Abstract:

Horse slaughter and the consumption of horsemeat occur worldwide. It is remarkable that there is no evidence of a direct relationship between horse slaughter and horse meat consumption within different countries. For example, horses are slaughtered in Canada and South America, and their meat for human consumption is exported to Japan or Europe. In contrast to the transport of sport and recreational horses, commercial transport of horses, especially slaughter horses, has been studied to a lesser extent. However, it is clear that road transport of horses for slaughter is a complex operation which includes pre-transport handling, loading, transport itself, unloading and lairage. For welfare reasons, the transport must be carried out with the utmost care to induce as little stress to the horses as possible. In the drive to optimise animal welfare, meat quality often improves as well. The welfare of these horses must always be optimal no matter what the final destination of their journey is. Before horses are transported, individual fitness for travel should be determined. Although the practical guidelines on fitness for travel vary from country to country, the general recommendation is not to transport unfit horses. The infrastructure at the loading site and the expertise of the handlers determines the ease of loading and the level of stress experienced by the horses. Several stressors during the transport process influence both behaviour and welfare, for example the skilfulness of the driver, the loading density, duration of journey, vehicle design and internal environmental conditions. In addition, after arrival at the slaughterhouse, the handling during unloading, lairage conditions and stunning and slaughter can have a significant impact on stress and horse welfare.