WINNIPEG—A bombshell Animal Justice report reveals multiple horse deaths, collapses, and injuries linked to Canada’s live horse export trade, many of which do not appear in records held by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Each year, thousands of horses are flown from airports in Edmonton and Winnipeg to Japan, where they are fattened and slaughtered to be eaten as a raw delicacy.
Animal Justice, in partnership with Japan-based Life Investigation Agency, previously released investigations in June 2024 and September 2024, revealing that horses regularly became injured during transport, suffered severe transport-related illnesses after landing, and even died during the journey or in the hours and days that follow. The investigations also uncovered proof that most shipments exceeded the 28-hour legal transport limit for transporting horses without food, water, and rest.
Animal Justice’s new report, Cruel Cargo: Hidden Injuries and Deaths in Canada’s Live Horse Export Trade, analyzes Government of Japan records obtained by LIA as well as CFIA records, many of which were obtained by the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition.
Following the initial revelations, the CFIA offered assurances that it would review these problems and strengthen oversight of this industry. However, Animal Justice’s latest report shows horses still continue to suffer injuries, illness, and death linked to the long-distance flights and exporters are failing to report serious incidents to the CFIA.
The new report shows that from September 2024 to September 2025:
- At least nine horses died as a result of transport to Japan for slaughter. None of these deaths appear in Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) records for the shipments.
- At least 29 horses collapsed during flights. In two cases, horses were euthanized shortly after landing due to severe injuries. Another horse could not stand and was removed from the aircraft, likely using a forklift, while one was forced to stand despite significant bleeding. Exporters reported some collapses to the CFIA but indicated that none of the horses were injured.
- More than 290 horses suffered injuries or illness after arriving in Japan. These incidents were not reported to the CFIA. They include horses with dangerously high fevers, bleeding lacerations, severe leg injuries leaving them limping or unable to walk, and horses with missing hooves or parts of ears.
- At least five shipments appear to have exceeded Canada’s 28-hour legal limit for transporting horses without food, water, or rest.
Government of Japan records were either unavailable or illegible for many of the shipments, so the numbers above represent just some of the deaths, injuries, and illnesses experienced by horses exported during this timeframe.
“The CFIA promised to improve oversight of Canada’s horse export-for-slaughter industry, but this new data exposes the truth; this practice is inherently cruel and cannot be fixed,” said lawyer Kaitlyn Mitchell, director of legal advocacy at Animal Justice. “Horses are regularly collapsing during flights and arriving with serious injuries and illnesses. Some are even dying as a result of these shipments, whether shortly after landing or after enduring days of suffering in quarantine. Yet much of this suffering never appears in Canadian government records. The federal government promised to end live horse exports for slaughter years ago; these findings show why that promise must finally be fulfilled.”
The Liberal Party of Canada first committed to ending this cruel practice in 2021. A promise later reiterated in a mandate letter to the Minister of Agriculture. Legislation to ban the export of horses for slaughter passed the House of Commons in 2024, but was stalled by then-Conservative Senate Leader Donald Plett. The bill died when the 2025 election was called.
“In Japan, horse meat consumption is decreasing year by year. Yet this shameful, outdated business continues to operate. This import of horses, which mentally and physically tortures and ultimately kills them, must be abolished immediately,” said Life Investigation Agency executive director Ren Yabuki.
Shipments often contain 99 or more animals, leaving them crowded together in wooden crates with little oversight or care during the long overseas journey. Once they arrive in Japan, they are unloaded and trucked to a quarantine facility, where they are commonly sprayed directly with harsh disinfectant chemicals. They are ultimately fattened and slaughtered.
Download the report here.
Contact:
Josh Lynn
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
Katilyn Mitchell
Director of Legal Advocacy
[email protected]