Canadians on Horse Slaughter

64% of Canadians oppose slaughtering horses for human consumption.

A Majority of Canadians Oppose Horse Slaughter!

News Release, May 27, 2004
Canadians On Horse Slaughter
Two-Thirds Of Canadians Do Not Believe In Slaughter of Horses For Human Consumption

Vancouver, BC— According to a new Ipsos-Reid poll conducted on behalf of B.C. based TRACS, “The Responsible Animal Care Society”, two-thirds (64%) of adult Canadians “do not believe in the slaughter of Canadian horses for human consumption”.

Poll respondents were told “Government statistics show that in 2003 more than 61,000 horses were slaughtered in Canada for human consumption or shipped out of the country for the same purpose.”

One-in-three (33%) adult Canadians say they “do believe in the slaughter of Canadian horses for human consumption”. Three percent have no opinion on this issue.

Regional and demographic differences included the following:

A slight majority of Quebec residents say they “believe” in the slaughter of Canadian horses for human consumption (53% believe vs. 47% do not believe). A majority of residents from other provinces “do not believe” in the slaughter of Canadian horses for human consumption (77% Atlantic, 73% Ontario, 69% British Columbia, 62% Alberta, 56% Manitoba/Saskatchewan).

A majority of residents in all other socio-economic and demographic groups “do not believe” in the slaughter of Canadian horses for human consumption. Opposition to the slaughter is higher amongst women (73% vs. 55% men), younger residents (69% 18-34 years vs. 59% 35-54 years), lower income residents (74% vs. 58% higher) and less educated residents (75% less than high school, 69% high school vs. 64% some post-sec, 57% university graduates).

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/TRACS poll conducted between May 18th and 20th, 2004. For the telephone survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1000 adult Canadians was interviewed. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within ± 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 2001 Census data.

For more information on this press release, please contact:

Kyle Braid
Vice-President, Ipsos-Reid
Vancouver, BC
604.257.3200

Sinikka Crosland
TRACS (The Responsible Animal Care Society)
250.768.4803

Vivian Farrell
The Fund for Horses
713.523.9090

According to public records, there are only 3 Provinces that have abattoirs which slaughter horses; Quebec(2) Ontario(1) and Alberta(1). Bouvry Exports in Fort MacLeod, Alberta is the largest horse slaughter house in North America.

These are the four horse slaughter houses operating in Canada:

Bouvry Export Calgary, Ltd.
Fort MacLeod, Alberta

Barton Feeders Company, Ltd. also known as Georgian Exports Inc., Scarboro Meat Packers Inc.
Owen Sound, Ontario
Note: This plant may now be closed

Yamatra Import-Export, Inc.
Yamachiche, Quebec

Viande Richelieu Meat, Inc. aka Richelieu Meat Inc.
Massueville, Quebec

"Help us lead Canada's horses away from barbarism . .
and into the protected pastures of a civilized nation."