DUE to European law complications, Irish racing is unlikely to follow Britain’s lead in only accepting entries for racehorses who have been signed out of the food chain.

This week, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) announced that all horses entered to run in Britain must be signed out of the human food chain via their passport by January 1st 2022.

A racehorse may still be sent to an abattoir for humane euthanasia but cannot be sent in exchange for payment and for entry into the food chain. From 2022 the BHA will not accept entries for any British-trained horse unless it has been declared as not intended for human consumption via the Weatherbys App and horse’s passport.

The move follows the recent broadcasting of the BBC Panorama documentary, The Dark Side of Racing, which claimed that 4,000 former racehorses – some once owned and trained by prominent figures in the industry and most trained in Ireland – were slaughtered in Britain and Ireland since the beginning of 2019.

There is one abattoir in Ireland licensed to slaughter horses and it is understood that a carcass is worth €500 if it is suitable for human consumption. British abattoirs are believed to pay considerably more, which has in the past encouraged the export of thoroughbreds from Ireland, sometimes in contravention of equine welfare guidelines. However, the Irish racing authorities are not expected to introduce a rule here which will confine racing to horses taken out of the food chain.

John Osborne, HRI’s equine welfare and bloodstock director, explained: “The sentiment behind “no abattoirs” resonates with many people but there are undeniable implications from it which the EU seems to have accounted for. The closing of the slaughterhouse option in the USA has had some unintended adverse welfare outcomes as the trade displaced to other countries. As things stand reciprocation presents a problem.

“The EU rule deems horses as food-producing animals unless otherwise made ineligible by vets as a result of specific use of medicines. EU law seems to restrict the ‘signing out’ to vets in specific circumstances and is quite clear that horses are food-producing animals. So it is not simple.”

Horses trained outside Britain will not be affected by the new rule. The BHA stated: “The rule applies to all horses which are trained in Britain. The BHA is also liaising with international jurisdictions and examining EU legislation regarding the practical implementation of this rule to include all international runners.”

James Given, BHA director of equine health and welfare, said: “British racing has in place a euthanasia code of practice to aid trainers and owners with end-of-life decisions. The guidance is clear that whenever possible, euthanasia should be performed at home or in suitable surroundings.

“The transporting of horses to an abattoir to be sold for consumption should not, in my view, be classed as euthanasia and is not an approach that we should tolerate in our sport, which is why a rule preventing this practice is a positive step.”