The Facts of Life and Death in France

France is no different to any other country - including the United Kingdom - in that each year there are many horses, ponies and donkeys that are unwanted, sick, old, injured or simply unrideable will be slaughtered. In France it is expensive and difficult to have a horse euthanased at home. Rural France is not a wealthy area and the practical view of gaining some money from an animal which would otherwise have no value on the open market thanks to age, illness, injury or behavioural problems overrides any sentimentality.

In the UK, there is a network of ‘knackermen’ and hunts who can come at short notice to quickly slaughter and dispose of such animals. There is no such system in France. In France it is illegal to not use a vet or licensed slaughter man and vets are only allowed to inject with fatal doses of drugs, not use a humane killer. Not only is there the cost the vet’s callout charge and drugs but having the carcass collected is also expensive. Often it is not possible for the body to be collected for several days. It will be left lying at a convenient place for collection, which is more often than not at the end of the road to the property, and at risk of being eaten by wild animals - a horrible and upsetting sight for any caring owner to witness.

However, because France is a country that traditionally eats horse and donkey meat a different solution has evolved.

France has a network of over 150 approved abattoirs which process over 24,000 animals annually. Healthy carcasses end up on the table and the rest go to the rendering plants.

The simple reality is that in France many horses are bred specifically for meat. In fact, many of the traditional heavy breeds have only survived because of this and this route is fully supported as a way of actually preserving and maintaining the breed numbers of otherwise endangered breeds.

Often, these animals are treated in the same way as any other animal which is bred for meat and they have had little or no human contact barring being herded into a cattle crush to be microchipped and have no comprehension of even the most basic handling.

In attempting to 'rescue' these animals from slaughter the safety of both the horse and the human can be endangered - as we have seen on many occasions. Whilst often docile creatures, these animals are clearly frightened and have no idea of basic handling or being lead and are powerful enough to be impossible to control in a normal manner from the ground. This brings further risks and dangers - from horses falling off ramps and breaking limbs, running loose - possibly into traffic to badly injuring the well-meaning people who want to try and find them a new life.

Commercial transporters for the meat trade in France have specially designed lorries with very strong metal ramps and fixed gates to prevent the horses falling to the side or getting free when loading. Most UK commercial private horse transporters do not have suitable equipment for dealing with what are essentially wild horses weighing at least a ton apiece.

Whilst we at ERF are horse owners and are dedicated to the welfare of the horse, we believe that we cannot be opposed to the humane slaughter of equines at local, regulated abattoirs. Thanks to this network of regulated slaughter houses around 24,000 horses are slaughtered locally per year and thus avoid the horrendous long journey to Italy. We balance this fact with our work of trying to reduce the number of ill, abandoned and unwanted equines through education in responsible ownership, and rehoming our animals under contract with carefully selected people.

Many thanks to Equine Rescue France. You can read more about the ERF, the equines they have successfully helped and rehomed and follow their blog here -

http://equinerescuefrance.wordpress.com/