Since about the year, 2012, the United States stopped slaughtering horses. Those that are destined for slaughter are being shipped to Mexico and Canada. In Canada, we then slaughter some of these horses (and others that originated in Canada), while exporting others, live, to Japan, to be killed for (Sushi) meat. The origin of many of these horses is unknown; some of them could have been someone’s pet.

In this session, we will discuss the Canadian live horse export industry, the impacts of it on the welfare of horses, and the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition’s ground-breaking lawsuit against the Federal government over the way it transports horses by airplane. This matter is currently scheduled to be heard at the Federal Court of Appeal sometime in 2021. 

Key Learnings :

1. To raise awareness about the export of live horses to Japan for slaughter.
2.To learn about how horses are being (mis)treated in the live horse export industry.
3. To discuss the possibility of suing government over the (mis)treatment of animals.