05/06/2023
Stop the “hormone of misery” PMSG
The 2021 documentary “Iceland – Land of the 5,000 Blood Mares” by Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) and Tierschutzbund Zürich (TSB) revealed the truth about a cruel business: 119 blood farms, more than 5,300 blood mares, more than 5,000 foals destined for the slaughterhouse. The only reason is to collect the blood product PMSG (eCG), a hormone obtained from the blood of pregnant mares. And why? Because that hormone is a booster for industrial animal farming. When used in female swine, the mother sows become pregnant faster, and synchronised. Their piglets are born almost at the same time. This facilitates the streamlining of all the process steps for the meat-producing pork industry: artificial insemination, birth, fattening, and slaughter.
Iceland is planning to increase the capacity for PMSG production to up to 20,000 blood mares. In figures, this means: up to 20,000 foals for slaughter as a “by-product”. Up to 30 % of all Icelandic horses would be blood mares. A requirement for pastures three times the size of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.
We want the production and use of the hormone of misery PMSG stopped altogether. No more horse blood for cheap pork. Step one: awareness must be raised among the public and pressure exerted on the Icelandic government. Please help us with your signature.
Update March 2023: In spite of heated public debate, the Icelandic Minister of Agriculture passed a new regulation in August 2022 allowing the collection of blood until 2025. The torturing continues unabated. The only change: the collection of blood is now officially approved. For the horses, nothing has changed. It is still legal to collect 5 litres of blood a week from the mares, and 40 litres of blood in total per season. In 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture will decide once and for all about the future of PMSG collection in Iceland. Until then, we will continue to put pressure on the government and those who profit from this cruel business.
The new film by Animal Welfare Foundation and Tierschutzbund Zürich (March 2023) is the result of a new investigation and many interviews with experts: “Iceland: The hidden blood business”.
Support us and demand a stop of the production of PMSG in Iceland. Show the Icelandic government with your vote that animal welfare matters more than the profit of a pharmaceutical company. Together we can end the production of PMSG.
PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION
Documentary films: 2021: Iceland – Land of the 5,000 Blood Mares 2023: Iceland: The hidden blood business
Supporting NGOs: Anima, Denmark Animal Justice, Canada Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF), Germany Animals’ Angels Inc., USA Ärzte gegen Tierversuche, Germany Canadian Horse Defence Coalition, Canada Dier&Recht, Netherlands Dublin SPCA, Ireland Dýraverndarsamband Íslands (DÍS), Iceland Dyrenes Beskyttelse/Animal Protection Denmark Eurogroup for Animals, Brussels Fundación Franz Weber, Spain/Argentina Green REV Institute, Poland IHP Italian Horse Protection Onlus, Italy Samtök um dýravelferð á Íslandi (SDÍ)/Animal Welfare Iceland Tierschutzbund Zürich (TSB), Switzerland WELFARM – Protection mondiale des animaux de ferme, France
Learn more: www.animal-welfare-foundation.org/en/projekte/blood-farms/iceland www.animal-welfare-foundation.org/en/service/dossiers/production-of-pmsg-in-iceland