A recent study conducted by animal welfare activists reveals that horses flown for slaughter in Japan are still experiencing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities, sparking renewed calls for Canada to prohibit these shipments. Kaitlyn Mitchell, the legal advocacy director at Animal Justice, emphasized the ongoing issues, citing incidents of horses collapsing and dying during flights from rural Manitoba and Alberta to Japan.
While retired Conservative senator Donald Plett opposes a ban on the shipments, he advocates for stricter reporting standards and accountability when horses are harmed or perish. Statistics from 2023 indicate that 2,512 horses were exported to Japan for slaughter, amounting to $19 million in value, involving around five export firms and numerous producers primarily located in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario. Horsemeat, often served as raw sashimi, is considered a delicacy in certain regions of Japan.
Animal Justice and the Life Investigation Agency received Japanese government records from 18 shipments comprising approximately 1,822 horses transported from Edmonton and Winnipeg between September 2024 and September 2025. The report compiled by these organizations compared the Japanese data with documents from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency obtained by the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition. The analysis revealed that nine horses died due to illness or injury during transport, with nearly 300 others suffering various health issues such as lacerations, infected wounds, fever, diarrhea, and collapsed conditions.
Notably, discrepancies were found between Japanese records documenting serious horse injuries and the absence of such data in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reports. Despite these findings, the CFIA’s official records for the same period indicated zero deaths or injuries among the 2,408 horses shipped between July 2024 and June 2025, painting a misleading picture of the industry’s safety standards.
Amidst the growing concerns, Mitchell from Animal Justice called for an immediate ban on live horse exports and criticized the current regulatory oversight as inadequate. Activists are pressing the Canadian government to take decisive action to safeguard the welfare of these animals, as multiple bills aimed at banning horse exports for slaughter have been introduced in Parliament over the years. Despite the challenges faced by the industry, Plett and other proponents argue against a complete shutdown, emphasizing the importance of balancing animal welfare with economic interests.
