17. April 2018

Uruguay | Canelones | Horse slaughterhouses

A horse that arrived seriously injured is left unattended at slaughterhouse Clay.

A horse with severe leg injury has been left to suffer for five days at slaughterhouse Sarel.

A seriously injured horse stands on three legs, pus is dropping from the wound.

According to EU requirements, emaciated horses must not be slaughtered for human consumption.

A broken shelter at the Clay slaughterhouse which leaves the horses without weather protection.

Our team returns to Uruguay in April 2018 in order to see if the conditions at the EU-approved slaughterhouses Clay and Sarel have improved. This is not the case, despite the repeated assurances of the Swiss and EU horsemeat importers. In the slaughterhouse pens, we once again find many injured, weak and emaciated horses, as well as pregnant mares and foals. Veterinary care is still non-existent. Seriously injured horses with large open wounds or those who can only walk on three legs are left unattended for days instead of being emergency killed. The number of shelters for weather protection is decreasing. Transport vehicles are still the same cattle trucks which are inappropriate for the transport of horses. There is still a lack of traceability, as the national rules for identification are not complied with. We repeatedly observe slaughterhouses accepting horses without the mandatory ear tags.

We will continue to observe the slaughterhouses and send complaints to the EU-Commission and national authorities in Uruguay.