17/08/2018

Arrangements to make horses disappear that have been existing for years and that the institutions seem to deliberately ignore - despite our many complaints and the actions of the Italian Police Force. Like the one that led to the closure of the firm "Riccardo Corrado Bruno" of Busto Arsizio (VA), one of the largest horse slaughterhouses in Lombardy that in 2017slaughtered 424 horses and that in 2018 had already reached 200 (source: VareseNews).

These are just the official available data, which could be far from reality – indeed, these individual slaughtered horses without the relevant documentation and therefore without knowing their origins nor their history if diseases and drugs taken. At the time of slaughter, the microchip of these horses was removed to make all traces disappear. Fake documentation was also found during inspections and the following seizure of the plant.
Recently IHP has published a study on the numbers of slaughters, which clearly shows a phenomenon out of control: even the health authorities are not able to provide precise data on slaughtering in our country, nor to guarantee the traceability of horses and to carry out al the necessary controls on meat the reaches our markets.

Our investigations, which have also been reported by SKYTG24 and IENE, have revealed the use of very predictable tricks to make a no-longer needed horse disappear: simply, having it carried away by the merchant, indicating a fake destination as a cover. The horse in reality is sent down a very different path, false documents are forged (or the horse is slaughtered illegally) and no trace remains of the animal.

The National Federation of Italian Veterinaries itself has stated years ago that it is realistic to assume that about half of the horses slaughtered each year in Italy come from the circuits of equestrian businesses and sports.

The horse is an animal with a long life expectancy, as it can live up to 40 years. For horse racing, a 8-10 year old horse is already considered old, for show jumping and other equestrian competition it is old at 15-18 years, for equestrian centres and other “leisure” activities it is old at 20-22 years (if it reaches such age). And after? For those who want to make a profit on their horses or see them only as a hobby the animal becomes just a cost, which must be eliminated.

Here is therefore the awful truth: the slaughterhouse is a very easy way for the equestrian industry to get rid of unwanted horses.