37 Comments

• liamo | Nov 05, 2012, 10:06 AM EST

  any shops dat u can buy horse meat id love 2 try it

• ellenfromcork | May 21, 2012, 10:21 AM EDT

  Just say neigh to horse meat.

• heavenlyholly | May 14, 2012, 11:10 PM EDT

  i am disheartened and heartbroken at the treatment of our faithful horses. we would not be free today without their help in our histories. they built our countries, fed our families, carry our children; horses give us their total service . it is wrong to murder them so cruely and use them for food. immoral and evil. please stop it.

• seanomelb | May 14, 2012, 07:50 PM EDT

  Well Ciara!! Eamonn thinks you are a sweet chic.

• Eamonn12 | May 14, 2012, 02:47 PM EDT

  I am totally baffled by most on the comments here. What's wrong with eating a horse? We humans are naturally omnivores. We like meat. I fail to see the difference between a horse and a pig.

• ciaradexy | May 14, 2012, 12:06 PM EDT

  Aint no one gonna slaughter me Sean, not even those nasty migrants coming to Ireland. You know the ones who took Georges job here!

• seanomelb | May 13, 2012, 08:15 PM EDT

  save the chicken from slaughter- no not Ciara I mean real chickens!!

• Tippergirl | May 13, 2012, 08:13 PM EDT

  I understand that horses have a 7th sense which make them extremely intuitive. It horrifies me to think of the unbelievable terror and pain these precious creatures must be enduring. Man really needs to find another food source besides consuming some of man's best friends. Protein can be acquired from sources other than animal life. There is no excuse to continue such horrible torture.

• ciaradexy | May 13, 2012, 05:00 PM EDT

  Carolyn, the indians think the cow is a noble sacred animal but most of us eat beef.

• Carolynirish | May 13, 2012, 04:46 PM EDT

  A horse is such a noble ,beautiful creature I could never condone killing them for food. I couldn't eat a cat or a dog either.

• ciaradexy | May 13, 2012, 01:00 PM EDT

  So george, the Americans get rid of 310,000 horses a year for slaughter. the very same people who hitched wagons to the back of these horses to commute across the US. Whats the difference is these people and the irish again?

• ciaradexy | May 13, 2012, 12:46 PM EDT

  I worked in beef and pork packinghouses for twenty years to earn my living, but thankfully never had to work on the kill floor. I only watched a horse slaughter line once and never will again. The animals are terrified and they suffer before death. Standards have been raised in recent years, but no one who has ever owned a horse or loved one should ever even think of taking a horse there. It makes me cry just to think of it. The treatment from the killer buyers from the time they leave their pasture or stall until the final moments is cruel for them and they don't deserve it. Do the kind thing, put a bullet in their brain and bury or cremate them.

• GeorgeDillon | May 13, 2012, 12:36 PM EDT

  As someone who had not eaten meat for over three decades--since I was a teenager--I find all consumption of meat to be disgusting and foul. However, there is something especially vile about slaughtering a horse, and as someone who has witnessed this--in Argentina--I would never wish to witness it again. But on a broader cultural level, it shows how far today's degenerate Irish have deviated from their Celtic ancestors, who ascribed a high and noble place to horses in their culture. Let's face it, today's Irish are like the Yahoos of Gullivers Travels.

• kelly941 | May 13, 2012, 10:17 AM EDT

  @horses4courses, Yes there is over 130,000 horses shipped out of the USA every year for slaughter, I know it all to well as I am an advocate for the horse, what this article does not tell you is that American horses are given drugs and vaccines that are banned from our food animals, drugs that can cause cancer and severe birth defects in humans, let it be known that there is no withdrawl time from these drugs, We are fighting to end the Slaughter of American horses, it is horrific torture for the horses. it must end,The japanese consume 700 of our colts every year, they are shipped live, they use them for sushi and eat them raw,We all need to stand against horse slaughter, let it also be said that the meat is being sold to the rich for a delicasy,the way the kill buyers treat the horses here after auction is just horrible, please fight to end horse slaughter, it is very inhumane and may cost the lives of unsuspecting consumers.

