Investigations by country:

20. February 2018

[Translate to English:] Argentinien | Buenos Aires | Schlachthof Lamar

[Translate to English:] Eine schwache Stute mit deutlichen Anzeichen von Schmerzen: aufgeblähte Nüstern, zurückgelegte Ohren, ein zitterndes Hinterbein.

We again see horses in the lairage, the adjacent holding pens and the large paddocks, and estimate that there are around 130 horses when we arrive. There are two groups, each of about 35 horses, in the adjacent holding pens, which used to be partly covered by a green fabric roof and now offer no shelter at all. The animals are overcrowded, while…

20. February 2018

Argentina | Buenos Aires | Lamar slaughterhouse

[Translate to English:]

Our team visits slaughterhouse Lamar at early morning. The lairage area is crowded with horses. An employee starts hosing them down, splashing water also in their faces. The floor of the pens is wet and gets very slippery. The handling of the horses is unprofessional and rough. At the entrance of the stunning chute, one or two employees are hitting…

30. December 2016

Argentina | Río Cuarto | Slaughterhouse General Pico | Horsemeat import

[Translate to English:]

We return to the slaughterhouse General Pico in the early morning. At 8:30, we observe a group of 15 horses that has just been unloaded being moved into the pen area. We note that at least four horses in this group are injured. Two are seriously injured and should have been euthanized immediately upon arrival at the plant. If they were already…

29. December 2016

Argentina | Río Cuarto | Slaughterhouse General Pico | Horsemeat import

[Translate to English:] Das Gelände ist von einem Zaun mit Sichtschutz umgeben.

We arrive at the slaughterhouse General Pico at noon. The temperature is 30°C. No horses can be seen from outside, as there is a tall fence with visual cover all along the road blocking the view. We climb a nearby tree in order to get a view onto the premises. We immediately realize that there is insufficient weather protection for the horses. Only…

24. December 2016

Argentina | Mercedes | Slaughterhouse Lamar | Horsemeat import

[Translate to English:] Eine dünne tragende Stute mit gefülltem Euter wird vom Futterplatz vertrieben.

We return to the Lamar slaughterhouse at 14:00. It is again a hot and sunny day with a temperature of 29°C and the large majority of the horses are standing under the blazing sun. The pen area which is partly covered by a fabric roof is full to the bursting point, with only a few horses finding space in the shade.

Today there are about 100 horses…

23. December 2016

Argentina | Mercedes | Slaughterhouse Lamar | Horsemeat import

[Translate to English:] Ein Pferd wird vom Futterplatz vertrieben.

When we return to the Lamar slaughterhouse at 12:00, the temperature has climbed up to 30°C. Today is the first time that a sufficient amount of feed is available. There are two straw bales in each of the large paddocks. However, weak and submissive horses are chased away by dominant ones and remain hungry. The straw should have been distributed in…

22. December 2016

Argentina | Mercedes | Slaughterhouse Lamar | Horsemeat import

[Translate to English:] Der starke Wasserstrahl wird direkt auf das Gesicht der Pferde gerichtet.

When we arrive at the Lamar slaughterhouse at 17:00, an employee is busy hosing down horses with water in the lairage area. It is a different employee than the one we observed last time and he sprays the horses even more on the head and in the face than the other employee. The horses are very nervous, some look frightened. There is a lot of…

21. December 2016

Argentina | Gualeguay | Slaughterhouse Entre Rios | Horsemeat import

[Translate to English:] Pferde werden beim Schlachthof angeliefert – in einem typischen Transporter ohne Dach.

When we arrive at the slaughterhouse Entre Rios at 7:50, the holding pens in the lairage area and the large paddocks in the back of the plant are empty. During our visit last year, we saw some dilapidated shelters with partially ripped fabric-roofs in the paddocks. These run-down shelters are all gone and the large paddocks offer no more weather…

20. December 2016

Argentina | Mercedes | Slaughterhouse Lamar | Horsemeat import

[Translate to English:] Das neugeborene Fohlen hat weder Stroh noch Schatten zur Verfügung.

When we arrive at the Lamar slaughterhouse at 9:30, we immediately realize that most horses have been slaughtered during the night or in the early morning. Slaughtering is still going on. Employees are observed moving horses from the pens in the lairage area to the entrance of the stunning chute. They hit the horses on their head in order to force…