Is it legal to eat horse in the UK

[ABC]

Rhino I can't quote on my phone but

"I'm vegetarian and have been for 17+ years, I just don't understand a blanket 'no' to eating certain animals. I don't think many people would eat their 'pets' but to me all animals deserve the same respect - to be looked after in life and slaughtered as humanely as possible, preferably without wastage of meat... People can form equally as strong relationships with other animals like goats or pigs IMO"

I totally 100% agree, except I've been a vegetarian for 9 years (since I was 10 )

 

[Jesstickle]

I have, knowingly, eaten horse and would again. It wasn't MY horse so it was no different to me than a cow, a sheep or a pig. As it happens I am very fond of pigs, they are very bright and trainable animals and can be surprisingly affectionate. If I can bring myself to eat a pig I can definitely eat a horse.

 

[Karran]

I've eaten horse. I didn't like the taste even before someone told me what it was.
If I did like it I wouldn't have a problem eating it again.

 

[Mare Stare]

I've eaten horse. I didn't like the taste even before someone told me what it was.
If I did like it I wouldn't have a problem eating it again.

What does it taste like?

I've always imagined it to be similar to venison.

 

[Puppy]

Bless, he can't still be here when my 6 others come back into work in march, the more I think about the sausage possibilities the better an idea it's sounding

You have 7 horses now?!

Woah, you've been collecting them since we last caught up!!!

 

[honeymum]

What does it taste like?

I've always imagined it to be similar to venison.

I've never tried it either but would definitely give it a go. My friend told me it tastes a bit like beef.

 

[Super_Kat]

Ha ha puppy, only 3 of those belong to me, the other 3 (plus 2 other ornaments) I look after and keep fit in exchange for free livery/feed/hay etc

 

[YorksG]

I have eaten horse, back in the days when there were a number of local slaughter houses. It did need to be stewed for quite some time, but was like rather strong beef. I eat sheep, cows and pigs, am not sure about eating pigs as they are omnivores and I actually think that we should only eat herbivores. Someone asked earlier on the thread why we don't eat carnivores, it is my understanding that they have some of the same parasites as we do and therefore this would be a very unhealthy thing to do.

 

[Puppy]

Ha ha puppy, only 3 of those belong to me, the other 3 (plus 2 other ornaments) I look after and keep fit in exchange for free livery/feed/hay etc

OK, phew, I thought you'd been on some crazy shopping spree or something

So Woody? Storm..? Fill me in!!

I trust you've seen my new boy on fb

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

If it's not , it should be, i hate the fact of eating such a beautiful animal (just my opinion)

5^ to this i am with you 100% I could never eat such a beautiful animal

 

[Clodagh]

I've eaten it, it was sort of sweet strong beef, not nice at all.

 

[Passtheshampoo]

We raise pigs, sheep and turkeys (all free range) for meat and keep horses for pleasure. I personally wouldn't be against eating horsemeat as to me it's more about the quality of life something gets rather than what happens to the carcass once it's dead.

 

[Super_Kat]

I wouldn't be against eating it at all but you just don't see it in this country which made me think if it was legal or not or if it just isn't eaten because it's 'not the done thing'.
OH and I are getting some pigs in the spring for eating purposes, no emotional attachments, they'll have a good life then bang..... freezer. I don't quite get why doing that with horses leaves people so horrified. If the horse is a pet then yes, I can totally see but if it's an animal you have no emotional attachment I don't really see then problem.
I'll repeat, I'm not planning on eating my horse. I want to sell him in order to fund an iPad and baileys habit

 

[Oliver12]

.. I strongly belive people who think its ok to eat horse or dog have no soul ......

Oh come on. Your average pig has far more intelligence than a horse or a dog.

 

[4x4]

I have seen French people queueing for it in the market.

 

[lazybee]

I have seen French people queueing for it in the market.

I've been living in France for 10yrs and don't know anyone who eats it and haven't seen anyone buying it in the supermarket, I suppose they must sell some though; else it wouldn't be on the shelf. It's really not that popular here.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Mys sister has lived in france for 25 years at least

she said there is less horse meat sold now, this was what she told me last year. Yesterday I found this.
* News
* World news

France's horsemeat lovers fear US ban

· Illinois campaigners force closure of abattoir
· Action threatens to rein in rising European market

o reddit this *
Angelique Chrisafis in Paris
* The Guardian, Friday 15 June 2007
* Article history

On the marble slab of his butcher's shop in central Paris, Jean-Pierre Houssin is rearranging his horsemeat. He has horse sausage, Normandy horse joints for roasting, and filet steaks, but his biggest seller is minced horsemeat, to be eaten raw as steak tartare. "It's very healthy - it's high in iron, less fatty than other meats and low in cholesterol. I eat it regularly," he says.

Outside, three golden horse heads and a cutting by a food critic entitled "Why I eat horse" signpost the popular shop.

