European Commission tightens horsemeat import controls
The European Commission is set to enforce stricter regulations on the import of horsemeat from non-EU countries, the Humane Society International (HSI)/Europe has reported.
According to HIS/Europe, the new EU rules will mean that from 31st March 2017, horses destined for slaughter in non-EU countries but for export to the EU, must have a minimum six-month residency in the country of slaughter.
HIS/Europe says that the regulations are likely to impact the horse slaughter industry in Canada and South America, where horses for slaughter can be sourced from neighbouring countries.
HSI/Europe welcomed the European Commission tackling the issue of traceability of horsemeat, but suggested that the new rules risked compromising horse welfare by potentially keeping large numbers of horses on feedlots for long periods of time.
As a result HSI/Europe would look to see an EU import moratorium on meat from those horses.
Dr Joanna Swabe, HSI/Europe’s executive director, commented: “The current lack of traceability of horsemeat from outside the EU is a real concern, so we cautiously welcome the European Commission’s move to tackle this issue. However, it mustn’t be at the expense of horse welfare, which we fear will be seriously compromised if horses are held at feedlots for six months waiting to be butchered for the European market.
“The risks to EU consumer health from Canadian horsemeat imports do need to be taken seriously, because most of the horses slaughtered in Canada actually originate from the U.S., where veterinary drug use is rife, meaning that a myriad of substances lifelong banned for use in food-producing animals could be entering the EU food chain.
“Whilst the intension of the six-month residency requirement is a step in the right direction, it overlooks the welfare of the horses whilst at the same time being insufficient to guarantee the safety of the meat,” Swabe continued. “These veterinary drugs often have no maximum residue limit, so there are also no withdrawal periods associated with them.
“Instead of holding horses for long periods in what are likely to be sub-standard conditions, these animals should be excluded from the food chain entirely, and that means an EU moratorium on horsemeat imports.”
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