| Audit Report Confirms Welfare & Food Safety Concerns |
T
he European Union (EU) Food and Veterinary Office recently released an official audit of Uruguay's horse slaughter industry, conducted in the spring of 2018-and the report outlines many safety and welfare compliance concerns.
"The EU's latest audit reinforces what Animals' Angels and our European partner organization Tierschutzbund Zuerich have long documented through our own investigations," says
Sonja Meadows, president of Animals' Angels
. In
previous
investigative reports,
our alliance has outlined rampant animal welfare concerns in Uruguay: ranging from untreated injuries to dangerous pen conditions to outright abuse by staff. "Our reports on the realities of horse meat production have contributed to the EU ban of Mexican horse meat," says Meadows, "and our work likely motivated this latest audit."
The Uruguay investigation was conducted by the EU's Food and Veterinary Office to evaluate whether EU import standards are being enforced throughout the horse slaughter pipeline. Auditors visited three
horse slaughterhouses, three horse assembly centers, one horse auction, and one border inspection point at the border with Brazil, among other related locations like pharmacies and police stations.
"The EU auditors requested that all facilities be in operation the days of the inspection," explains Meadows, "Like our investigators, the auditors wanted to see, first-hand, the horse processing treatment and procedures. But, suspiciously, none of the assembly centers had horses present when the auditors arrived."
Even so, by reviewing the center's records and conditions, EU auditors concluded that horse welfare was compromised at processing facilities and throughout production. Facility floors were in poor condition, waiting pens did not have roofs to protect from the sun, holding areas had sparse vegetation and water troughs, and poor cleaning and maintenance created serious hygiene concerns.
Auditors also found that documentation of the number of horses arriving and leaving the facility did not correspond, and there was insufficient oversight of the type or quantity of medication provided to the horses. "The lack of clear and consistent documentation raises serious human safety concerns," says Meadows. "EU countries deserve to know that the food they consume is not laced with drugs that have long been banned from use in animals destined for human consumption, due to serious human health consequences."
In sum, EU auditors determined that the Uruguayan horse slaughter facilities could not adequately guarantee compliance with EU food safety or animal welfare standards. The committee has issued a report to the Uruguay government, outlining the actions that must be taken to address these deficiencies.
"With this report, the European Union confirms that Uruguay's horse meat production is riddled with animal welfare concerns and consumer safety violations," says Meadows. Animals' Angels has previously advocated for the EU to issue a complete ban on horse meat imported from Uruguay, and Meadows says this latest information underscores the need for such a ban. "It is now obvious that Uruguay's slaughterhouses are unwilling to rectify on-going welfare concerns and meet the health standards the EU's consumers deserve. The safest and most effective option for the European Union is a complete ban on horse meat imports from Uruguay."
|
|
|
The power of undercover investigations
|
The audit also demonstrates the power and influence of the Animals' Angels community, as this latest European Union audit follows our alliance's relentless undercover investigations, law enforcement, and consumer awareness campaigns. "Thanks to our communities' commitment to all animals, we are achieving our shared goals for a more humane world," says Meadows.
"And now-as Animals' Angels efforts gain greater recognition nationally and internationally-we need that support more than ever." Meadows explains that Animals' Angels relies on contributions from passionate animal supporters to hold criminals accountable and stop continued animal abuses.
"Every gift, no matter the size, helps to protect animals in the United States, the European Union, Uruguay, and around the world," she says. Gifts to Animals' Angels can be made by mail or
through the website
, and all contributions will be used to shed light on suffering, inspire action, and create lasting change.
|
|
| |
|
| QUICK LINKS |
|
|
is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so ALL donations are tax deductible.
Your support is crucial to continue the fight against animal cruelty.
Animals' Angels counts on you!
Help us be there for the animals.
|
| ABOUT US! |
Animals' Angels works to improve the conditions for farm animals and horses all over the country.
Our investigators are out in the field nationwide, visiting auctions, kill pens, feedlots and slaughter plants to uncover the cruelty and abuse that animals all too often face each and every day.
Animals' Angels, Inc.
PO Box 1056
Westminster, MD 21158
443-821-3343
info@animalsangels.org
All Material Copyrighted
|
| SHOPPING |
|
Just by shopping through Amazon, you can help our investigators stay in the field, protecting animals!
A percentage of all sales will be donated to fund our investigations. Please check out this promotion and share it with your friends. It has never been easier to be there for the animals.
|
|
STAY INFORMED!
|
For more ideas on how you can help the animals and to learn about the many issues animals all across the country face every day, please visit our website!
|
|
YOU CAN BE THERE FOR THE ANIMALS
|
Leave a legacy of kindness through planned giving.
We are there with the animals. Please be there for Animals' Angels for years to come through your estate gift.
Did you know, you can fund an investigation in your name?
You can even donate stock to Animals' Angels!
|
|
|
