Iceland is being pressured to ban the extraction of hormones from pregnant horses. This practice has been called cruel and animal abuse.
Farmers in Europe and the UK use the hormone for increased reproduction in pigs, cows, or other female farm animals.
Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin is extracted from Iceland’s pregnant horses during the summer at blood farm, before being powdered and shipped around the globe.
Icelandic animal welfare campaigners visited farms with the Guardian to see broken restraint boxes, enclosures covered in bite marks and enclosures that were not secure. They claimed this was a sign that the horses were anxious.
Undercover FootageFrom farms, taken by animal welfare campaigners. Also, it appeared that distressed horses were being hit and struggling inside restraints boxes before blood was drawn using an inserted large cannula into their jugular.
The European Commission stated it was concerned about horses being used for blood. However, the European parliament disagrees. So calledTo ban imports of the hormone.
A 17-member international coalition of NGOs was formed in late March. submittedYou can file a complaint against Iceland with the European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority (ESA), who monitors compliance with European Economic Area rules in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
The complaint alleged Iceland of violating EEA laws on the protection animals used for scientific purposes. The complaint also stated that Iceland should ban blood collection.
Iceland is also supporting a ban. The Peoples party, which is in opposition to the ban, has introduced a bill into parliament calling for it. The bill, which is currently awaiting a vote by groups such as the Icelandic Tourism Association, is supported.
A working groupThis summer, the Icelands Fisheries and Agriculture department will report its findings.
Experts are also concerned about the amount blood taken from horses. Isteka, a pharmaceutical firm, owns or subcontracts farms. Five litres of blood are taken weekly from pregnant mares for eight consecutive weeks, approximately four times the amount stipulated in international guidelines.
Isteka was granted a licence by the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, (Mast). They stated that there is no evidence that blood collection of up to five litres per week for up eight weeks has a negative effect on the health and welfare foals or mares.
Ingunn Rynisdtir is a veterinarian from north Iceland who has worked with horses her whole life. It is too much [blood]They may tremble and have trouble walking if they take too many, she said.
Mette Uldahl vice-president of Federation of Veterinarians of Europe(FVE) said about the practice: It is animal abuse and cruelty. Because horses get too scared, you shouldn’t train them.
Iceland is home to approximately 80,000 Icelandic horses. 5,383These are blood mares. There are 119In the country, there are blood farms.
Icelanders are aware that blood farms have been operating in Iceland for approximately 40 years. However, Icelanders who spoke to Guardian said they didn’t know much about them until last November, when the Animal Welfare Foundation undercover footage was shown on TV. A SurveyIn December, it was found that the majority of the population was against the blood farms.
I didn’t know that we were doing this here, and I was stunned when I saw it,” stated Bjarnheiur Hallsdtir (chair of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association). It was incredible. [is] awful.
I would like people not to know that Iceland is actually stabbing semiwild pregnant horses, taking their blood in extreme amounts and frequency to make pigs more pigs. This was stated by Rsa Lf darradttir in Reykjavik, a doctor and horse owner.
Between 2016 and 2019, Germany gave sows 6.4 million single doses (equivalent to 32,000 litres) of PMSG. Accordingto the federal ministry food and agriculture.
PMSG can be legally obtained in the UK by a registered vet. Products available include vaginal sponges (for sheep) that induce early lambing.
A spokesperson for the EU commission stated that dialogue with non-EU nations is essential to bring about positive changes in animal welfare issues.
The EU cannot set animal welfare standards for third countries. Therefore, our trade policy must respect the rules and regulations of the World Trade Organization. The commission continues to examine the importance of improving welfare conditions for horses involved in the production process of PMSG at multilateral, international level within the frameworks of the World Organisation for Animal Health.
Register for the Monthly update on Animals FarmedTo see a list of the top farming and food stories in the world, and to keep up with our investigations, click here Send us your thoughts or stories at [email protected]
