Argentina | Mercedes | Slaughterhouse Lamar | Horsemeat Import

When we arrive at the slaughterhouse Lamar at midday, we see a transporter entering the plant and unloading horses. The vehicle is a typical Argentinean livestock transporter: It has no protective roof and the trap-doors are much too low for horses. A worker climbs up to the open top of the trailer and strikes the animals’ heads with a long stick. Several horses hit their heads hard against the low trap-doors, which can result in severe head injuries. As the horses are ushered to the lairage, a white horse is observed slipping in the alley. We note that a brown horse is severely limping and has difficulty keeping pace with the others. Several horses are thin, with their ribs and hip bones clearly visible. The animals are put into a small holding pen, where conditions are very crowded. The large paddocks behind the lairage look overgrown and unused. In the past, the horses stayed several days in these paddocks prior to slaughter. In 2013, many stolen as well as severely injured and dying horses were discovered in these paddocks. It looks like the horses are now only kept in the small pens close to the main building, where they are better protected from unwanted views.