Animals’ Angels has investigated the auctions, kill buyers, and slaughter plants within the slaughter industry for many years, holding the industry players accountable and bringing their horrific violations and abuses to light.
While the number of American horses who are slaughtered for human consumption has steadily decreased in the last few years, due in large part to legislation advocated for by Animals’ Angels and other animal advocates, thousands of horses still suffer and die in the cruel cycle of the slaughter industry each year.
The investigations the team just finished focused on exposing abusers within the industry and bringing an end to horse slaughter for good.
Investigations resume as pressure on EU Horse Meat Importers continues to grow
As our team rushes to tackle the many urgent investigations that are needed, we have found encouragement and inspiration from positive international developments.
According to several European publications, pressure on European horse meat importers is growing significantly. Fourteen influential members of the Swiss parliament have called for an immediate halt to horse meat imports from North America!
Swiss official Meret Schneider stated that “the EU requirements in regards to animal welfare and traceability of the meat cannot be guaranteed, therefore this trade needs to be stopped.”
Add to this the dissolution of the Swiss Union of Horsemeat importers (VPI) in January 2021, which in the past years had initiated and funded multiple audits at horse slaughter plants in North and South America. Carried out by the well-known international certification agency Société Générale de Surveillance SA (SGS), the audits aimed to increase consumer trust – Animals’ Angels reported about this deceptive attempt in 2017.
Without VPI facilitating these audits, it will be difficult for European horse meat importers to claim that the horse slaughter industry in the Americas is inspected and audited on a regular basis.
