Horse Shelter &

Butcher gives Horse Meat a Run

Up until this point, Quest has made no public statement regarding this change in legislation made by the WA Agriculture Minister, because it really rates as a non-issue as far as we are concerned. As can be read in various areas of the Quest site, the processing of Australian horses for the purpose of human consumption is not a new thing to Australia. We have a long standing, and very healthy export market for horse meat destined for human consumption. We highly recommend having a read of this article.

It would not be many people’s personal choice to eat horse meat, particularly that of horse lovers, however, I don’t know that we can judge others for doing so, (as they do in many cultures). Quest’s only concerns regarding this particular matter would be that the horses involved are well cared for, and treated respectfully while they are alive, and that they are slaughtered as humanely as possible…which is our concern for all horses, whatever their fate.

While some may have an issue with the mode of slaughter (gun), a bullet is the quickest and most humane method we have available to us. There are only two methods of (commercial) horse slaughter approved in Australia – captive bolt, or gun. HUNDREDS of horses are being killed in this fashion every day, all over Australia, whether that be for pet food and fertiliser, or for the overseas human consumption market. It has been the case for decades that there is much room for improvement in the area of horse slaughter. The transport conditions, and holding conditions are far below an acceptable standard in many horse slaughter operations, and need to be improved for ALL horses. This would be a very worthy mission for those concerned with the industry.

Instead of the reactive hysteria that’s taking place surrounding this recent WA decision, Quest feels that we should be looking at our Australian horse industry as a whole, and asking ourselves why our horses have been relegated to this status. There are simply too many horses bred in this country, an unacceptable number of Thoroughbreds, as you would have learned in the above recommended article, and a very disturbing number of horses bred by what is commonly termed, ‘backyard breeders’.

Excess breeding is a major concern for Quest, as, having been involved with equine welfare for some time, every welfare situation that we have come across can ultimately be traced back to the fact that Horses in this country are in over abundance, and are consequently held in very little regard by many. They are commonly treated as ‘throw away’ items, by both recreational owners, and the ‘sport’ industries which make so much money from them. It is way too easy to own a horse in Australia. We have plenty of space, and at the bottom of the market they can be acquired for nothing, or close to nothing. There is also no authoritative body which registers and monitors horse ownership as a whole. These factors do not bode well for the welfare of horses, and they suffer for it. These conditions are what is responsible for our booming horse slaughter industry, and it is here that we have to look if we hope to create meaningful change. Please click here if you would like to download a flyer published by Quest some time ago, and help us in spreading this message.

If you are not comfortable with commercial horse slaughter, the only way to minimise it is to work towards stemming the ever growing tide of discarded and unwanted horses in this country. Sure… long term, but achievable, effective, and ultimately ..sustainable.

Maybe the first step is to have horses re-classified as ‘companion animals’ as opposed to their current classification as ‘livestock’. This would also clarify many blurred lines when it comes to what body is responsible for their welfare. Another worthy mission for those who are concerned with the slaughter issue.

Ideally, it would never have come to this. We just find it very frustrating that, generally speaking, Australian horse lovers are not the least bit interested in the long standing welfare issues that face horses in Australia, and are not prepared to become involved in the day to day work of chipping away at them. (Try to get exposure for these not so ‘palatable’ issues in equine related media!). Sure, some people buy the odd horse from the knackery, but realistically, this does not change a thing as far as the big picture goes. All it means is that another horse is butchered in the ‘rescued’ horse’s place, and that the knackery owners have a nice side-line of selling to well intentioned, but misguided ‘rescuers’.

Let’s get real …the work required is tedious, certainly not as ‘sensational’ as buying skinny horses from the knackery, and wins you few friends, but, this current decision in WA is only a result of the apathy of Australian ‘horse lovers’ towards the ugly aspect of the Australian horse industry. You could see it coming a mile away.

Much needs to be done, and objecting to this latest state of affairs is pretty much a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, so to speak. We have created this market, and it is very hard to understand why this particular issue has become so high profile, when nobody seems to have any objections to us culling 40,000 horses each year for the very same purpose, but to be sent overseas???

The blame for the shame lies squarely at the feet of our own horse industry, and as they say, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.