After years of decline, France's taste for horsemeat is showing signs of a revival. Brigitte Bardot, the film star-turned animal activist, has devoted 2007 to halting the consumption of "the noble beast", but she faces a difficult task - a marketing drive has increased sales.

But in the US a campaign by another cinema icon, Bo Derek, is threatening French supplies of the meat. The US is one of the biggest suppliers of horsemeat to France, but the state of Illinois has ordered the country's last working horse slaughterhouse to stop operations.

After a campaign by Derek and other lobbyists, the Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, announced last month that it was "past time to stop slaughtering horses in Illinois".

Groups such as the Humane Society of the US say that the country has no tradition of killing horses for meat, and should not be doing so to satisfy foreign consumers. American horsemeat, processed legally by the plant, has been sold mostly to France, Belgium and Japan, but in America it is considered taboo.

The Belgian-owned Illinois slaughterhouse has appealed against the decision. But there is a trend in the US for plants to close. Two other horse abattoirs in Texas were shut down this year.

In France, the news has caused concern. "It's serious, the US is a big part of our supply," says Timothé Masson from Interbev Equins, an organisation of French horsemeat industries. Sales of horsemeat in France rose by 2.1% in 2005-2006, the first upturn in years. Tastings, supermarket campaigns and marketing drives have increased consumption of what was once a cheap, working-class food in Paris and the mining areas of north-east France.

Although only a handful of restaurants still serve horse in the French capital, Mr Masson's group is working to convince more chefs. It is also targeting the public with monthly recipe suggestions, such as sliced horse with tabbouleh.

Around 80% of the horsemeat in France is imported, with more than a third from the US. The French horsemeat industry will now look more to Latin America and Canada as suppliers. Europe's horsemeat market is substantial: France consumes 26,000 tonnes a year, but Italy, where horse sausage and cured meat is popular, eats three times that amount.

At the De Kuiper restaurant in Vilvoorde, north of Brussels, the chef, Alfons Gulickx, is concerned about the US supply drying up. He buys horsemeat from South America, but says prices are rising and supplies dwindling. His horse steaks, broiled in their own fat, sell for €15 (£10), but he feels he may have to increase his prices. Horse is still a popular dish, he says.

"If you want to eat healthily, you will end up with horsemeat."

 

[shadowboy]

I dont think it can go through the typical slaughter house if you have ticked and signed that bit at the back of the passport for human consumption?

 

[misterjinglejay]

Its no different to eating cow or sheep (both of which I had as pets when younger & when old enough sent them off to slaughter) as long as the animal is raised with kindness & killed without cruelty I say eat it

We were veggies for 20 years, until fairly recently, when we were asked why we didn't eat meat. 'Because we don't agree with the way animals are raised for meat and slaughtered - it seems a very harsh way to live and die' we said.

'Well', my friend replied 'all my meat comes from my own happily raised animals, and are slaughtered locally and sensitively'. Couldn't really argue with that!!!

So we now eat meat, as long as it is reared and killed humanely.

I agree, though, that we shouldn't eat carnivores - animals in the wild don't, and they know best!

Maybe I should be fattening up Mister Jay, and tenderising him daily

 

[cattysmith]

Not illegal I think it's purely down to ethics in this country. I have no issues with horse meat at all. They may be pets to us but many other countries it's a staple meat, and why not? There's nothing wrong with it really.

My mum always tells me that even just after WWII it was available here and my dad says that my gran used to cook it in the oven for her dogs to eat!

Think of the culling of wild ponies that goes on. It's better for them to be consumed for meat rather than just wasted.

Many people might not like the thought of it but it's not THEIR pet that's being eaten, it's one that's been bred for the purpose. The chances are many of our pets and competition horses wouldn't taste to great anyway!

Also I like to draw the line at, if it regularly eats other animals then I won't eat it! (this doesn't include fish btw)

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

Apparently its a very healthy meat. I would have thought grass fed ones would probably taste better than those with more hard feed in their diet. I wonder what difference breed and sex make to the flavour too. Do showjumpers taste better than endurance horses perhaps?

I wonder if it would come out yellow like corn fed chickens lol

It's amazing how many commonly used horse medications makes your horse unfit for human consumption!!... bet most of your horses are unfit! X
Bute being one of them I think??

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

Not permitted in horses used for human consumption :-

BUTE - no withdrawal period, so NEVER allowed for human consumption
PROM ACE
EQUIPOISE
GASTROGARD
KETOFEN
IVERMECTIN - such as Equivan, zimecterine, Equell, and Ivercare
XYLAINE such as Anased (Lloyd), Sedazine (Fort Dodge), Xyla-Ject
HYALURONIC ACID
PYRANTEL - such as Strongid C and Banminth (Pfizer), Purina® Horse & Colt
VENTIPULMIN.....

loads more fed up with listing now lol...

