Would you eat horse meat?

fatpiggy said:
I don't eat veal on principal, not because it is cutesy little calves, but because of the traditional methods of raising them in crates - which still goes on if the dog kennel sized boxes I saw on a Derbyshire farm a couple of years back, each with a calf in, is anything to go by. Poor little things couldn't even turn around.
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Funnily enough veal crates and the suchlike are banned here, so I would think this is unlikely to be a dedicated veal supplier and more likely to be your average dairy farmer's calf housing. If you're referring to proper calf kennels (plastic with a pen on the outside), they can certainly turn round and a kennel provides an ideal environment for calves which vastly reduces calf mortality, so don't judge the industrial look to them.

If it's the individual pens in a building I agree they should have more space than just what they are stood in but they will not be in there for long and young calves really do need to be in quarantine so they get the right feed and attention and rest, without the risk of picking something up from another calf. Sniffles and squits can kill a calf extremely quickly and it's like toddlers at nursery - spread like wildfire.

ETA: it is quite sick how goatmilk has a reputation as being more ethical than cows' when they already have super dairies of 3000+ goats supplying the supermarkets and 1000s of male kids are gassed at birth as the norm, whereas in cows it's the minority of the smallest calves which are shot.
 
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this...
dogatemysalad said:
No, I would not.
History would have been very different without the sacrifices of working horses. They have been used for transportation, farming and war for centuries because of their willing and cooperative natures.
Ever since they were domesticated, they have held a special role as workers and companions. Horsemen have a special bond with them and trust their lives to them.
Its seems a little disingenuous to repay their loyalty and bravery by eating them.
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I did once when I was in France - I was 14 and on an exchange trip with the school so living with a French family who served me up horse meat steak and I didnt know what it was. When the mum told me what kind of meat it was I instantly felt ill and made for the bathroom - it was like she had just fed me my dog. I was so upset because I would never choose to eat hrose meat any sooner than I would choose to eat my other pets
 
I wouldn't but then i'm a veggie, still owuldn't if i wasn't. My father tried it he said is stank and would not ever have it. Motheris french so had to eat a lot of horsemeat as a child and she personally didn't like it either and def wouldn't touch it now!
 
fatpiggy said:
I don't eat veal on principal, not because it is cutesy little calves, but because of the traditional methods of raising them in crates - which still goes on if the dog kennel sized boxes I saw on a Derbyshire farm a couple of years back, each with a calf in, is anything to go by. Poor little things couldn't even turn around.

Don't forget the number of billy goat kids that are slaughtered at birth too because of the limited market. A friend of mine had a herd of rare breed goats bred for showing and milking. Every year she would despair at the number of billies that were born especially since she needed more nannies to increase the numbers. They were immediately taken by the owner of the billy that she used and slaughtered.
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Rearing calves in crates has been banned in EU for a while, and is a false economy anyway as it a lot easier and higher welfare to raise them in larger open barns.

http://ciwf.org.uk/farm_animals/cows/veal_calves/default.aspx
 
Before they shut down all the abbatoirs there was not such a problem. Old, lame and sick horses went to sales and were sold for meat. It is the only way. As long as they are slaughtered in the UK and treated humanely then I do not see a problem. It was common knowledge at our rding school in the 70s that the old horses went for meat. A big horse fetched a reasonable amount........same with sub standard heavies...it's where they went.
 
In answer to the actual question - no I would never eat it. I am of the opinion that all it will do is increase the indiscriminate breeding as soon as people realise they can get more for it as meat than at the local sales. I don't think it will improve welfare one bit.
 
Those with the cosy idea that horse slaughter in the Uk is humane are just a google click away from the reality of The Red Lion Abbattoir near Nantwich. So appalling was the mistreatment, abuse and inhumane treatment that it was shut down.
If you have a strong stomach, a quick search will show you the video footage of the horses final days.

To say eating horse is fine as long as its done humanely and ethically, is a cop out. It isn't. Except when they have advance warning that a TV crew is visiting.
 
