Funding for humane horse slaughter likely

Funding for humane slaughter or appropriate treatment of unwanted horses is expected in next week’s budget.

“If people have horses that they cannot feed and they have no market for those horses and there is likely to be a welfare problem as a result, we must and will act on that, and we are willing to allocate funding to ensure it is done in the most appropriate way,” said Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney.

Tighter rules since the horsemeat scandal have reduced the number of factories slaughtering horses, leaving the Department of Agricultuer to ensure there is no welfare issue for horses that have no market value.