Bloody business Cruelty to South American horses for the European pig-meat industry
Zürich, Frankfurt, 29. 9. 2015. Uruguay and Argentina produce blood plasma for the European pig-meat industry. Buyers are i.a. the German IDT Biologika in Dessau and the Swiss branch of MSD Animal Health in Luzern. It is a million dollar business, which has been running for 30 years and beyond reach of any control from the EU and Swiss authorities. The blood is of interest for the European veterinary pharmaceutical industry, as it contains the hormone PMSG (Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin). PMSG is used by the European pig-meat industry; it induces sows to reach heat faster and by applying it to the whole herd of sows, it is possible to plan births synchronously. As a result, the pig business is more efficient. „Tens of thousands of mares are systematically tortured for this blood business. In order for European piglet producers to make their business more profitable, the mares are made pregnant, exsanguinated and their foals aborted”, criticises Sabrina Gurtner, project manager at the Tierschutzbund Zürich. TSB president York Ditfurth calls for the EU Commission and the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Services BLV “to prohibit the import of PMSG from South America“.
TSB Zürich and AWF visited the blood-collecting farms in Uruguay and Argentina. Three of the four establishments have EU approval for the export of animal products. The blood farm company Syntex Uruguay SA is not found on any of the EU lists. “Syntex is the biggest exporter of PMSG and customs records confirm that Syntex Uruguay exports PMSG with a value of up to 2.5 millions US dollars to Europe on a monthly basis”, criticises the TSB Zürich.
In Uruguay alone there are thousands, a blood farmer speaks of tens of thousand mares that are used for the blood extraction. „The mares are not accustomed to contact with humans. With whips and electric prods they are forced into the restraint boxes for the blood extraction.
„The mares are not accustomed to contact with humans. With whips and electric prods they are forced into the restraint boxes for the blood extraction. They are hit on their heads with wooden sticks until they submit and stand still so a bleeding can-nula can be inserted. Within ten minutes about ten litres of blood are extract-ed“, Sabrina Gurtner describes the blood taking process.
The PMSG can be obtained until the 140th day of the gestation at the maxi-mum, thereafter the foal foetus is aborted in order to interrupt the pregnancy. Mares that cannot become pregnant again are sold by the blood farmers to EU certified slaughterhouses.
The blood business has been running without official supervision for 30 years. Representatives of the Uruguayan Government confirmed to the TSB Zürich that the EU only inspects establishments for meat production, but not blood-producing horse farms. Audits of the blood farms do not take place. They would wish clear legal requirements from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) or the EU Commission (SANCO). Without these, a con-trol of the blood farms would not be possible.
According to York Ditfurth „Representatives of the Uruguayan Government, as well as the president of the national animal-welfare committee, expressed their feeling that the European countries have PMSG produced in Uruguay only because their own animal-welfare regulations would not allow such production“.
Investigative film:
The investigative film by TSB Zürich and AWF called „Blood farms in Uruguay and Argentina” can be watched via this link: <link https: www.youtube.com>
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