Some 7,748 horses were slaughtered for human consumption at Department of Agriculture-approved premises in 2017.

The number is on a par with 2016, when 7,618 horses were killed and exported. However, it is less than a third of the number of horses that were slaughtered in 2012.

There are just two plants in the Republic of Ireland authorised to process horses for human consumption: Emerald Isle Foods in Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, and Shannonside Foods in Straffan, Co Kildare.

The Department of Agriculture does not record the age or gender of horses slaughtered. The majority of Irish horsemeat is exported to France and Belgium as carcases for further processing into individual cuts.