Greater than 36,000 folks have signed a petition calling on the federal Liberals to maintain their election promise to ban the stay export of horses for slaughter.
Statistics Canada knowledge reveals because the pledge was made in 2021, greater than 2,000 horses have been shipped from Canada to Japan, the place uncooked horse meat is an area delicacy.
Canadian singer Jann Arden began the petition as a result of she believes transport horses abroad is a merciless apply that should finish.
“It is a disgusting operation and it is all about cash, cash, cash,” Arden stated in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Horses are put in cramped wood crates and generally left on the tarmac for hours earlier than the flight takes off the place they’re clearly pressured and making hideous noises, stated Arden, who noticed them being picked up on the Calgary airport.
Arden stated she’s not about telling folks what they need to and should not eat.
“It is the therapy of animals,” she stated.
The petition states that horses panic simply, have robust struggle or flight instincts and have extraordinarily delicate listening to.
READ MORE: Reside horses shipped from Canadian airports to Japan for slaughter
The journey from feedlots in Canada to these in Japan often takes greater than 24 hours and may legally take as much as 28 hours, throughout which horses are disadvantaged of meals, water and relaxation, the petition states.
“It is a very sinister a part of Canadian agriculture,” Arden stated.
A spokeswoman for the federal agriculture division stated rules have been in place to make sure horses have been match to journey, and that the federal government was working to search out the easiest way to ban the export of stay horses.
Since 2013, 5 horses have died in transit, the Canadian Meals Inspection Company stated.
NDP MP Alistair MacGregor launched the petition within the Home of Commons final week, noting that his get together has launched three personal member’s payments since 2010 to ban the apply.
None of them succeeded.
An identical petition calling for a ban on the export of stay battle horses was introduced in 2021 by Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. The election name that August meant the Liberals by no means formally responded to the petition, however did embrace a promise to ban the apply within the Liberal platform.
The federal authorities has six weeks to formally reply to the newest model.
This time the petition highlights the federal government’s lack of motion following the Liberal election promise.
“It is simply smoke and mirrors,” Arden stated. “It’s one thing that simply must be adopted up.
“They made a promise to Canadians.”
© 2023 The Canadian Press
