Every year 100,000 horses are transported live from Poland to Italy. Starving, and terrified, those who don't collapse and die en route are slaughtered on arrival - for meat. This petition will be sent to the Prime Minister of Poland.
87,000 horses a year are sent by road from Poland to Italy where they are slaughtered for human consumption – for horse meat.
Farm horses, ponies and even foals are bought in polish markets and crowded into lorries, many of which are unfit even for local journeys, for the start of an horrendous journey, that can last five days, cover over 2,000 kilometres and cross six countries. During this ordeal, many of the horses have no rest, no water or food and are driven directly into the slaughterhouses. Invariably overcrowded, stressed and terrified, they frequently fall and struggle desperately to regain their feet. Once down, they can be urinated and deficated on, are often wounded, and even trampled to death. Over 70% of these journeys end in fatalities.
At staging points, fallen horses are either dragged off the truck with chains or subjected to violent treatment to induce them to stand. By the time they reach Hungary, just half way through the journey to the Italian abattoirs, many are injured, dehydrated, collapsed or dead.
Most Polish people love horses and don’t eat horse meat. They are horrified about this abuse of beautiful, intelligent animals for profit. But Poland is not a wealthy country and people do not have the resources necessary to organise opposition to it.
By offering your support, I believe we can win this battle for the horse, an animal which has helped us so much over the centuries.
