EDMONTON — Animal Justice, Canada’s leading national animal law advocacy organization, has lodged a formal complaint with federal and provincial authorities over the treatment of horses exported from the Edmonton International Airport, destined for slaughter in Japan.
The complaint, filed jointly with the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC), calls for an investigation into the shipment, which involved 99 horses being loaded onto a plane inside wooden crates in the early morning hours of April 14.
According to a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) report recently obtained by the CHDC, an apparently distressed horse was down inside one of the crates during loading. According to the records, the three-year-old Belgian gelding was prodded with sticks, and had water poured on him over a half-hour period.
When the horse failed to stand after this distressing treatment, staff sought permission to use an electric prod on the terrified animal. Although the request was fortunately denied, it’s alarming it was even considered, as federal regulations prohibit the use of an electric prod on a horse during transport. Workers continued to prod the young horse for at least 20 more minutes before a decision was made to send him and the two other horses in the crate back to the feedlot.
“It’s deeply troubling that a clearly distressed horse was subjected to such rough handling, and that using an electric prod was even considered,” said Jessica Schwarz, Edmonton-based staff lawyer at Animal Justice.
While the report offers an incomplete picture of what fully transpired, it indicates the horse endured at least 50 minutes of being goaded with sticks and doused with water while already visibly in distress. There is no indication a person qualified to provide care attended to the horse at any point or that any enforcement action was taken against those involved.
Even if the horse was able to stand eventually, because he showed clear signs of potential injury or illness, transporting him would have also been in violation of federal regulations. Attempting to do so for nearly an hour shows a disregard for the law and the welfare of horses by the exporter.
Additionally, the CFIA documents say another horse collapsed on the flight to Japan, and was apparently left to suffer on board for around two hours. Four horses also went down on landing in Japan due to the pilot hard-braking on the runway. In the end, the horses were forced to endure transport without food, water, and rest for more than 28 hours—a clear violation of the Health of Animals Regulations. Again, no enforcement action appears to have been taken against the exporter.
“This harrowing flight reflects the cruelty and lawlessness that pervades the live horse export industry. There is simply no humane way to ship live horses by air for slaughter; this practice is inherently inhumane,” Ms. Schwarz said.
The flouting of legal responsibility is part of a pattern of non-compliance by those who profit from this niche industry. After a terrifying journey, on densely-packed flights full of animals totally unaccustomed to air travel, the horses are fattened in feedlots and slaughtered for luxury sashimi.
In two separate reports last year, Animal Justice showed most live-horse export flights exceed the 28-hour legal maximum limit for transport without food, water or rest, and that horses regularly suffer injuries, illness and even death in connection with the flights. Even after these reports, the disregard for the law appears to continue.
A shipment from Edmonton to Japan in February 2025 exceeded the maximum allowable time limit due to a hydraulic lift failure in -30 weather conditions. CFIA records indicate the horses had frost on their backs. Another flight leaving Edmonton in late November 2024 also exceeded the 28-hour legal limit.
“The ongoing suffering endured by horses exported overseas for slaughter is unconscionable and completely out of line with the expectations of Canadians. Public opinion polls and petitions consistently indicate that many Canadian citizens expect a swift end to this brutal trade,” said CHDC president Sinikka Crosland.
Federal legislation, which would have outlawed these live air exports, was passed in the House last year and was making its way through the Senate. The bill was derailed when Parliament was prorogued at the start of the year. The Liberal government pledged to end the practice in 2021.
Contact:
Josh Lynn
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
Jessica Schwarz
Staff Lawyer (Edmonton)
[email protected]
Sinikka Crosland
President, Canadian Horse Defence Coalition
[email protected]
