An Alberta Equine Welfare Team has concluded a report on horses as food-producing animals in the Alberta area. The report looks at the humane care of horses processed in Alberta for food.
According to the report, more than 1 billion individuals, or 16% of the entire world inhabitants, eat horse meat, and consumption of horse meat has grown 27% in recent years. Many people believe that horse meat contains more vitamins and minerals than beef, and they also claim that horse meat has more protein and double the iron of beef steaks.
Humane care for horses
Equine welfare report focuses on horses processed for food in Alberta, Canada.
The report highlights Canadian regulations that guarantee the humane care of horses at ranchs, at auctions, while being transported, and in the federally approved meat factories. The report notes that Canadian veterinarians find gaps between the enforcement of guaranteed humane care and actual practices.
The report also suggests that the number of horses imported into Canada for meat has grown over the past few years and faults the fact that horses from the USA, where slaughter plants have been closed, have to endure long trips either to Canada or Mexico. According to the report, horses imported into Canada receive much better and more humane treatment than those imported into Mexico.
The price of caring for unwanted horses in Canada is not addressed in the report, but an Alberta survey of horses shows that the decline of income from the sale and export of horse meat and live horses in Alberta could be more than $1 million a year.
According to the report, closure of the meat plant in Alberta would probably end in career losses and a downturn within the regional economic system.
According to the report, the decision to buy horse meat or any other food is a "democratic choice in a democratic country." The Alberta Equine Welfare Team believes processing horses for food is a humane finale to a horses life, and mentions that it is certainly committed to better equine welfare and the development of open communication to maximize humane solutions to husbandry, handling, transporting, and processing of horses for meat in Canada.