Canada | Transport from US-horses to the slaughterhouse Richelieu | Horsemeat import

We follow a truck with slaughter horses from Shippensburg to the Canadian slaughter plant Richelieu. The conditions are very bad today: It is insufferably hot and the truck sits in parts in traffic.

In the evening the truck arrives at the CFIA inspection station at the Canadian border. An inspector pushes a ladder on wheels next to the trailer. Standing on the ladder, this inspector simply peeks through the tiny holes on the trailer sides to assess the horses’ condition. It is highly unlikely that injuries, sicknesses, or final stage pregnancies could be detected through such an insufficient inspection. The trailer is sealed and the truck crosses the border.

At the “Viande Richelieu plant” an employee, who appears to be a veterinarian, approaches the vehicle and cuts the seals off the trailer doors. The horses are unloaded and moved into a paddock area.