A Canadian group is mounting a national campaign to end the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CDHC), based in the Okanagan Valley community of Westbank, B.C., is targeting its lobby at Canada’s 308 Members of Parliament who have been receiving a slew of petitions.
“This is a national campaign to raise the profile of this issue,” CDHC executive director Sinikka Crosland said Oct. 28.
“It is time the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) to open their eyes and see the problem. People are putting drugs into horses and then sending them off for food.”
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A second theme of the petitions is that Canadians view horses as “companion animals” and not food.
The petitions are in support of a private member’s bill, C-544, tabled June 16 by B.C. New Democrat Alex Atamanenko. The first hour of debate on the bill has tentatively been scheduled for Dec. 7.
Bill C-544 would amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act to prohibit import, export or interprovincial movement of horses or horse meat products for human consumption.
The bill’s preamble suggests that horses are being administered “prohibited” drugs and states that “horses are ordinarily kept as pets for sporting and recreational purposes.”
More days than not this autumn, an MP has risen to table a petition on the issue. They come from all parties.
“My riding is one of the most beautiful in all of Canada with some of the most productive farmland in the entire country,” southwestern Ontario Conservative Paul Calandra said Oct. 20.
“It is also known as the equestrian capital of Canada. I have been asked by a number of people in my riding to present a petition that would ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption.”
Two days earlier, Victoria New Democrat Denise Savoie tabled a petition with 150 names from her city.
“Since horses are not generally raised as food-producing animals, the petitioners believe they are likely to contain prohibited drugs that ought to be kept far from our food supply,” she said.
“They also believe it runs counter to our culture to use companion animals such as horses in this way.”
Some days, as many as six petitions have been tabled in the House of Commons.
Crosland said it is just the beginning. “We’re expecting this to continue,” she said, estimating that 10,000 Canadians have signed petitions.
“We hope all MPs will receive petitions on this. We want all MPs to be aware of this issue.”
