At the start of each new year, Animals’ Angels conducts an in-depth investigation into the state of the US horse slaughter industry and prepares an annual update for our supporters.
This year, after analyzing the available data and reviewing the latest developments, we can confirm that the industry’s downward trend continued in Mexico but saw a slight uptick in Canada.
Overall, the number of US horses sold for slaughter annually has declined by a whopping 86% in the last decade alone.
There were over 148,000 US horses sold for slaughter in 2014. Ten years later, the annual number dropped to just over 20,000 horses. This jaw-dropping data reveals that the lives of over one hundred thousand precious horses are being saved from slaughter each year.
However, - while this is good news- we cannot forget the thousands of US horses that are still needlessly suffering and dying each year, along with the many horses trapped in the slaughter industry worldwide. It is clear that there is still more work to be done and that now is the time to redouble our efforts toward our ultimate goal of ending all horse slaughter for good.
Status of the Slaughter Industry in Mexico
In 2024, the total number of US horses shipped across the southern border into Mexico decreased by a total of 789 horses -falling from 17,997 horses shipped in 2023 to 17,208 shipped in 2024.
The decrease in horses shipped into Mexico accompanied a decrease in revenue earned as well. However, this didn’t stop the greedy US kill buyers who remain active in the area, including:
- O’Dwyer Investments: 130 shipments of horses and donkeys, valued at approximately $2.5 million, made O’Dwyer the year’s largest shipper into Mexico by far.
- M&M Livestock (Stanley Brothers): 90 shipments valued at approximately $1.9 million.
- George Baker Stables: 57 shipments valued at approximately $1.7 million.
- Ramos Livestock: 34 shipments valued at $742,000.
- Dennis Chavez: 28 shipments valued at approximately $550,000.
- Clint Smith: 27 shipments valued at $532,000.
- Denis Win: 18 shipments valued at $347,000.
- J&R Horses: 7 shipments valued at $132,578.
In addition to the kill buyers listed above, there are those known to supply horses to O’Dwyer, Dennis Chavez and the Stanley Brothers:
- Gary Morris (Texas)
- Jason Fabrizius (Colorado)
- Trent Ward (Texas)
- Jeff Smith (Kansas)
- Joe Simon (Oklahoma)
- Don Gatz (California)
- Blake Wilf (Arkansas)
- Norm Rudolph (Oklahoma)
- Cedar Ridge Farms (Virginia)
- Jason Sexton (Tennessee)
- Rio Grand Classic (Texas)
- R&R Farms, (Mississippi)
In addition to the decreasing number of slaughter horse shipments into Mexico, the country also showed a substantial decline in the amount of horse meat exported out of the country. Mexico exported only 1.1 million USD worth of horse meat in 2024, which was a 26% drop from the 1.5 million USD worth of horse meat exported in 2023.
Currently, US kill buyers receive $0.61 to $0.69 per pound for the horses they deliver to the slaughter plant in Mexico.
Most of the horse meat exported from Mexico last year was sent to Japan, with only one shipment going to Hong Kong and one to Vietnam.
Status of the Slaughter Industry in Canada
While the 2024 data is showing a steady decline of the slaughter industry in Mexico, the information obtained from Canada sparks concern.
The US kill buyers who shipped horses to Canada included:
- Fred Bauer(Ohio): 1412 Horses Shipped
- James Dutton (Michigan): 669 Horses Shipped
- Rotz Livestock(Pennsylvania): 831 Horses Shipped
The available data shows that 2,912 horses shipped to Canada in 2024 compared to 2,373 horses in 2023 - a total increase of 539 horses.
It’s possible that the number of US horses being shipped to Canada is directly related to the country’s 33.9% increase in the export of live horses to Japan for slaughter, but more research needs to be done to make any reliable determination.
3,265 live horses have been flown from Canada to Japan intended for slaughter, compared to the 2,438 horses flown to Japan in 2023, an increase of 827 horses.
Although live slaughter horse exports have risen, horse meat exports out of Canada have continued to decline dramatically, decreasing from $21,588,000 in 2023 down to $12,180,000 in 2024. That’s a drop of over 40%!
We were pleased to note that only two shipments of horse meat were sent from Canada to Europe in 2024, which confirms that the country’s horse meat trade with the EU has been all but shut down, most likely due to the stricter requirements implemented for horse meat imports into the EU and the continued impact of our successful consumer awareness campaign. In that campaign, Animals’ Angels, along with our EU partner the Animal Welfare Foundation, released a film containing shocking footage of the slaughter operations at Bouvry Exports and the US auctions that supply Bouvry with horses.
As a result, a major French retailer then cut all ties with Bouvry Exports.
The loss of this important customer was not the only bad news for the Alberta horse slaughter king pin: On September 8, 2023, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced that a dozen charges were filed against the company.
Unfortunately, the charges against Bouvry ultimately ended with a disappointing plea deal in January 2025. Bouvry pled guilty to failure to verify paperwork and agreed to pay a $17,000 fine in exchange for the dismissal of the more serious charges for cruel treatment of animals.
Status of the Slaughter Industry: A Global Outlook
While it is encouraging to witness the continued decline of the horse slaughter industry in Mexico, it is concerning to see the number of US horses slaughtered in Canada as well as the live export of horses to Japan for slaughter increase.
The industry operates on a global scale, and our mission to end horse slaughter for good must encompass countries abroad that are providing new and expanding markets for live slaughter horses and horse meat.
Going forward, Animals’ Angels will remain vigilant, keeping a close watch on developments in global markets as we continue to advocate for the passage of long-overdue federal legislation, which will prohibit the slaughter of U.S. horses and end their export for that purpose abroad. Last Thursday, the SAFE Act (H.R. 1661/S. 775) was reintroduced in Congress, and it is more important than ever to contact our elected officials and urge them to support this bill.
As always, Animals’ Angels remains committed to investigating and exposing all the key players in the horse slaughter industry and to providing lawmakers in the US and abroad with the most updated information available. Please consider making a donation in support of our work. Thank you so much!