Horse slaughter - vets respond
Madam,
THE Equine Group of Veterinary Ireland is in agreement with John Joe Fitzpatrick that a solution to allow horse meat to be consumed from all equines, ensure consumer safety, satisfy the European Commission and protect Ireland’s agricultural industry would be ideal.
In fact, the representative veterinary bodies in Ireland have been lobbying for this since 1999 directly and through the Federation of Equine European Vets. There is no easy solution acceptable to all stakeholders at the moment. One option put forward is that at a point in the horse’s life, the owner could nominate it for food production and there would be a six-month quarantine before slaughter.
Errors
Unfortunately there are a number of significant errors in Mr. Fitzpatrick’s letter (published last week).
Veterinary Ireland is not advocating all horses to be automatically stamped out but for it to be the default position at registration unless the owner ticks a box to indicate the animal is for food production and that they understand the significant responsibility this entails.
Secondly, the greater majority of horses born in Ireland every year are exported as athletic animals, not leaving the numbers suggested to be put down.
Exclusion of horses from the food chain is not for avoidance of inspection of medical records but to ensure a greater range of medicines available for horses vital to the equine industry. At the moment, excluded horses still have to comply with medicines legislation and are subject to inspection and this will not change.
Lastly, Phenylbutazone is the best medicine available for short and long term control of inflammation and pain relief in equidae. A ban on this drug would be catastrophic for horse welfare and the industry in general. However, there are a myriad of other essential medications that, when used, exclude the horse from the food chain.
Yours etc,
Rosalinda Devereaux, Hugh Dillon, Louis Hassett and Marcus Swail
on behalf of The Equine Committee of Veterinary Ireland