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| For Immediate Release, Monday 6 July 2020 BREAKING! Investigation Leads to Calls to Ban EU Horse Meat Imports from Australia An international coalition of animal welfare groups is calling for a ban on Australian horse meat imports to the EU market after an investigation reveals ongoing and systemic breaches to EU Commission regulations. The Animal Justice Party (AJP) has joined their calls with Andy Meddick MP stating “This investigation is horrifying but not surprising. If you’re an Australian racehorse, one day you’re pumped with drugs for the owners thrill and the next, you’re on the grill.” A recent investigation and subsequent film by Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) and supported by the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR), reveals it cannot be guaranteed horse meat from the Meramist abattoir in Queensland is drug residue free and therefore fails to sufficiently protect European consumers. “Over 50% of the horses sent to Meramist slaughterhouse are racehorses and many of those identified had been raced just weeks, or even days prior” said CPR Campaign Director Elio Celotto. “Given that racehorses are frequently administered drugs which must not be used in horses destined for human consumption, it is highly probable that the horse meat being consumed across Europe contains dangerous drug residues” he said. An inquiry of the Australian senate, published in November 2019, points out this concern, highlighting that the existing Australian horse traceability system does not meet EU standards. From the inquiry: Food safety 3.84 Concerning food safety and the exportation of horse meat, the committee heard that the current Australian system was inadequate. The European food market has been the primary driver for the implementation of traceability registers in the EU. Since February 2005, EU law has mandated that all horses are required to have a passport for identification and a central database that maintains identification records. These registers help ensure drug residues are kept out of the food system and to prevent the adulteration of horse meat products. further 3.86 Concerns with Australian compliance with EU standards has been an ongoing issue for the industry. In 2012, the European Commission found deficiencies with Australia’s horse identification controls. 3.87 When asked whether Australia’s traceability measures met EU horsemeat requirements, the Department of Agriculture explained: The current traceability is the tag that goes around the horse’s neck, which is, I would think, from the Europeans’ point of view, definitely not sufficient security for identification. But, to date, they have accepted that, and, when they come out to do audits of our export establishments and they’re auditing horses, they always comment on that and ask: ‘When are you going to improve this?’ So it’s of interest to them, definitely, yes. Numerous investigations over more than two years, repeated EU inspections since 2007 and reports from Australian authorities reveal on-going and systemic non-compliance to relevant EU requirements. Another inquiry, commissioned by the Queensland Government and published in February 2020, states that the Australian animal welfare standards for both slaughter and transport of horses fall below international standards, such as those of the European Union and of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code. Conditional suspensions of horse meat imports from Mexico and Brazil have already been imposed, following EU audits in these countries. Consequently, the same measure should now be imposed against Australia, since the last EU audit report from 2019 concludes that the recommendations regarding traceability of previous audits have not been properly addressed, in particular concerning the reliability of the medical treatment declarations of the horse vendors. “The EU Commission must take immediate action and ban the importation of horse meat from Australia, if they are to adhere to their own food safety and animal welfare standards” Mr Celotto said. The investigative film, to be published today by the AWF and supported by CPR shows the findings of a two-year investigation, including undercover footage recently exposed in the ABC’s 7:30 The Final Race and further damning evidence of systemic animal cruelty including long transport hauls of up to 30 hours in open air cattle trucks without feed or water. These trips currently do not have to comply with EU standards. The international coalition is calling on the EU Commission to place an immediate suspension on the importation of horse meat from Australia into the EU market – a call backed up by AJP’s Victorian MP Andy Meddick. “We will do all we can to stop the brutal slaughter of racehorses, and I support the calls made by EU activists to stop the import of horse meat from Australia” Mr Meddick said. The film will premiere on the Coalition for Protection of Racehorses facebook page tonight at 8pm here. For an advance download link contact Kristin Leigh on 0434 083 635. ENDS For More information: horseracingkills.com |
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