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The EFTA Court has ruled that blood extractions from pregnant mares to obtain the hormone PMSG are to be classified as scientific procedures. As a result, they are subject to the applicable animal welfare regulations for experimental animals. This is an important step for the blood mares in Iceland.

The Icelandic Veterinary Authority (MAST) has unexpectedly granted the pharmaceutical company Ísteka a new, two-year license to collect blood from pregnant mares. In doing so, it is acting in violation of current law. We will not accept this. Together with partner organizations, we are taking legal action against this decision.

In mid-April, our project manager, Sabrina Gurtner, traveled to Aberdeen to meet with experts in horse welfare from across Europe. The event was organized by the Eurogroup for Animals—the umbrella organization for European animal welfare groups—and brought together 19 participants from various countries.

The online portal “Infosperber” provides a detailed report on the “torture hormone” PMSG in a new article and also addresses the current political debate over a legal ban on PMSG in Switzerland. The article explicitly references our research and explains why extracting the hormone from the blood of pregnant mares causes significant animal…

Together with partner organizations, we are calling for the consistent enforcement of EU law in the Icelandic horse blood industry in an open letter. For us, it is clear that blood collection from pregnant mares for PMSG is not a secondary agricultural activity, but a scientific procedure in accordance with the EU/EEA Directive – and must therefore…

The Austrian Icelandic Horse Association reports on our research in Iceland in the current issue of its association magazine "Islandpferde in Österreich" (Icelandic horses in Austria). This attention is particularly valuable in view of the fateful year 2026 for blood mares. Now the government and veterinary authorities must decide whether they want…

In their Issue No. 46/2025, the magazines “Sonntag” and “Doppelpunkt” provide an in-depth look at the abuses we uncovered at so-called blood farms in Iceland and South America. There, blood is drawn from thousands of pregnant mares to extract the hormone PMSG. This hormone is used in pig breeding to synchronize “production.” Our investigation…

On Monday (20 October), together with partner organisations, we handed over 300,000 signatures to Icelandic Minister Hanna Katrín Friðriksson. Our message is clear: Iceland must finally put an end to cruel blood farms. The Minister listened to us and thanked us for our work, but did not make any official commitment.

17,000 people have already signed our petition for a legal ban on PMSG in Switzerland. Last Wednesday, we handed over the signatures to the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA). The Federal Council will soon be considering the motion for a ban on PMSG. With these signatures, we want to make it clear to the Federal Council that thousands of…