• luka | May 13, 2012, 08:56 AM EDT

  No offense to good Irish folks everywhere, but TBH I have seen some of the HORRIBLE ways people in Ireland treat their horses, so it isn't much of a stretch for you folks in Ireland to allow your horses to BECOME the fodder for Europe.

• indiana jones | May 12, 2012, 11:00 PM EDT

  I AM APPALLED BY THE INGRATITUDE, IGNORANCE, SELFISHNESS AND PERVERSITY OF SOME HUMAN BEINGS....THEY EAT ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING THAT MOVES! PERSONALLY, I DO NOT THINK HUMAN BEINGS NEED TO EAT MEAT....THERE ARE MANY OTHER DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS OPTIONS MUCH BETTER AND HEALTHIER THAN EATING MEAT....ON THE OTHER HAND, HORSES ARE SUCH NOBLE AND SENSITIVE ANIMALS THAT KILLING THEM TO EAT THEM IS ABSURD....SHAMEFUL! I SINCERELY HOPE SOME ANIMAL PROTECTION ORGANIZATIOM WILL TAKE SOME ACTION TO STOP THIS BRUTAL PRACTICE....THESE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS DESERVE BETTER....

• seanomelb | May 12, 2012, 08:32 PM EDT

  Should read nth Frederick Street not Nth George Street

• timbobdennehy | May 12, 2012, 08:09 PM EDT

  i wonder who is so hungry that they could eat a horse.

• bonjouryall | May 12, 2012, 08:08 PM EDT

  Neiiiiigh to horsemeat. (Sorry. I couldn't resist.)

• sirpeter | May 12, 2012, 07:25 PM EDT

  Merefalow.That's a weird comment you posted.Everything living ends up as food at some stage.Eating is not destroying.It's the circle of life isn't it.

• seanomelb | May 12, 2012, 07:22 PM EDT

  Horse meat was eaten in Ireland and Britain for decades. There was a horse butchers in Denmark St. Limerick and Nth. Great Georges st. in Dublin near Findlaters church. The British consumed large amounts of horse flesh in the thirties,forties and fifties a huge export gain for Ireland.

• merefalow | May 12, 2012, 06:52 PM EDT

  human beings,yuk,they would sell their grannies for meat.humans have eaten anything that walks crawls or swims,and still do in some parts of the world,i personally think its disgusting but how to stop it?while there is money in it it will continue,in Korea they eat lovely dogs, pitiful,the Japanese kill beautiful intelligent whales,the Africans eat anything,currently clearing the bush,man the great destroyer,we havent moved to far from the cave.

• JBRAFTREE | May 12, 2012, 06:51 PM EDT

  Murph, Thai and Vietnamese food I don't eaT. Ist hand knowlege!! My girls eat that stuff and doncha' wonder what's in it.??

• ciaradexy | May 12, 2012, 06:13 PM EDT

  Waterford, do you eat beef, lamb, chicken, fish? Theres no difference. Its all meat.

• Waterford | May 12, 2012, 04:01 PM EDT

  What - dogs next!!!!! I owned 8 horses and they were pets, smart, and affectionate. I'm totally disgusted.

