13. March 2015

Uruguay | Sauce | Slaughterhouse Sarel | Horsemeat Import

[Translate to English:] Pferde kämpfen im überfüllten Anhänger.

[Translate to English:] Ein dünnes Pferd liegt erschöpft am Boden.

[Translate to English:] Die Eisenstangen über den Köpfen der Pferde sind viel zu niedrig.

In the morning, we follow a horse transporter that drives by Clay to the slaughterhouse Sarel. It is a typical Uruguayan livestock truck, which has no roof and therefore offers the animals no protection from sun and rain. The trailer appears overcrowded and we observe a lot of biting. At Sarel, there are horses in the paddocks next to the main road. Straw is available for them in addition to the rather poor grass, but there is no shelter from the sun. A thin horse, whose rips and hip bones are clearly visible, is lying down and appears to be exhausted. In the afternoon, we follow another horse transporter to the slaughterhouse Sarel. The animals on board the vehicle are tightly packed together. The metal bars above their heads are very low and tall horses risk hitting their heads.