NOW CLOSED – thanks to Canadian Horse Defence Coalition Board Member Shelley Grainger for taking the time to set up this Canadian Member of Parliament sponsored e-Petition.
Canadian Horse Defence Coalition would also like to thank Member of Parliament for Beaches-East York (Ontario) Nathaniel Erskine-Smith for sponsoring this petition.
P.S. After signing please be sure to check your email as you have to click a link and confirm that you signed. Thank YOU for signing!
Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled
- Horses are air shipped from Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg to Japan for human consumption;
- According to Statistics Canada, from January to November 2019, 2,686 horses were air shipped to Japan for slaughter for human consumption;
- 3 to 4 horses are loaded into crates smaller than a single horse stall;
- Section 141.8 of the Health of Animals Regulations says horses over 14 hands (56”) must be segregated from all other animals for air transport;
- Many horses being air shipped are large draft types over 17 hands (68”), contravening the Health of Animals Regulations;
- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) sets out standards for Live Animals Regulations, stipulating that horses must be shipped individually and have sufficient head clearance;
- IATA only allows exceptions for small polo ponies or Icelandic horses to be shipped in modified horse containers without partitions;
- Large draft horses can be 3 times the size of such ponies, therefore contravening IATA regulations;
- Videos taken at Canadian and Japanese airports show many horses in these crates don’t have sufficient head clearance, with their heads touching the roofs and ears protruding through the crates, contravening IATA regulations; and
- Flights are 10.5 to 13.5 hours long. Additional hours must be considered for ground transportation, loading into crates, and loading and unloading crates from planes. During this time, horses have no access to food or water.
We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to halt air shipments of horses exported for human consumption, due to the ongoing violation of Canadian and IATA regulations.
P.S. After signing please be sure to check your email as you have to click a link and confirm that you signed. Thank you for signing!