• paulap | May 12, 2012, 03:27 PM EDT

  Just some input on the slaughter of horses. I am in Canada and we have been fighting to abolish our humane slaughterhouses. Most Canadians have no idea they exist here. It is not a myth and to you good Irish folks, check it out....my guess is where there is smoke there is fire in this area. One of the comments below said whats the difference beef etc all the same. Ummmm no they are not. If in fact they were racehorses, they are not (nor are most horses) raised to be part of the human food chain and therefore do not follow the stringent requirements of medications etc. Most racehorses are given "Bute" for aches and pains, not unlike tylenol or aspirin for humans. For them it is relatively harmless however......for humans to consume it even in small portions is very dangerous. Bute for humans is a very very potent carcinogen and there is no test avaialable to know for sure it has cleared its system etc. That is just one of many many concerns alot of Canadians have at the moment regarding slaughter of horses for human consumption. The french are not the only guilty country either.....though for them it is a delicacy. Please take the time to educate yourselves further on this matter, esp in these hard times. The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition web page is excellent place to start and I urge all of you to take some time and have any ??s you have or say oh no cannot be true here, before you make your final decisions. I did not believe it existed in Canada either. These are lovely animals who deserve alot better than this fate. Ty for taking the time to read this.

• Springfield9 | May 12, 2012, 02:03 PM EDT

  The French are the true "horse killers" and a plague upon them for it. Although being French is a bit of a plague already.

• wilhoef | May 12, 2012, 01:47 PM EDT

  Ooooh, Murph46 - that's cute!

• ciaradexy | May 12, 2012, 01:41 PM EDT

  Im in Bergamo 4 times a year with work, the last time was only in March so it doesnt look like its being banned anytime soon!

• Murph46 | May 12, 2012, 01:02 PM EDT

  Next year it will be cat-don't a lot of guys (and some gals) eat cat already?

• Bythebay | May 12, 2012, 12:36 PM EDT

  ciaradexy, the restaurants I go to in Italy, France, Holland, Belgium and other EU contries don't have it on their menus. The EU has tightened regulations on human consumption of horsemeat to the point that if restaurants are actually serving it they won't be shortly. Of course I'm talking about legally. Restaurants can risk whatever they wish illegally.

• ciaradexy | May 12, 2012, 12:07 PM EDT

  Bythebay, I have tried horse meat in Bergamo in the north of Italy. Once was enough but yes I have seen it on the menu in France and Budapest too.

• Bythebay | May 12, 2012, 11:22 AM EDT

  Prove it! All food exports from Ireland have to trace back to the farm producer of origin, who are they? Where in Ireland are they?

• Bythebay | May 12, 2012, 11:20 AM EDT

  horses4courses, have you eaten at restaurants in France, Belgium, Italy, Holland and found horse meat on the menu? IF so, in what restaurants in what cities of each country?

• wilhoef | May 12, 2012, 10:54 AM EDT

  Why is eating a horse any different than eating a cow or a chicken or a sheep???

• horses4courses | May 12, 2012, 10:52 AM EDT

  @ STEVENSTAR ~ I think you'll find that Europe does indeed eat horsemeat, just because UK doesn't, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. France, Belgium, Italy, Holland etc. all eat horsemeat. America slaughters and exports approximately 130,000 horses per year in Mexico & Canada, all destined for the European and Japanese plates. You really should get your facts correct before you post any misinformation. So this article is not a 'Disney Style' article as you call it.

• STEVENSTAR | May 12, 2012, 10:11 AM EDT

  JUST WHEN U THINK THIS NEWSPAPER CANNOT GET ANYMORE DRAMATIC NOW THEY SAY WE ARE EATING HORSES... HAHA!! I WONDER IF THE PERSON WHO EVEN WROTE THIS DISNEY STYLE ARTICLE HAS EVEN BEEN TO EUROPE ?? BUT TAKE IT FROM ME SOME ONE WHO HAS TRAVLLED EUROPE EXTENSIVELY WE AND I STRESS THIS 'DO NOT EAT HORSES IN WESTERN EUROPE ' ALL THIS ARTICLE DOES IS SHOW THE IGNORANCE OF THE PERSON WHO WROTE IT ... PERSONALLY I WOULD SAY THE ONLY JUNK MEAT I HAVE TASTED IN EUROPE COMES IN THE FORM OF ANYTHING SOLD IN A PLACE CALLED MC DONALDS ...