31/07/2020

Sensational news that gives pause for thought in Italy

Slaughter of horses for meat, skins, medicines and various other products is now banned in Greece, as of 29 July 2020, bringing horses into line with legislation regarding dogs and cats.

This historic decision is the end result of a long campaign by the two associations Hellenic Animal Welfare Federation and Ippothesis. Within the context of the COVID-19 emergency, plus numerous scandals surrounding horsemeat with all the dangers it poses for human health, these associations first put pressure on the Minister of Agriculture and then won the approval of the Greek parliament.

Technically speaking, this ban is an amendment to the 2012 dog and cat welfare law. The amendment is contained within Law 4711, published in the Greek Official Gazette on 29 July 2020. Article 17 reads: “It is forbidden to breed and use animals for fighting and related activities. It is also forbidden to breed and use dogs, cats and horses for the production of skins, leather or meat, or for the production of medicines and other substances”.

The associations were able to draw on the deep cultural relationship which binds Greeks historically to these animals, companions to humans throughout their evolution: indeed it seems that the first two words of the most ancient Greek language ever to be deciphered were man and horse.

It has to be said that in Greece there is no culture of eating horse meat, and there are no abattoirs authorised to slaughter horses. However, over the years an alarming number of illegal abattoirs have sprung up to meet the needs of the growing equestrian sport and racing markets, so much so that there was already talk of permits for horse butchery. Thanks to this new ban, that will no longer be possible.

Greece will now have to bring itself into line with European legislation on registration of equines – at present there is no national register of individuals, nor the obligation to provide for an ID system, and therefore no means of tracing them. Once this is set up, the legal cover for the welfare of horses will be complete.

“We are delighted with this news, and above all, that symbolically, it comes to us from a country widely considered the cradle of civilisation”, stated IHP President, Sonny Richichi. “My sincere congratulations for this huge achievement go to Irina Molfessi, President of the Hellenic Animal Welfare Federation, and to Rosa Rousseau, President of Ippothesis. We will be collaborating with them from now on, as we already do with the many associations in Europe and on other continents, to strengthen the network of defence of equine welfare. In Italy too we have a similar aim, even though we start from a totally different situation: unlike in Greece, Italians consume a large amount of horsemeat, which in itself isimbued withbogus myths and boorish traditions, putting our country at the top of the list in Europe for the consumption of horsemeat, both domestically slaughtered and imported. Our journey will be made very arduous by the vast economic interests involved, but we are determined.”


(photo from Wikipedia: Alessandro Magno and Bucefalo)