UK
Horse Transporters to Aid Slaughter Horses ARB
Equine today announces a new initiative in raising funds and awareness
for the ILPH’s Transportation Campaign. For
a six month period, they will donate 1% of all their transport revenue
to the ILPH. Furthermore ILPH Transportation Campaign leaflets will
be distributed by hand to all yards visited. ARB
Equine’s Carolyn Paul says: “We wanted to do something
to raise awareness with our customers, with the general public,
and within the transport business, of the awful plight of live horses
being transported long distances for slaughter. Using our own horse
transport revenue to help with the ILPH’s fundraising seemed
an obvious route” Jo
White, ILPH Campaigns Manager, says: “We are very grateful
to ARB Equine for their promise of a donation towards our campaign
to stop the long distance transport of horses for slaughter. Without
the help of businesses such as ARB Equine and the generosity of
the general public we would not be able to continue our fight to
stop this horrific traffic.” From
the ILPH’s web site: “Since 1990 over one million six
hundred thousand live horses have been imported into the EU for
slaughter, 133,353 meat horses entered the EU for slaughter in 2001
alone (Eurostat, Luxembourg 2002). Many of these equines are transported
long distances under conditions which cause them unnecessary suffering.
The
source countries are spread throughout Eastern Europe and as a result
some equines cover thousands of kilometers in order to reach their
destination in the slaughterhouses of Italy, the main import country.
Over
the past ten years of undertaking field research and liaising with
relevant organisations in Member States and Third Countries, the
ILPH has identified many concerns with the welfare of equines during
transport. To name a few, equines are transported in vehicles that
do not conform to specific standard; they travel in extremes of
climate; they travel for excessive periods; mixed gender groups
can lead to injury and operatives are not trained in animal handling.
The animals’ lack of adequate feeding, resting and watering
is of major concern. Detailed observations can be found in our Stop
the Suffering report, which you can view online or request by email,
phone or letter.” The
ILPH Transportation Campaign can be found on the web at http://www.ilph.org/items.asp?TY=3 ARB
Equine web site: www.arb-equine.com
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