A national survey suggests that the majority of Canadians oppose horse slaughter for human consumption. With 1,033 respondents, 64 percent took issue with slaughter; 19 percent didn’t have an issue with slaughter and 16 percent were unsure about their feelings on slaughter.
More than 54,000 horses were slaughtered for human consumption or shipped out of Canada with that intention in 2016.
Nearly 68 percent of respondents said they were uncomfortable or somewhere uncomfortable with the export of horse meat from Canada for human consumption. The survey respondents said they were four times more likely to have a positive impression of a politician who supported a ban on the trade.
The Canadian Horse Defense Coalition has been working to end the slaughter trade in Canada for the last 15 years. Executive Director Sinikka Crosland said that this survey, combined with her organization’s findings, show that horses cannot be slaughtered humanely on a massive scale.
Nearly half of the horses slaughtered in Canada are from the United States, where horse slaughter is illegal. Crosland notes that some horse meat that has exported from Canada to Europe is contaminated with illegal substances. Crosland is asking for a ban on horse slaughter in Canada.
Read more at HorseTalk.
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