The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has denounced a controversial practice in the country’s horse breeding industry.
Thousands of ungulates are exported by cargo plane from Canada to Japan each year, where they are slaughtered for human consumption.
The Montreal SPCA estimates that more than 40,000 horses were transported without food, water and rest for journeys longer than 28 hours.
“These transports are carried out in really harmful conditions for the horses. They are endangering their well-being, deplores TVA Nouvelles, the organization’s interim director general, Me Sophie Gaillard.
Although the Prime Minister gave the Ministry of Agriculture a mandate to ban the practice in December 2021, the promise has not been kept: since then, more than 2,000 horses have been doomed to certain death by plane.
“It’s an industry that has been the subject of multiple lawsuits from multiple animal welfare organizations, including the Montreal SPCA, but also across Canada.”
FYI: Quebec is the second largest province for horse meat exports, particularly to Asia, France and the United States, but breeders do not ship live animals.
In exchange with TVA Nouvelles, the federal government plans to issue a response on Monday afternoon.