Demand Ireland ends its support of horse blood farms in South America, withdraw Fixplan now!

PMSG is a hormone of double misery. It causes suffering to pregnant mares in South American blood farms and also animals used in industrial farming for food production.

PMSG is a fertility hormone that is obtained from the blood of pregnant mares and is used in industrial animal breeding to increase the reproductive performances of farmed animals, in particular sows, through synchronising cycles and increasing the number of offspring produced per year.

Please, sign the petition calling on Ireland to end its support of horse blood farms in South America, by withdrawing the marketing authorisation of the drug "Fixplan" now.

The DSPCA is supporting the campaign that is being led by the Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) who are based in Germany, to ban the import, production and use of PMSG in Europe. AWF have carried out extensive investigations into the production of PMSG in Argentina, Uruguay and Iceland. The PMSG hormone is imported from these countries and is used in industrial animal agriculture throughout the EU. Currently, as far as we are aware, there are six products containing PMSG licenced for sale in Ireland, including the drug "Fixplan" from Argentina.

AWF's investigations on PMSG production in South America
In 2015, the AWF first discovered and then published its research on the extraction of PMSG in South America and discovered the existence of the so-called "blood farms", which became the object of repeated investigations in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021-2022 and in 2024. At these farms, pregnant mares are subjected to extreme animal cruelty and excessive blood extraction in order to obtain PMSG. Some pharma companies like Syntex run their own blood farms and sell the final veterinary medicinal product. The suffering of these horses is unimaginable with mares been subjected to cruel handling, beatings, repeated abortions to allow the mares be put back in foal and up to ten litres of blood taken from pregnant mares every week, for a period of eleven weeks, twice a year.

The most striking effect of PMSG production is the one on the mares' life expectancy: a horse can live as long as 30 years, but blood mares only live about 6 years. AWF investigations found large number of severely emaciated, injured, sick, weak and dead mares on the pastures which indicates that blood farms do not provide for any veterinary care for the mares to monitor their health. Injured and sick mares are often left to die without care or euthanasia provided.

Video footage of these investigations is available online
Film 2021/22: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OX4qu1zJzw

Film 2018: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc1rhfMVIO8&t=32s

Film 2016/17: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQLRaycU1oQ

Film 2015: https://youtu.be/945zwN5-d30

Suffering of animals used for industrial breeding
European industrial animal breeding relies heavily on the fertility hormone PMSG. For example, in piglet production, the hormone makes sure that sows come into heat at the same time. PMSG primarily serves to synchronise work processes and increase efficiency. All sows can be artificially inseminated at the same time and give birth on the same day. Large numbers of piglets can be sent together for fattening and later for slaughter. This has serious consequences for pigs on industrial farms.  Their welfare is seriously compromised with recovery periods between births are shortened for the mother sows and more piglets are born than the sow can feed. Weak piglets are often not capable of surviving and die.

What role does Fixplan play?
Fixplan was authorised by the Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) (authorisation number VPA 22776/3/1) on 10th February 2021. Syn Vet-Pharma Ireland Limited, who are based in Waterford, are the marketing authorisation holder for Fixplan in all EU Member States. The marketing authorisation by the Irish authorities has had a significant effect on the distribution and use of this product in Europe as Ireland is the Reference Member State in the decentralised procedure. Once authorised in Ireland, other Member States were compelled to also grant marketing authorisation for Fixplan, based on Ireland's assessment report. Syn Vet-Pharma Ireland Limited belongs to Syntex S.A.. Fixplan which is produced by Syntex S.A. runs their own blood farm for the production of PMSG in Argentina. This is the farm where AWF documented horrible abuse during blood extraction in 2015 & 2018, and where they found severely injured mares left without veterinary care in 2022 and most recently in February 2024. By granting marketing authorisation for Fixplan, the Irish Government is supporting the import and use in the EU of a product that inflicts immense cruelty on the horses involved.

DSPCA is calling for an end to this brutal trade and is asking for your support by calling on the Minister of Agriculture to use his powers to withdraw the marketing authorisation of the drug "Fixplan" that causes so much suffering to animals. Please add your signature.