Media report on our investigation into blood farms in Iceland and South America

In issue No. 46/2025, the magazines Sonntag and Doppelpunkt focus on the dire conditions at blood farms in Iceland and South America. There, thousands of mares suffer as the pharmaceutical industry extracts the fertility hormone PMSG from their blood, which is used in pig breeding. Our investigations reveal the harsh conditions under which the horses are forced to endure.

The article describes in detail how mares in South America and Iceland—the current hub of this multimillion-dollar industry—live under extremely stressful and inhumane conditions. It vividly illustrates how blood collection is carried out brutally, how the animals are deliberately malnourished, and what consequences this has for the horses and their foals.

Furthermore, the text explains the significance of PMSG for industrial pig farming and sheds light on the ongoing debate regarding a ban in Switzerland and Europe. The classification of blood collection as animal experimentation in Europe marks an important milestone that is intended to bring about stricter regulations and will hopefully put an end to these practices.

It is important that the media take up this little-known topic and thereby help raise awareness of the suffering of horses on blood farms. Only through such reporting can public awareness grow and change be initiated.

You can download the article (in German) here.