Our commitment to end unnecessarily long journeys by 2027
It is almost 100 years since Ada Cole founded our charity to become a voice for the horses suffering needlessly on their way to slaughter. We are determined to finish her work, ending the long-distance transport of horses across Europe for slaughter by 2027. We have a once in a generation chance so please help us achieve this goal by funding this final push to end this trade.
The most common welfare issues affecting horses during these long distance journeys include:
Exhaustion
Bracing and balancing for hours on end is exhausting, even for the fittest horse. For those unused to travelling, fattened for slaughter or with health conditions, the welfare implications are even greater.
Poor handling
Standards of driving and handling are inconsistent, with few checks in place to enforce laws and ensure that drivers have received requisite training to handle their precious cargo appropriately.
Unfit to travel
We know that ill, injured, obese and unfit horses are still being loaded onto lorries to make these long journeys.
A warming climate
Summers are getting longer and hotter across Europe and prolonged periods spent in metal lorries have serious welfare implications.
Unreliable data
We cannot be sure of how many horses are still making these cruel journeys because the official figures relating to the number of horses transported, do not match the data relating to the number of horses imported to Italy for slaughter. This further confirms that the welfare of every horse is not being checked.