TAKE HORSE MEAT OFF THE MENU IN AUSTRALIA! ACT NOW!

In June 2010, Minister Terry Redman, Western Australias Liberal Agircultural Minister, granted Butcher Vince Gareffa from Mondo Butchers a license to sell Horse Meat for Human Consumption in Western Australia (and therefor supply meat to anyone who can legally now purchase it from him in Western Australia). Minster Redman effectively added Horses to a "declared animal under the WA Meat Industry Act".

Vince Gareffa - openly states he would be upset if someone wanted to eat his pet, but he is happy to eat and sell yours.

Details of the granting of the license are not known at this stage, however the license was granted swiftly and has given one Butcher in Australia the exclusive right to sell Horse Meat to the Retail Market, supplying local customers and restuarants. The Western Australian Liberal State Government and Mr Vince Gareffa have not released details of where these horses are "supplied" from, nor given any reassurance of their welfare, and or of the safety of the meat for Human Consumption.

Our community support the returned ban of Horse Meat for Human Consumption - but we need YOUR help to make that voice heard!

The majority of Australians oppose the sale of Horse Meat for Human Consumption, as do we for the following reasons:

* Horses are companion animals - in Australia we do not eat our pets
* There is no assurance of Horse Welfare and or the source of these animals sent to slaughter could one be a lost pet?
* Horses do not transport or slaughter well - we have real concerns about the treatment of horses for slaughter in Australia - is cruelty on the menu?
* There is no assurance of the safety of this meat for Human Consumption, have these horses high levels of chemicals in their system still? Any horse owner will advise you the treatments given to horses have to be handled with thick gloves and are very toxic to humans.
* When animals are seen as "food" animals, their welfare over all diminishes. Being denegrated to "live stock" will see Horses in the same sad category of Sheep, who are for example, sent for live export overseas. This as we know it, is a cruel and exploitative industry. How many more animals will go down this road?
* Australia already has a Horse Industry in crisis. We have a drastic OVERSUPPLY of horses as it is, many sent to the dog meat trade, creating a further demand for a "minority" market, will only add to the problem of horses being neglected, mistreated, over bred and over supplied. Speak to any Horse Rescue organisation, or visit any knackery or sale yard - the evidence is overwhelming. We do not need to create any new market for Horse products.
* This sends Australia on a sliding scale where no animal is safe from the menu. If a Korean butcher decides he wants to eat dog, as he does in his culture in his own country which is the argument of Vince Gareffa and others that support the Horse Meat Industry, how will the Government respond?

So what can you do? Some very EASY ways to make a big impact on this issue!

Make your voice heard:

Have a page of our petition signed and post it back. http://nohorsemeat.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/horsemeatpetition.pdf

Support our campaign. Visit our ACTION Page for ways you can help, for a few minutes of your time you can make a difference - as simple as sending an email - to free more horses from the horrors of Horse Slaughter in our country.
http://nohorsemeat.wordpress.com/take-action/

Photo C/O Horse Racing Kills. This is the reality of Horse Slaughter in Australia.