Report makes recommendations to increase the welfare of horses
A screenshot of from the secret recording showing a horse getting struck with a pole which featured in the programme.
Mandatory real-time updates on horse movements, ownership, imports and exports, and deaths are called for in the Professor Paddy Wall report on Ireland’s equine traceability, commissioned by the Department of Agriculture after an documentary last June highlighted gross horse welfare abuses, and potential entry of ineligible horses into the food chain.
The Wall report also calls for humane and practical end-of-life solutions for horses, including the establishment of a properly regulated equine slaughter facility in Ireland. Professor Wall said Ireland’s reputation as a trusted food exporter and equine industry leader depends on integrity, transparency, and animal welfare, and there must be zero tolerance for substandard equine welfare at any stage of a horse's life.
His report said there is widespread agreement among Irish thoroughbred and sport horse owners, breeders, trainers, and organisations that poor animal welfare is unacceptable. Nevertheless, passport and traceability obligations may seem irrelevant or burdensome.
There is often a lack of understanding of the underlying rationale for these regulations, which are primarily derived from EU regulations which classify the horse as a food-producing animal, and are designed to ensure that horse meat entering the food chain is safe for human consumption.
Also, Ireland is a major race and sport horse exporter, with a market-oriented mindset and focus, with little thought to horses’ end-of-life arrangements. However, this is a critical issue, as provisions must be in place for horses no longer fit for purpose due to age, injury, health conditions or inability to perform. There are not enough homes, or individuals, in Ireland able, or willing, to take on all the end-of-use horses.
This creates a difficult challenge. For many horse lovers in Ireland, the thought of horse euthanasia, or sending a horse to a meat factory, is deeply emotional and often abhorrent. But, without practical, humane solutions, horses risk neglect, abandonment, or prolonged suffering.
People can come to terms with difficult decisions to euthanise pets at the end of their lives, and the Wall report said a similar mindset is needed with horses.
For horses eligible for the food chain, sending them to an abattoir can be a contentious solution. However, it can prevent neglect of low-value horses, and horse meat is considered no different from beef, lamb, pork or chicken in some countries.
In Ireland, the horse as a food animal has a unique position. While the DAFM rigorously enforces regulatory requirements for cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry, oversight of horses as food animals operates with a lighter touch.
An Bord Bia does not include horse meat in any of its quality assurance and market development, even though horse meat bearing the Irish “IE” country code is exported to Europe, and is important for Ireland’s food-producing reputation.
The report suggests that with improvement and market development, the Irish horse meat industry could benefit from the expertise and standards that have driven success in other sectors.
As for horses ineligible for the food chain, they must be disposed of through knackeries, at a cost to the owner. A sizeable proportion of horses in Ireland are ineligible for food, either due to late passport registration, administration of medications prohibited in food animals, or electively excluded by their owners or vets, which was permissible in the past but no longer exists.
Horses ineligible for food have little to no residual value at the end of their lives, which not only poses a significant welfare challenge, but also creates opportunities for fraudulent and illegal activity. Unscrupulous individuals may misrepresent these horses as eligible for the food chain. Or illegal slaughter outside of authorised facilities remains a potential concern.
Addressing these issues requires robust enforcement, improved traceability, and greater awareness of the implications of removing horses from the food chain, or of late registrations. Tackling these realities openly and responsibly is essential.
Currently, there is no operational abattoir for horses in Ireland, and horses eligible for the food chain are legally exported for slaughter overseas. Horses exported for slaughter are beyond Irish oversight, and there is no guarantee that they will be treated humanely.
There are also increased welfare risks in longer transport routes. And low-value horses may be exported as for “leisure use”, only to be mistreated or slaughtered.
An Irish horse owner may unexpectedly find themselves at the centre of media attention and associated adverse publicity, if a horse registered in their name appears in a neglected state, or is illegally presented for slaughter.
Euthanasia at home, followed by disposal through a knackery, would allow them to ensure the horse’s fate and welfare, whereas if a horse is sold, the owner loses control over how it is treated.
This highlights the responsibility of the last owner to make a thoughtful and compassionate end-of-life decision for their horse.
One of the important lessons is that having a properly run equine slaughter facility in Ireland, where horses are humanely handled and processed, retains control over end-of-life care and welfare.
Agriculture minister Martin Heydon has published an action plan outlining how his Department will implement the reforms proposed by Professor Wall, who is a veterinarian and a medical doctor, knowledgeable in the equine sector and a food safety expert.
