MEET OUR HORSE MEAT
LEARN ABOUT THE GREEDY HORSE-KILLING TRADE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION & HOW YOU CAN HELP HORSES ESCAPE THIS VICIOUS FATE DONATETHINK YOU KNOW ALL ABOUT HORSE AUCTIONS?
Although much of the article is referring to horse auctions in Australia, horses around the world experience sales in the same way and this information applies to horse sales everywhere.
There are people in Australia who think that horse sales are the best solution to finding horses good homes – and you know what, they are, in some cases right, horses do in some cases get good homes – but in other cases, horses go directly to slaughter from horse sales.
MOHM wants to challenge the way in which people see horse sales/auctions and we think that while some individual horses might benefit, large numbers of horses do not benefit at all.
Some people chalk it up to horse auctions being a numbers game. Are we really okay with reducing the well-being of horses to a numbers game?
Accordingly, if one subscribes to Utilitarianism, there is an argument that the greatest good for the greatest number of horses applies.
AUCTIONS CAUSE SEVERE STRESS FOR HORSES
Unfortunately, advocates of sales are unaware of – or simply don’t care about – the terror and other issues associated with horse sales.
While at an auction, horses are subjected to terror as everything they are familiar with is taken away. They are taken to a strange place with unfamiliar horses. They have lost their herd and are among strange horses.
In the past, people were reliant on horses as a mode of transport. Horse auctions were often viewed as a necessity and back in those days, it was customary to send an old or injured horse to the knackery.
In our modern day, we no longer need knackeries or horse sales. We have alternatives available to us that are far kinder, both when it comes to selling a horse and humanely euthanising at the end of their lives.
Knackeries are still a great way to remove dead animals and use the meat of animals who are injured and can not be saved. (NOTE, we did NOT say that transporting live horses to a knackery is great.) In many places, a knacker can be sent out to shoot an animal and take the body away, so the meat is not wasted.
Sending a horse to the sale is an antiquated way of getting money. These days. horses that are unwanted can be sold online allowing the seller to pick and choose the best home for a horse.
Sales in Australia have encouraged scoundrels to injure and starve horses because scoundrels watch social media and they know how neglected and abused horses tug at the heartstrings of many. Such horses often gain attention and end up selling for more than they would if they were not abused or neglected.
AGAIN, TO THOSE WHO ADVOCATE FOR HORSE SALES…
While horses can get great homes, and it is beneficial to the horses that get great homes, one must balance that against all the numbers scooped up by doggers and then sent to slaughter.
It seems that people like “saving” horses and the opportunity that a horse sale presents. Meanwhile, many more horses go to slaughter than are saved.
Injured horses appear at the sales and attract attention and sales encourage people to hurt and starve horses for a more profitable sale.
DO THESE HORSES LOOK HAPPY TO YOU?
If you really care about horses, wouldn’t it be kinder to screen potential homes rather than sell at an auction where you have absolutely zero control over who buys your horse or horses?
HERE ARE A FEW MORE REASONS WHY “DO-GOODERS” ADVOCATE AGAINST HORSE AUCTIONS
The frenzy on social media helps the auctioneer, the vendor and the dogger more than the horses.
It also contributes to overbreeding.
How many unhandled foals or incredibly young foals have been sent to the Laidley horse sales?
Surely one can assume that many if not most of these poor babies were bred specifically for the sale.
One poor unhandled baby died at the sales when they were too terrified to be caught.
Another baby was removed from the traumatised mother and when they were finally reunited, the mare refused to accept the baby because too much time had elapsed. Sending these two horses to auction broke the bond between the mother and the baby.
And those are only a couple of the incidents involving the deaths of foals that we know about.
How many times do people complain about overbreeding on social media?
Surely seeing helpless unhandled foals at auction repeatedly shows that auctions provide an incentive to breed horses. Everyone wants to save a helpless foal at the auction but when we do so are we supporting a problem with overbreeding?
Again and again, we see scoundrels send injured and starving horses to auction. That benefits them because they know social media will promote the horse. By continuing to have auctions, we are helping the scoundrels of this world. Sure SOME horses might be lucky but lots more end up with doggers.
