The Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG) fertility hormone is a staple in some pig factory farms. It is used to artificially synchronize animal births, and increase profits. The hormone comes from horses, who are repeatedly impregnated and then drained of blood at the expense of their wellbeing.
A new documentary by Europe’s Animal Welfare Foundation and Tierschutzbund Zürich reveals the cruelty of Iceland’s hidden blood business. The film interviews industry and tourism experts, veterinarians, and farmers to expose how blood farming is harming horses and damaging Iceland’s international reputation.
Iceland’s government is currently reviewing the horse blood business, and will decide on the future of the industry in 2025. Already, foreign lobby groups representing sheep and pig farmers from France, Spain, Italy, and elsewhere are reportedly rushing to pressure Iceland’s MPs to oppose a ban. And pharmaceutical interests are working to weaken the bill’s language.
Animal Justice and a global coalition of animal welfare organizations are calling on authorities to end the suffering caused by the production and use of PMSG. Approval processes for a new PMSG product are currently underway in a number of European countries, but in Canada, it is already approved for use. Canadian factory farms can use the hormone to trick the bodies of mother pigs into having larger litters, as cheaply as possible. Watch the investigation and then add your support to oppose this cruel product that harms horses, sheeps and pigs.
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