Would you buy horsemeat if it saved you cash?

Ohdrat

The reason horsemeat has been fraudulently used is because it is Black Market meat (species is irrelevant) which has circumvented Animal Welfare and Food Safety Standards.

The horsemeat that has been used in these cases has come from ex domestic horses that have either been stolen or owners have had to sell up as no longer can afford to keep the animal/s or they are ex Racehorses.

All these are likely to not only have been treated with Bute but also Steroids other NSAIDs / Medications including Sedalin..

There is something called the Tripartite Agreement (TPA) between Ireland, UK and France. Its intended purpose was to allow the free movement of Sport horses (horses used in competitions etc) between the countries.

However what is more often the case is that the TPA allows the movement of "low value equines" across borders. These "low value equines" are those that owners have had to give up or often they have been stolen for slaughter "off the record" with low or no Welfare or Food Saftety Standards. If you look on Youtube for "Horse Abattoir Film Reveals Animals Being Beaten in Cheshire, UK" this is unacceptable for any species (NB the horse strung up by its hind legs is regaining consciousness before being bled out).

If you produced horses properly for meat horsemeat would be MORE expensive than high quality beef as horses have less meat on their carcass and are less efficient at producing meat from the same quantity of feed as cattle or sheep. We have selectively bred Cattle and Sheep to increase their carcass weight (more meat) we have done the EXACT opposite with equines.

Because horses are less efficient at producing meat the costs are higher and as horsemeat uses more resources it is an unsustainable meat (see the comparative carcasses in the BBC Panorama documentary "Whats Really in Our Food"

Most Equines have not been bred for meat they have been bred for pleasure and sport both of which require an intelligent trainable and reactive temperament. This makes them harder to handle in the slaughter house as they are more reactive than cattle and thus very easily stressed scared. The adrenalin that this produces has a negative quality on the subsequent meat.

To slaughter horses to ensure they are not unduly stressed / frightened and the meat is of SAFE and good quality would mean specialist plant and highly skilled slaughter staff, thus costing the slaughter houses more.

The Veterinary recommendations on the slaughter of horses for meat is that they should be shot outright, not stunned as the chances of mis-stunning and or the horse regaining consciousness are too high for the use of stun / captive bolt guns.

doverrog

Horse meat is good quality and nutritious,
I love to eat it when abroad and can't understand why people in the UK wouldn't.
Is it because some people keep them as pets?

The issue is about labelling and safety in our food.
If it's labelled beef then it should be beef.

Farmers produce meat as a foodstuff in the same way as they do vegetables etc.

Mankind is a natural meat eater and the more choice the better.:j

Nick_C

I'm not a Hindu, but I love horse meat. Shame you can't easily buy horse steak or roasting joints in this country.

While the mislabeling of processed horse is clearly scandalous, I see no reason for schools to throw away food that they now know contains horse.

skipsych

Robin_TBW wrote: »

Yes. It's hardly like it's diseased, just that people aren't used to it so are disgusted.

Indeed I think you are correct, I live in France, we have chevaline butchers which sell very good horse meat which has less fat than beef and tastes very good. My guess is that you English folk have an excessive love of the horse and that to eat it is perceived unconsciously as a type of cannabalism. I do think though that mislabeling is very poor practice. Hugh

skipsych

doverrog wrote: »

Horse meat is good quality and nutritious,
I love to eat it when abroad and can't understand why people in the UK wouldn't.
Is it because some people keep them as pets?

The issue is about labelling and safety in our food.
If it's labelled beef then it should be beef.

Farmers produce meat as a foodstuff in the same way as they do vegetables etc.

Mankind is a natural meat eater and the more choice the better.:j

Absolutely correct, horse meat is probably better for you than beef as it has less fat. I live in France and the horse meat you can buy at the local chevaline butcher is very good and tasty. The point you make about labelling is well made although I do wonder whether the quality of horse meat in these ready made meals is of the quality of my local chevaline butcher. Hugh

ikhnos0512

This poll makes no sense. Shouldn't some of those occurrences of "at least" actually be "at most"?

TimBear

I definitely would. I have no qualms in eating horse; how can I when I eat pork, beef, chicken, lamb etc...

chrisfreelander54

We have just returned from a 2week camping trip to Benodet in Brittany, where I intentionally set about trying to find horse steaks for us to try.

We saw a chevaline butcher on the local market, but at the time didn't know that this was a butcher that specialised in just horsemeat, so didn't bother to join the immense que as I couldn't see any of the meat labelled as Chevaline Steaks, so decided to scour the local supermarkets, where I managed to buy some in Netto, as well as snails.

We all enjoyed the horse steaks and would defiantly buy them when in France again, but next time from the local market as I imagine the cost would be conciderabily cheaper, in the mean time I have come across an Internet company that specialises in Exotic meats delivered to your door. :j

As for the snails only the kids and I ate them, as the wife could bring herself to even look at them, those too where really tasty.