Have abandoned Irish horses entered the food chain? Ireland’s burger scandal has health implications

Did the horses that ended up in Irish meat have “clean” passports and drug pasts

Larger Text

Print

E-mail

9 Comments

Photo by Google Images

Tweet

The low sale price coupled with the cost of upkeep made the horse a liability for many cash-strapped owners.  They faced a conundrum: keep a horse they couldn’t afford to feed, stable, and provide veterinary care for, or abandon it.  Many owners chose abandonment, evidence of which quickly became widespread throughout the island.  For example, 70 horses were rescued from appalling conditions at an Antrim farm.  “The horses were confined in a tarmac yard and left wallowing in two feet of their own mess.  It was unable to drain. It was saturated. There was not a blade of grass on it," charity spokesperson David Wilson told U Television.  This was the largest equine rescue operation in the 174-year long history of the USPCA, who had to call in other organizations to assist in the effort.

At Dunsink, a former landfill near Dublin, 86 horses were abandoned in the winter and left to starve.  When the horses were rescued by The Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) in the spring, many had to be put down.  Twenty-seven were removed to the pound and 14 were found dead.  DSPCA said that they “have encountered equine dying in horrific pain and numerous dead horses decomposing all round Dublin.  Some dying and dead horses have been simply dumped by their owners, dragged from trailers or horse boxes and left so that the owner won't have to deal with veterinary costs or the risk of prosecution.”  DSPCA claims that it noticed a direct increase in numbers of abandoned horses following fairs such as the one in Smithfield, which is unlicensed and unregulated.  “Markets like the one in Smithfield means anyone can easily buy equine for as cheap at €8, irrespective of a person's lack of resources and knowledge of equine care.” 

To make matters worse, Irish animal welfare societies are unable to cope with the tremendous number of abandoned horses.  Welfare experts estimate that since the collapse of the Celtic Tiger, as many as 20,000 horses have been abandoned.  "We have a huge problem," said Conor Dowling, an inspector for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA).  ISPCA has seen a several-fold increase in the numbers of equine related calls and the numbers of animals taken into care in recent years.

The first step to solving this equine issue some suggest is a cull.  "Horse slaughter is a contentious issue for horse people because in Ireland we have a tremendous affinity with the horse. Unfortunately, there may not be a more practical solution," said James Murphy, of the Irish Farmers' Association to the Irish Times.

But, ultimately, to eliminate the likelihood of horse meat and, more importantly, tainted horse meat from the Irish food chain, experts purport that a central system of governance -- a comprehensive, integrated system for the registration, identification and tracing of equidae in Ireland -- is required.

Print

E-mail

Tweet