The findings of a Nanos Poll taken across Canada in June 2019 by Ottawa, ON lobbying firm, The Parliamentary Group, show that over two-thirds of Canadians say they are uncomfortable or somewhat uncomfortable with the export of horse meat from Canada for human consumption.
Nearly seven in ten Canadians say they would support stopping the slaughtering of horses in Canada for human consumption rather than continue the policy.
Canadians are over four times more likely to say they would have a more positive impression rather than a more negative impression of a politician that supported a ban in Canada on the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
When asked about the continuation of this practice, 69% said they would like to stop the slaughtering of horses in Canada for human consumption. Only 17% said they’d like to see it continue, while 14% were unsure.
“Over the last fifteen years, the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC) has continued to expose findings of cruelty, neglect and suffering of horses on feedlots, during air and ground transportation, and in the slaughter plants. This evidence, combined with these poll findings, proves that horses cannot be slaughtered humanely on a mass scale, and that the majority of Canadians would like to see it abolished”, says Sinikka Crosland, Executive Director of the CHDC.
This poll confirms similar findings to another national poll taken in 2004, where 64% of Canadians said they opposed the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
Sinikka Crosland goes on to say, “Nearly half of all horses are imported from the US where horse slaughter is illegal. Neither US nor Canadian horses can be traced effectively. Canada’s Equine Information Document system is highly flawed and does not guarantee truth or accuracy. There are instances in Europe where banned substances, such as a commonly used pain killer for horses called phenylbutazone, have been found in horsemeat exported by Canada, as recently as June 2019.”
The CHDC and the majority of Canadians call on our Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture, and all MPs to take the necessary steps to end the slaughter of horses in our country.
Click here to see the survey in its entirety.
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