imported – stop eating horse meat all together!
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Last, I promise, I really never intended to get into the anti horse slaughter side of this. And I bet there are hundreds, maybe thousands of others like me, that can thank Slaughter House Sue for adding Wild Horses to her greedy blood lust for the horse slaughter industry, that would have left the whole issue alone otherwise.
Sorry Sue!
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I agree that enforcement is a problem but I would hope that the EU would inspect, even randomly, the Canadian and Mexican plants. Refusing to accept the horsemeat would certainly be an economic set-back for the slaughter plants. Just recently Russia refused to accept US poultry because it was washed in a chlorine solution. A smaller supply will also affect prices and might turn the EU consumer to another alternative. Probably the only breed groups that would use the feedlot 6 month quarantine would be the Quarter horse breeders and Thoroughbreds if the over-breeding continues. This also will be a wakeup call for the horse owner who sends a horse to an auction now that complete drug information will be required. I believe that some owners have the hope when they send a horse to auction that the animal will be re-homed and not go to slaughter. Not so–
Angel’s Animals has been on the front lines of the miserable business of horse slaughter, documenting the abuse and circumventing of the laws that exist now. We all need to support this group for the work that they do for the horse.
http://www.animals-angels.com/index.php?pageID=646
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From what I read in the regulations it would be the Canadian buyer that would suffer the consequences if the regulations weren’t followed. I personally believe that these regulations are in part formed from the EU also banning any products from all those seals. Altho the Canadians are set to sue the EU on the seal product issue due to world trade agreements I believe they are trying to “make good” with the EU. Based on this I would hope that they DO clamp down hard on any falsified or missing health documentation. Also it doesn’t hurt that the Olympics are in Canada and they would like the world to think a bit more kindly towards them. It was after the Chinese Olympics that the eating of dog and cat began to be more and more of an issue which apparently the gov’t is now listening to.
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See the Grammies – see the wild horses? OMG I started crying my eyes out! Wild horses on the Grammies – Beat that BLM!
Replayed it several times.
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Roxy, which performance or artist award had wild horses? I only saw part of the grammys and missed that – maybe it’s on youtube?
Sorry for the OT — on topic now: this EU law can only be bad news for the slaughter industry in Canada. I can’t believe that the EU population has been accepting this meat for all these years when we all know domestic horses are laden with drugs/pesticides. I really think it was horse advocates here in the US pointing this out to the world via the net that got them thinking and finally legislating to protect their citizens from unhealthy meat.
As for SH Sue and her ilk, well, those folks are all apparently a few cards short of a full deck to be promoting horse meat as healthful. Right, and if you believe that, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Missouri I’ll sell ya real cheap! Evil, cruel, heartless and morons too!
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I’ve wondered about that too, since those label warnings about not using on horses intended for human consumption have been there at least since 1977, when I got my first horse. I guess they just didn’t realize how unregulated our horses are.
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The wild horses were in the part about how we should be taking better care of the world, just before the shot of the polar bears in The Michael Jackson Tribute with Carrie Underwood and others performing.
I’m sure the UOH boycott has made its rounds in the entertainment world and NFL already beyond those named and into the big corporate world, the same corporations that graze cattle on public lands I would suppose. HA!
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The wild horses in the Grammies were in the spot about how we should be treating the world better, just before the polar bears, 8:50 – 9 PM if you recorded it, in the Michael Jackson Tribute (one of his new songs?), had Carrie Underwood, I don’t remember the other performers right now – there were 5. It was awesome.
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Certainly any official documents prohibiting the slaughter of horses for human consumption which have been treated with chemicals which are commonly & routinely used on horses in the USA is good in the sense that it serves to educate those naive enough to think differently. The power of education cannot be overlooked. As for the effect of the new rules on actually preventing treated horses from being slaughtered for human consumption in those countries or entering the food supply in those countries, I doubt it have any. It would be too easy to forge any required documentation. Many of the banned substances are available without a veterinarian. Bute is available in powder or paste. Other substances are available in a palatable mixture to be given orally. Most horse owners are capable of giving an injection as well. There would be no paper trail to hide. Your average horse owner would not even consider that he should document what he administered to his horse and pass that information along with the sale of his horse at auction. The new buyer, the meat buyer, certainly isn’t going to worry about signing off on some paperwork that says the horses he is sending to slaughter are untreated. In order to enforce the rules, there would have to be more controls on the substances and well, we do such a good job of managing controlled substances in this country . . .
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Just found this article concerning a national equine register in Canada to address the problems of horses, drugs and slaughter.
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2010/02/029.shtml
Sounds a lot like the NAIS identification system that US Dept of Ag tried to set up and has met with a great deal of resistance by all kinds of animal producers including Slaughter Sue. Might be real interesting to see where this goes.
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Your link to “Horsetalk” opens “Conference session …”, the “new meat hygiene directive” links to “New requirements …”, which has a link to “New Slaughter Rules: Q & A”. Read through all the articles, but the “Q & A” really has me confused.
I don’t understand: “Is it possible to include more than one horse on an EID?” As I interpret the answer, you can put one to a whole herd of horses on a single EID, as long as you document/swear they have had a common medical and medication history for 6 months.
Say some unscrupulous person buys a herd and provides minimal care to meet Canadian standards. The horses that need banned meds get sick, crippled, and/or die, and the horses that live go to slaughter? That sounds like neglect and abuse to me.
I also don’t get: “Will theses requirements only apply to meat products exported to the European Union?” Answer: “These requirements will apply to all equines presented for slaughter in Canadian Food Inspection Agency-inspected facilities.”
The horses cross the border and “are presented” at a CFIA-inspected slaughterhouse. (Sounds more like they’re going to meet the Queen than being sent to their deaths for their “salvage value”!!!). What then?
Will they draw blood and test for banned substances? If the tests are positive, what happens to the horses? If the documents aren’t in order, what happens to the horses? Will the Canadians send them back to someone who wanted them dead in the first place, and may face prosecution? I don’t think so.
Will they slaughter the horses, test the meat, and, if they find a banned substance, reject the meat and prosecute the offender? If the offender is a U.S. citizen, how will that work? Will the offender be extradited to Canada? I don’t think so.
These regulations may clean up the Canadian horsemeat business, but I’m afraid a trip to Canada will still be a death sentence for American horses.
We need R.O.A.M. passed, no matter what the Canadians do.
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