 

[Milkmaid]

I`ve eaten horse (rump steaks) and it tasted like very good beef! Marbled with fat and VERY tender. Animal in question was a wild 15 yr old pony. Older makes for better eating apparently?

I work in farming and have bred and reared my own cows and chickens for my own consumption and have no problem in farming horses for meat as long as it is done humanely (as with ANY animal)

As someone else has pointed out, there are far worse fates for a horse than being reared in a nice big grassy field (or living wild) with room to run, lots of friends, before being humanely dispatched.

 

[Fantasy_World]

Are there alternatives to bute then? I don't mean the herbal variety but vet prescribed painkillers and anti inflammatories that are safe to give to horses which are for human consumption? Even if it means so many days of withdrawal before animal can be slaughtered.
I am curious because if that is not the case then surely there are horses that are being kept for meat which for one reason or another are in pain but are not allowed pain relief due to them being raised for human consumption.
The same also applies to some of the other drugs listed above, such as for worming etc.
I am just interested to know because I believe that any animal raised for meat should be allowed whatever medication it needs for its health and welfare, otherwise could it be argued that animals are not being raised pain free and free from any form of suffering for the sake of mankind?

 

[Booboos]

I wonder if mumsnet have a baby recipe section or the kennel club for there korean members !!!

Don't tempt me!! Tootles of to MN to gain some support...

 

[rhino]

5^ to this i am with you 100% I could never eat such a beautiful animal

So do you not think all animals are beautiful?

This little fella meant as much to me as any dog or horse

 

[Super_Kat]

This little fella meant as much to me as any dog or horse

Ha ha ha ha, what a DUDE

 

[AmyMay]

So do you not think all animals are beautiful?

This little fella meant as much to me as any dog or horse

He's great Rhino. And I must admit I thought pretty much the same about Leviathan's comment.

All animals are actually beautiful - it's just that some are a regular on our dinner table, others are not.

 

[Milkmaid]

Are there alternatives to bute then?

Yes. Finadyne, metacam amongst others are licenced for use in horses intended for human consumption.

As with other animals, withdrawal periods must be adhered to.

We used to use bute for the farm cows before they decided it was unsafe!

 

[Fantasy_World]

As someone else has pointed out, there are far worse fates for a horse than being reared in a nice big grassy field (or living wild) with room to run, lots of friends, before being humanely dispatched.[/QUOTE]

So do you and others believe then it is perfectly acceptable for these 'horses' to be raised with the acceptance of headcollars/halters, to be led around and trust gained. Sometimes even ridden or used to pull carts? To be groomed, feet trimmed, maybe even shod and yet still sent for human consumption?

I understand that knacker yards exist and without them a great deal more equines would suffer. Not everyone can afford to have the vet out to have horses euthanised by injection and some may prefer the bullet anyway.

However I do object to the kind of treatment that is witnessed abroad with the tethering and working of horses before cramming them onto over crowded vehicles with little food, rest or water and then enduring rough treatment once more until they are finally dead.

Even without the transportation issues and having seen personally rough treatment, handling of horses at auctions, as well as witnessing cruelty and neglect I fear for the 'fashion' of horse meat to become established in the UK.

There are already countless of equines abused and neglected in the UK and Ire as part of the breeding for riding industry. ( yes there are good people amongst the bad ones before anyone starts shouting out) However if we as a nation were then starting to breed horses for human consumption as a thriving business ( yes I know it goes on already, but I mean on a larger scale) which would then see the meat on our supermarket shelves, I would fear for a great more equines.

I personally believe that more equines would be abused and neglected. Why? because if the end product was a dead product, then it would not matter if the animal endured injuries along the way, or was lame, worm riddled etc. The end product would be for meat and if not for humans then for the pet food industry. So the owner/breeders would not care. A few good ones amongst the many bad people though who would pride themselves on producing a good quality meat for the table, in exactly the same way as breeders and farmers do in the production of a nice bit of beef steak or leg of lamb.

However I see the popularity of horse meat in the UK encouraging not only further abuse of equines but also deception. Doctored passports and lies so that animals can be sent for human consumption rather than just animals. We already know of Irish horses coming over and losing passports along the way. Just look on HHO and see posts about people saying pages are missing, or help me trace my horses history and so on.

My fear is that instead of creating an outlet for unwanted equines it will fuel instead more misery for not just the already unwanted horses but for the thousands that would be bred commercially for consumption. Suppose some link is found in the future between eating horse meat and human health? BSE in cows and so on. Eating horses then becomes unpopular and so what happens to all those horses bred and raised for food?
Supply will far outweigh demand, it is already happening in the riding industry so gawd forbid if we start a widescale horse meat production industry in the UK

Personally I hope any venture never takes more than a few steps off the ground as even that would be too much.
I would never eat horse meat, not ever. For my own personal and ethical grounds.