MerrySherryRider said:
Those with the cosy idea that horse slaughter in the Uk is humane are just a google click away from the reality of The Red Lion Abbattoir near Nantwich. So appalling was the mistreatment, abuse and inhumane treatment that it was shut down.
If you have a strong stomach, a quick search will show you the video footage of the horses final days.

To say eating horse is fine as long as its done humanely and ethically, is a cop out. It isn't. Except when they have advance warning that a TV crew is visiting.
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Thank you, watch the footage, and then try and chow down on some horse!!!
 
MerrySherryRider said:
Those with the cosy idea that horse slaughter in the Uk is humane are just a google click away from the reality of The Red Lion Abbattoir near Nantwich. So appalling was the mistreatment, abuse and inhumane treatment that it was shut down.
If you have a strong stomach, a quick search will show you the video footage of the horses final days.

To say eating horse is fine as long as its done humanely and ethically, is a cop out. It isn't. Except when they have advance warning that a TV crew is visiting.
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But that's like saying - I saw a horse owner beating up a horse - therefore it's wrong to own horses... Just cos there are Inhumane abattoirs (that get closed down btw) doesn't meN there aren't humane ones...
 
DanceswithCows said:
Oxen have also been used for farming, transportation and war for longer than horses and more widely, yet people happily chow down on cattle? :S
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Arguably the economy of the major historic powers largely depended on the wool trade, and thus sheep are responsible for the British Empire, much of our historic architecture and wealth, as well as foreign policy etc. We eat those too...
 
Not read all the replys but to first answer the question, yes I would.

Secondly, as much as I think it would help long term with the welfare of horses - after all well weighted animals get sold for more money so fewer are likely to be starved - it is unlikely to help with the actual issue of breeding. I've thought and discussed this a lot and in an ideal world ALL stallions and ALL mares should be licensed and registered in order to breed, and a foal can only get a passport if both parents are licenced and registered. Now of course there will be people who have a beloved mare who can no longer work etc, and so they might want to breed, but this is where I believe there should be "levels" as such where some mares can have up to say 3 foals for example, or 4-8 and 9-?? And so forth and be registered to do so - if you get what I'm trying to say?

I have seen far to many people (Facebook mainly) who have colts and stallions for no apparent good reason other than they can't be bothered to cut it. I know if my mare has a colt I will be cutting it I'm order to prevent any twit from breeding from an average horse.
 
MerrySherryRider said:
How exactly would eating horsemeat in the UK help the welfare of horses ? If there was a market for eating a meat that has long been taboo, it wouldn't be the abandoned, sick horses with a dubious and an untraceable history consumers would want. It wouldn't be the one's that might have had bute and other drugs. It could be the wretched ones in need of bute, but kept suffering until slaughter day.

If there was a demand for eating horse, which I doubt, as even in France, it's popularity is declining, the horses would be specially bred and farmed for the purpose, so increasing the population. The meat could not be ethically produced on the cheap in a regulated market.


So, no, I would not eat horse. Why would I, when I live in one of the world's richest countries and the supermarket shelves are stacked high with every type of food produced from all over the world.
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^5 Your so right the French demand for horses has declined so much in the past few years. I had not even thought of horses kept in pain waiting for slaughter just so the bute can get out the system. "shudders". In the 70's 80's it was thought of eating horses in this country as a definite no. I always heard from friends /acquaintance and people we met along the way growing up as the UK as a country that would not touch it.

It saddens me now so many do and would eat it, oh I understand why some would (like it feel its ok) now too. How times have changed, I always knew that horses along with kangaroo etc were used in pet food in some countries, but the UK was always excluded from that.
I remember the horrid find in London in the 70's, a restaurant was found to be serving up cats. The poster read what sort of curry is this? a plate of curry shown and the words under Cat Curry!!!.
In the back of the restaurant was a skip full of cat parts (prob people's pets). Funny how news bulletins stay with you for years and years
 
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I can think of a couple of horses over the last 50 years I would happily have eaten. Revenge is a dish best served cold, hot, in a pie, so many choices.
 
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