Hundreds of horses sent to Japan from Manitoba for slaughter in under a year

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/09/2024 (390 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A countrywide animal rights group says about 500 draft horses were exported from Winnipeg to Japan to be slaughtered for meat between June 2023 and this May, with one dying from stress on the flight.

A report from non-profit Animal Justice that uses data obtained from Japanese animal protection group Life Investigation Agency says 99 horses were transported from Winnipeg to the Kitakyushu and Kansai regions in Japan on five separate occasions: on June 26 and Nov. 27 in 2023 and Jan. 22, Feb. 20 and March 11 of this year. One horse died “due to stress caused by transportation” during the Jan. 22 trip and several had injuries or illnesses related to travel.

“Now we’ve seen that, in fact, oftentimes there are horses that are coming from right here in Manitoba, who are arriving in Japan, who are dying, becoming injured or suffering illnesses,” Animal Justice director of legal advocacy Kaitlyn Mitchell said.

Mitchell called horse exportation flights from Winnipeg “some of the worst in the industry” because the transport time often exceeds the federal limit of 28 hours a horse can travel without feed, water and rest.

“That, on its own, to me, is shocking,” she said. “Even if horses weren’t dying, and even if they weren’t becoming injured, we know that they’re all suffering because we have a 28-hour legal limit in place for a reason.”

All other flights recorded in the report are from Edmonton, where 26 flights and 20 deaths were recorded. Horses were listed as dying from dehydration, heat stroke, respiratory failure and other medical issues.

The horses are flown to Japan and fattened there, where horse meat is sold raw and considered a delicacy.

A judge authorized Animal Justice in April to ask the court to lay charges against Swan River live-horse exporter Carolyle Farms, which the organization alleges unlawfully exceeded the 28-hour limit when transporting horses.

Mitchell said they’re sharing the data they’ve received because Bill C-355, which would ban the transport by air of Canadian horses to be slaughtered, will be studied in the Senate this fall.

“This industry has been getting away with horrific cruelty and unlawful activity for far too long, and I think that the public should know … I think senators should understand what type of industry they’re dealing with here,” she said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first called on his agriculture minister to work to stop the export of live horses in 2021.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca