“Is meat able to suffer ?”
In
2003, 8.857.868 kg of horse flash was exported to Italy, France and Belgium.
The total of 40.83 horses were sent abroad. In horrible conditions, injured,
they suffered for 96 hours on the road of 2.5 thousand kilometers. They were
hungry and thirsty, because customers in Italy like so-called “dry meat”. The
business is profitable because live animals are duty-free. It is most
profitable to buy sick animals on the market for little money. There are
various ways to feed up them: 3-month old “Karuś” was fed with potatoes and
salt, so that he was always thirsty. Water caused his body to “swell”.
“Przystań Ocalenie” (“Haven of Salvation”) saved him. When he was leaving the
market, spirit used for intoxication of horses could be smelled. On the way
home, the seemingly fat horse turned into skeleton. After many interventions
of ecological organizations, the chief
veterinary surgeon implemented a ban on transportation of injured animals.
However, it is not obeyed. In 2004, export of horses destined for slaughter
rose significantly, says Jacek Bożek, the president of Gaia. Animals Right
Tribunal in Geneva recognized Poland as one of the countries which treat fit
for slaughter animals most cruelly. Most often, many more animals than it is
permitted by the standard are loaded on to a lorry. They are tied to the walls
of a lorry with short ropes, so every fall is fatal for them. They are trampled
to death by other horses unless they do not get choked – explains Dominik Nawa
of “Haven of Salvation” who is a president of Help for Animals Committee in Tychy.
It happens that, during the drive, horses fall out of the lorry after slipping
in their own feces. Since 2003 to the first half of 2004, Veterinary Inspection
and Inspection of Transportation controlled only 11 out of 2000 companies in
Poland which transport live animals. Chief veterinary surgeon rejected our
project of collaboration and proposed only exchange of information and joint
schooling – says Piotr Jaworski of Animal Protection Society.
“Is meat able to suffer ?” (“Czy mięso może cierpieć”) Agnieszka Malik,
Polityka 20/2006.