Pennsylvania is home to one of the largest auctions dealing in horses – New Holland. It is a frequented by kill buyers, individuals whose sole purpose is to purchase horses and ship them to slaughter plants in Canada or Mexico for monetary gain. This particular livestock auction house has a notorious reputation for animal cruelty. There have been countless reports of extreme abuse and neglect.
Animals Angels, a Maryland-based group that investigates farm animal cruelty, has conducted undercover filming of the New Holland auctions since 2006. Their work has resulted in three cruelty convictions. The most recent case, ended in January with an auction employee, John King, being convicted for failing to get help for a live pig on the so-called “dead pile” of animals. The pig later had to be euthanized.
As stated by Sonja Meadows, who is also the lead investigator for Animals' Angels, "Our investigators have taken and continue to take risks on a weekly basis to obtain the evidence of the illicit and inhumane activities which are endemic in the Canadian horse slaughter industry.
The evidence we are currently presenting to legislators in Europe documents not only the persistent maltreatment of horses, but also, and from their standpoint perhaps more serious, the very grave dangers to the health of their own citizens through the continued import of Canadian horsemeat."
"It’s straight out of a horror movie: hundreds of pregnant horses hooked up to blood-draining machines, some so weak they collapse and die. But we can stop this right now.
The industrial horse torture is driven by European pharmaceutical companies who use the blood to speed up factory farming! The EU has said it’s considering action, but so far nothing has happened.
We were thrilled to see not only the Stanley Brothers’ operations but also the issue of horse slaughter brought before the public by KNOE 8 News in Louisiana. The exposé “The Kill Pen” by KNOE Reporter Tim Bragg, aired in two parts, will surely raise awareness on the inherent cruelty and predatory nature of the horse slaughter industry. We at Animals’ Angels were pleased to be able to assist Mr. Bragg with his research into the Stanley Brothers and just how kill pens and kill buyers operate, as well as what happens “behind the scenes” for horses caught in the slaughter pipeline. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Tim Bragg and KNOE 8 News for airing this detailed report and bringing much needed attention to such an important concern.
Animals’ Angels, an investigative agency dedicated to animal rights, has announced a sharp decline in horsemeat imports to the European Union and Switzerland from Canada. The organization reports that from January to August 2016, horse meat exports to France, Belgium, and Switzerland from Canada was 27.8 million CAD, a nearly 50% drop from 54 million CAD during the same period in 2015.
As a result of this decreased demand, Animals’ Angels also reports that, according to Canadian import/export data, there’s been a 27% decline of horses imported to Canada from the United States year-to-date.
The goal of this very important day is to draw people's attention to the cruelty inherent in the live transport of animals bound for slaughter. At Animals' Angels, we'll be sharing a variety of reports and information which will illustrate the suffering - the absolutely needless suffering - that these animals endure for 28 hours at a time. Please join us in our Facebook and Twitter campaign to raise awareness nationwide!
We’re glad to see that the issue of horse slaughter is getting notice in a reputable publication such as the San Antonio Express-News. It is especially necessary to raise awareness of the stark realities of the horse slaughter pipeline to the audience in Texas where the export pens are located. Kudos to journalist John MacCormack for doing a story on this very important issue.
We were gratified to see our work in the EU recognized as we have worked diligently on our EU Campaign for quite some time. “We flew to Brussels and I met with the European Commission myself,” said Sonja Meadows, founder of the Maryland-based group.
Animals’ Angels, an investigative agency dedicated to animal rights, has released their findings from a two-year investigation into “killer buyer” Mike McBarron of Forney, TX.
The organization alleges that McBarron, owner of M and M Livestock and M and M Farms (a trucking company), has repeatedly violated The Commercial Transport of Equines to Slaughter Act. Additionally, they document poor conditions at McBarron’s Forney collecting station.
In the September 13, 2015 issue of our newsletter, we shared information about the latest industry found to exploit defenseless horses: blood farms. "Equine blood farms? are raking in millions of dollars for the parmaceutical industry, who in turn use the blood extracted from the horses to develop drugs for a variety of uses, including applications for pork producers.
