Two entities have notified the Department of Agriculture of their intent to establish an equine slaughter facility, but these applications have yet to move to formal application stage.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon stated that any entity wishing to operate a meat food business must first notify the Department of Agriculture of its intent to do so, pass documentation checks, have the proposed site inspected and undergo a fit and proper person assessment.
“There are currently no approved equine slaughter plants within the State,” the Minister responded to a question put by Sinn Féin TD Matt Carty.
“Approval to operate as an equine slaughter premises, similar to all meat food business operator applications is a two-stage process.
“The first step is the submission of a notification of intent to my Department. If all of the documentation is correct and the site is deemed suitable by a veterinary inspector, then the process moves to the second stage with the submission of a formal application.
“To date, two separate notifications of intent for equine slaughter plants have been submitted to my Department, neither of which have yet progressed to formal application stage.”
Since May, those wishing to operate a slaughter premises must undergo a fit and proper person assessment, with this process to be completed in advance of any consideration of the formal application.
Horses exported
The Minister said that there have been 560 horses exported out of the country for slaughter on the continent since August 2024, according to the European Commission’s online animal health certification database.
Some 165 of these horses left for France last year, as did 316 this year, when 79 went to Belgium.
No exports were reported before August 2024.
June of that year saw an episode of RTÉ Investigates aired showing scenes filmed at a horse slaughter plant on hidden cameras which were described by then-Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue as “distressing”.
These incidents are still understood to be under investigation by the Department of Agriculture.
A report published in March by Prof Patrick Wall recommended a series of measures to tighten the controls around horse welfare and traceability.
Read more
Horse traceability failures threaten Irish meat industry - Prof Wall
New horse slaughter plant to open following Shannonside Foods exposé
Investigations into horse welfare at slaughter after RTÉ programme
Two entities have notified the Department of Agriculture of their intent to establish an equine slaughter facility, but these applications have yet to move to formal application stage.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon stated that any entity wishing to operate a meat food business must first notify the Department of Agriculture of its intent to do so, pass documentation checks, have the proposed site inspected and undergo a fit and proper person assessment.
“There are currently no approved equine slaughter plants within the State,” the Minister responded to a question put by Sinn Féin TD Matt Carty.
“Approval to operate as an equine slaughter premises, similar to all meat food business operator applications is a two-stage process.
“The first step is the submission of a notification of intent to my Department. If all of the documentation is correct and the site is deemed suitable by a veterinary inspector, then the process moves to the second stage with the submission of a formal application.
“To date, two separate notifications of intent for equine slaughter plants have been submitted to my Department, neither of which have yet progressed to formal application stage.”
Since May, those wishing to operate a slaughter premises must undergo a fit and proper person assessment, with this process to be completed in advance of any consideration of the formal application.
Horses exported
The Minister said that there have been 560 horses exported out of the country for slaughter on the continent since August 2024, according to the European Commission’s online animal health certification database.
Some 165 of these horses left for France last year, as did 316 this year, when 79 went to Belgium.
No exports were reported before August 2024.
June of that year saw an episode of RTÉ Investigates aired showing scenes filmed at a horse slaughter plant on hidden cameras which were described by then-Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue as “distressing”.
These incidents are still understood to be under investigation by the Department of Agriculture.
A report published in March by Prof Patrick Wall recommended a series of measures to tighten the controls around horse welfare and traceability.
Read more
Horse traceability failures threaten Irish meat industry - Prof Wall
New horse slaughter plant to open following Shannonside Foods exposé
Investigations into horse welfare at slaughter after RTÉ programme
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