WE’VE WITNESSED PUTRID CONDITIONS AT HORSE AUCTIONS
Despite multiple complaints, Laidley sales are regularly flooded, and horses are expected to stand in mud overnight and for hours on the day of the sale.
There is no shelter and there is no consideration for horses in flood-prone pens.
According to experts horses require feed every 4 hours to stop acid build-up in their stomachs. Apparently, at one time horses were not fed at all while at the Laidley sales but thankfully because of complaints horses are now fed hay while at the sale yard. Proof that speaking up and advocating for horses can make a difference.
Are horses at Laidley sales fed as frequently as experts state is required? We don’t know.
We routinely hear about horses subjected to inadequate care while at other auctions, and not just in Australia.
Surely no one who loves their horses wants to subject them to any chance of substandard care while at an auction – so why do so many people still send their horses to auction?
BUT SURELY CONDITIONS ARE MONITORED?
There are government agencies that chase up animal welfare violations.
However, horses are not regarded as companion animals so the RSPCA do not look after them in every state.
In different states there are different enforcement agencies and people often do not know who to report injuries and transport problems to.
In some states, for example in Queensland, the RSPCA is not the agency responsible for horse sales so reports of abuse and substandard care need to go to Biosecurity. Biosecurity’s hotline number is 13 2523 — and PLEASE remember to take photos and videos and take notes with as much detail as possible to go with any reports you make.
Police can also follow up animal welfare concerns.
Please, when reporting to any agency, be sure to double-check that action has been taken.
We believe many doggers were attracted by horse sales in Queensland because they could so easily deliver horses they purchased to nearby Meramist for slaughter for human consumption.
Thankfully Meramist has recently stopped slaughtering horses so doggers who so easily dropped horses at Meramist have to work a little bit harder, and drive further to dump horses at one of the over 30 knackeries in Australia.
So although we’d like to think that doggers AKA kill buyers AKA meat men will be less likely to be at some sales, we’re afraid that just won’t be the case.
Please, please, know and get that horses sold at auction are not safe from the horrors of horse slaughter.
Doggers have paddocks where they can stash horses awaiting slaughter, and make no mistake about it people’s pets, companions, rodeo stock and discarded racehorses, are all slaughtered in Australia – many purchased at auctions.
We question the validity of the declarations presented by doggers at knackeries, documentation that should in theory supply some traceability after horses have been purchased at auctions.
As you may or may not know there are many drugs that are routinely used on horses that are never meant to be used on animals entering either the human or pet food chain – yet pet horses, race horses, sport horses and other horses where drugs like “BUTE” and “wormers” are used — are regularly slaughtered.
(Ask your horse-owning friends how often their horses are for example wormed. Do you want your pets eating toxic horse meat? See the page in our menu titled “TOXIC HORSE MEAT”.)
There is such a stringent system and consequences for beef farmers if they don’t have a paper trail about all aspects of the care of their cattle, they must be so angry that horse meat undercuts their price and that the Australian government and the EU are not concerned that horse vendor declarations are dodgy.
The same holds true for those producing poultry, mutton and pork. Why aren’t producers of other meats up in arms?
ONLINE HORSE AUCTIONS
One of the well-known horse auctions in Australia, Echuca has now moved to an online format. At least with an online format horses are relieved of the stress of transportation and being housed at an auction but moving online means that kill buyers can still buy horses, and it does NOT allow for sellers to evaluate homes and match their horses to great homes.
NSW seems to have abandoned many of the regular sales as well.
Queensland plods on with numerous in person horse sales.
Even though some auctions have transitioned to an online format – as we said earlier – if you truly care for your horse(s) why would you ever sell them at any auction – including an online auction?
Selling at an auction does not give you control over where your horse or horses end up.
Wouldn’t you rather interview a potential owner BEFORE selling and know for sure that your horse is going to a caring, loving home – one committed to the best care possible – and that your horse is not destined for slaughter?
Whistleblowers are invited to contact MOHM regarding violations occurring during horse slaughter or transport to slaughter. Are you an ex-slaughterhouse employee, a transport driver or a feedlot operator with knowledge of animal abuse, or other violations? Are you a track veterinarian who has evidence of horses “run” on phenylbutazone or other drugs, and then being shipped to slaughter? Do you have pictures/video of horses in transit to slaughter?
Anonymity guaranteed!