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#IOSTOCONCINSZKA – The slaughter by the State authorities of this mare will not stop the Associations’ battle

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25/03/2016

The EIA-positive mare was slaughtered in spite of the vigorous protests from the associations to the Italian and Hungarian authorities. ENPA, LNDC, IHP and Project Islander are ready to fight on in Csinszka’s name to save other equines from the same totally unjustifiable slaughter.

Csinszka has been slaughtered: this Hungarian mare who aroused the sympathies of the world wide web, and thousands of Italians who supported the Associations in their battle to save her. She was killed by ignorance and by indifference, in a story where everyone lost out. The Italian authorities lost their chance to show compassion to save an innocent animal from an unjustified killing, the Hungarian authorities lost a chance to show a civilised respect for life. And Tamás e Viktória, Csinszka’s owners, lost their beloved horse.

Csinszka is dead, but not in vain. She will be the mascot of a battle which LNDC, ENPA IHP and Project Islander will fight to the end, until Europe takes note of the scientific studies that demonstrate the NON-danger represented by EIA-positive horses. In the vast majority of cases these animals merely have antibodies to a disease that will not ever emerge, and that has an insignificantly small occurrence. Europe also needs to adopt measures regarding these animals that do not automatically condemn them to death, following the example of Italy where, for years now, EIA-positive animals are able to live a long and healthy life, governed by the appropriate but simple health controls and living conditions.

In our press releases we have explained that the Associations asked Minister for Health Beatrice Lorenzin to allow an exception and permit the transfer of Csinszka to Italy, where she could be cared for at IHP’s authorised centre for such animals. This request met with total silence, in spite of a petition signed by thousands in a matter of a few days. Directive 2009/156/CE, relative to the movement of equids between member states, forbids the transport of animals with any of the listed notifiable diseases, of which EIA is one. However, member states do have the ability to grant exceptions – usually in the case of animals destined for slaughter or for the racecourse. It seems that our government could not countenance extending such a waiver to save an animal for once, as opposed to killing it or exploiting it.
Equally unsurprising was the indifference and cynicism on the part of the Hungarian authorities, accustomed as they are to acting in an autocratic manner, and at the very limits of legality in so many animal related matters, from their attitude towards pets to illegal commerce of horses and other animals destined for the slaughterhouse.
Lawyers appointed by the Associations are looking into the possibility of challenging the legality of Csinszka’s slaughter, and identifying where full responsibility lies.

For the Italian side, this apparent concern resulting in the refusal to allow the transfer into the country of a perfectly healthy and non-contagious horse, should perhaps be extended to include stricter controls of the clandestine trade in slaughter horses arriving from Eastern EU countries, and in particular from Hungary. This might be more convincing than showing such concern only when an animal needs rescuing rather than killing.


Press Office Enpa: tel. 06.322100 – www.enpa.it
Press Office IHP: tel. 0571 677082 - www.horseprotection.it
Press Office LNDC: tel. 02 26116502 www.legadelcane.org
Press Office Progetto Islander Tel. +39 3384016261 www.progettoislander.it



LINKS:

The fight to save Csinszka rages on

CSINSKA - Italian associations’ press release

IHP - Dossier EIA

IHP - VIDEO EIA (with English subtitles)

IHP - Resuming about EIA

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