Does Canada send horses to Japan for food?

Canada exports thousands of horses each year to Japan, a market where some consumers enjoy the meat as a raw delicacy.

Does Canada ship horses to Japan for slaughter?

Horse meat is exported to Japan and other countries from facilities that are licensed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. The CFIA provides inspection services as required for horse slaughter as it does for other food animals.

Does Canada export horses for meat?

Canada has become the leading horse meat supplier and distributor, exporting over 4,800 live horses each year. Most of the live horses are shipped to Japan where they are slaughtered to produce thinly sliced horse flesh called "basashi", a popular delicacy.

Where does Japan get horse meat from?

Aside from raising local draft horses for meat, Japan imports living horses (from Canada and France) and meat from several countries — the five largest horse meat exporters to Japan are Canada, Mexico, Italy, Argentina, and Brazil.

Do they eat horses in Japan?

Today, horse meat dishes are mostly only found in Central Asia. In Japan, raw horse meat is known as sakuraniku (where sakura is Japanese for cherry blossoms, and niku is Japanese for meat). It is low in fat, tender, and has a hint of sweetness to it.

YOU can help BAN the inhumane transport of HORSES to Japan for SLAUGHTER for human consumption

Does Canada import horses for slaughter?

With the increase of Canadian imports of horses bound for slaughter (following the closure of the last US horse slaughter plant in 2007) the Canadian horsemeat industry stopped its decline. In 2007, the industry produced nearly $77 million worth of horsemeat, an increase of 33 per cent over 2006.

Why are horses shipped to Japan for slaughter?

Japan is one of the biggest horse meat importers, according to the CFIA. “It's very rich in iron. It's eaten in places like Japan, France, Switzerland and Quebec,” Jessica Davis, co-owner of Hooves N' Hounds, a local organization that rescues horses.

Do they eat horse meat in Canada?

Horse meat is not really a thing in Canada. There is some demand for it in certain parts of the French-speaking province of Quebec, but generally speaking, we don't eat horses here.

What is horse meat called in Canada?

Horsemeat, or chevaline as it is called in French, can still be found in specialty butcher shops and grocery stores in Quebec and on the menus of a few high-end Montreal restaurants. The real money, though, is in the overseas market; the live horse trade represents $20 million in sales for Canadian shippers.

How do they transport the horses to Japan?

What do Canadians do with horse meat?

A few thousand horses are shipped from Canada to Japan, where they are slaughtered, every year. They are packed into wooden crates, most often with four horses per crate (the Canadian government's recommendation is one per crate), and put into airplanes.

What do they do with horse meat in Canada?

Horse slaughter isn't just antiquated and cruel – the meat that's produced is also dangerous for human consumption. Canadian horse meat is exported mainly to Japan, Belgium and other overseas countries, but it's also consumed in Canada.

Where does slaughtered horse meat go?

The slaughterhouses exported about $42 million in horse meat annually, with most going overseas. About 10 percent of their output was sold to zoos to feed their carnivores, and 90 percent was shipped to Europe and Asia for human consumption.

Does Canada have horse slaughterhouses?

CALGARY -- Canada - and in particular Alberta - is one of the world's biggest suppliers of horses for meat. More than 25,000 are slaughtered annually. The meat is frozen and exported, mainly to Japan, France and the U.S.

Where do horses go to get slaughtered?

While a handful of horses are purposely sold into slaughter by irresponsible owners, most arrive at the slaughterhouse via livestock auctions, where unsuspecting owners sell the animals to slaughterhouse middlemen known as “kill buyers.” Such buyers keep a low profile as they purchase as many horses as they can from ...

Who eats horse in Canada?

The French prefer the tender meat fringed with yellow fat that comes from older horses. Horse-eating countries of the world share another unexpected love: Canadian horses. Canada, it so happens, punches above its weight, producing an estimated 20,000 tonnes a year, most of which is shipped fresh to Europe.

Why does Canada slaughter horses?

Horses are slaughtered in Canada primarily to provide horse meat to European and Asian countries. Horses are brought to slaughter in every possible condition—old, young, sick, healthy, injured, and even pregnant.

Is it legal in Canada to eat horse?

Slaughtering and selling horse meat has been outlawed in the US, whereas in Canada, there are four active federal slaughterhouses producing horse meat for human consumption—two of which are in Alberta.

Does Taco Bell use horse meat?

Taco Bell has officially joined Club Horse Meat. The fast-food chain and subsidiary of Yum Brands says it has found horse meat in some of the ground beef it sells in the United Kingdom.

Is Canadian bacon a horse meat?

Real Canadian bacon is a roast -- a closely trimmed, pickle-brined piece of muscle that comes from the hog's back.

Why should you not eat horse meat?

U.S. horse meat is unfit for human consumption because of the uncontrolled administration of hundreds of dangerous drugs and other substances to horses before slaughter. horses (competitions, rodeos and races), or former wild horses who are privately owned. slaughtered horses on a constant basis throughout their lives.

How can we stop horse slaughter in Canada?

Contact your Member of Parliament and tell them you are opposed to the slaughter of horses within Canada. Tell them you oppose the live inhumane transport of horses from Canada to any other market for slaughter.

What country eats horse meat?

Mexico, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Poland and China are among the nations where many people eat horse meat without a second thought.

What happens to horses sent to slaughter?

Thousands of American horses are sent to slaughter every year and the vast majority would be rehomed; not every horse going to slaughter needs to go to rescue.

Why is eating horse illegal?

The primary reason horse meat is taboo is because horses are considered valuable pets and culturally respected animals. Besides, people fear horse meat might be infected with harmful drugs. Some Christian schools of thought also discourage eating horses.