Uruguay | Canelones | Slaughterhouse Sarel | Horsemeat import
Schlachthof Sarel: Keine Pferde auf den grünen Weiden.
Ein leerer LKW steht an der Entladerampe.
Die Pferche bei der Entladerampe sind überfüllt.
Matschige Pferche ohne Witterungsschutz und Futter, umgeben von grünen Wiesen.
Today it is not raining anymore. When we arrive at the Sarel slaughterhouse at 11:00, we notice that the large paddocks next to the main road, where we saw a lot of horses during our visit last year, are empty. However, there is horse dung on the ground indicating that horses must have been there recently.
The parking lot of the plant is full with cars and motorbikes; hence it is very likely that slaughter is taking place today. Approaching the slaughterhouse from a side road, we see an empty livestock truck parked at the unloading ramp. The holding pens into which the horses have been unloaded have a high concrete wall, thus all we can see are a few horses’ ears. No activity can be observed and we decide to come back later.
When we return to Sarel in the late afternoon, the large green paddocks are still empty but we see a large number of horses in two different pen areas behind the slaughterhouse buildings. The roofed pen area by the unloading ramp is very overcrowded, which creates stress among horses because of ranking fights. Further away from the buildings, we observe approx. 30 horses in two small pens, which are less crowded than the others. Nevertheless, some biting can be observed. We note that there is no shelter and no hay or straw available. The horses are standing on muddy ground without a blade of grass. Several are quite thin with their hip bones, spines and ribs clearly visible.
