Horse blood farms persist despite criticism
On Icelandic blood farms, horses are bled to extract hormones used in EU pig factory farms. Despite investigations from 2021 showing how the horses were beaten and how dogs were used to control them, there is still no clear legislation in Sweden banning the use of these hormones. Project 1882 is urging the Swedish Minister for Rural Affairs to take action for an EU wide ban.
On so-called blood farms, the hormone Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG) is produced. This hormone is used to increase reproduction, particularly in sows, within the harsh environment of EU pig factory farms.
The hormone production process forces mares to become repeatedly pregnant so that they can be bled one to two times a week over as much as an eleven-week period. Because foals are an unwanted by-product, the horses could also be subjected to abortions and pregnancies without adequate rest in between. In Iceland most foals are going to slaughter for pet feed production. Mares subjected to this extreme process rarely live more than six years, less than a quarter of their expected lifespan. In Iceland the mares are kept healthier for a longer time. Either way, the hormone is produced in a manner that is illegal within the EU but is imported in large quantities into EU pig factory farms.
– It is not possible to extract the amount of blood required for PMSG production without causing the horses stress, pain, and fear. This also enables pigs to continue to be mistreated in factory farms, as the hormone increases production. It’s a vile hormone production that must be banned, says Anna Harenius, Animal Welfare Specialist at Project 1882.
PMSG production in South America occurs without proper regulatory oversight, despite such oversight being required for imports into the EU. Other production of PMSG takes place in Iceland, which claims to follow EU regulations in some way but not in others. Between 2019 and 2021, footage of blood farms in Iceland was filmed by Animal Welfare Foundation, revealing that this was not the case and that there were around a hundred farms where horses were treated brutally. These Icelandic blood farms use semi-wild Icelandic horses, who are subjected to violence to keep them still during blood extraction. The problem persists because it is financially profitable.
– Some progress has been made since the major revelations in 2021, but it’s far from enough. The European Parliament wants to stop the import and production of PMSG from blood farms. However, the proposal has yet to receive clear support from countries like Sweden, which led Project 1882 to send a letter to the Minister for Rural Affairs, says Anna Harenius.
In February, the Swedish Minister for Rural Affairs responded to the letter, but without suggesting any measures.
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