Introducing: The Canadian Veterinary Equine Welfare Council (CVEWC)

The Canadian Veterinary Equine Welfare Council (CVEWC)

UPDATE:  Through the generosity of one of our supporters the entire amount has been raised!  Thank you to all of our fantastic supporters!

An exciting new initiative to help end horse slaughter is being organized, and we need your support in order to help launch the Canadian Veterinary Equine Welfare Council (CVEWC).

In Canada, many provincial horse associations have taken the stance that horse slaughter is a viable end-of-life option for horse owners.  Equine Canada, in fact, reflects this view on their website, indicating that “the processing of horses is a reality of the equine industry”.

We disagree.  The slaughter industry is a predatory one; from the time the horse is acquired by a “kill buyer,” he or she is “meat on the hoof” and is treated as a mere commodity.  Travel to slaughterhouses may take days without food or water, followed by a painful and often slow death by captive bolt or .22 rifle.   Horse slaughter is not a solution for disposing of old, sick and lame horses.  In fact, kill buyers prefer young, healthy horses.

In addition, horses who enter the food chain are not guaranteed to be free of prohibited drugs, since the Canadian Food Inspection Agency currently finds the “honour system”  an acceptable program for owners and kill buyers when declaring (or not declaring) the presence of drugs in horses.  Clearly, allowing horse owners or worse, kill buyers, this kind of input and control over the food supply is unacceptable.  Horses are not raised as food animals.

The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition is a collective of people and national groups that have joined forces in order to ban the slaughter of equines for human consumption in Canada, as well as the export of live horses to other countries for the same purpose.  We are currently in the process of establishing a national group of veterinarians and other animal health professionals who are committed to promoting the proper treatment of horses and to educate others about humane options for those horse owners who can no longer care for (or must end the lives of) their animals.

We are requesting funding from our supporters to launch the first group of anti-slaughter veterinarians in Canada.  The group will be structured as an unincorporated association. The Canadian Veterinary Equine Welfare Council (CVEWC) will consist of veterinarians who do not consider horse slaughter to be a humane form of euthanasia.  Once established, this group will work to create a greater presence amongst the veterinary community, animal care-givers, the general public, and government, to publicize the stance that Canada’s horse slaughter industry must end.  The group’s mission is to educate other veterinarians, animal health professionals and horse owners about the options available to those who must end the lives of their horses.

In order to create awareness of this group and reach out to veterinarians across Canada,  we are asking for funding to:

• Create printed letters outlining the group’s mission and charter and inviting veterinarians to join
• Pay for postage to mail these letters across Canada (over 3,000 letters to veterinarian offices)
• Register internet domains (Canadian Veterinary Equine Welfare Council/CVEWC) and create website toolkits
• Print large size envelopes addressed to veterinarian offices across Canada
• Cover material handling costs outsourced to a third-party vendor
• Pay our vendor for Job Set-Up and Delivery to Canada Post

CVEWC Logo

The anticipated cost for all of the above is approximately $1,000.  The project will proceed as soon as the funding is complete.  We have already created all mailing materials and have ample video and other presentations ready to use to complete the website, and will track responses from interested veterinarians as they are received.

This group of concerned veterinarians will be the first of its kind in Canada.  Veterinarians by definition are animal advocates, who strive to relieve suffering in any animal.  It is our long-term goal to create more awareness of horse slaughter across Canada and locate additional allies with the unique ability to effectively leverage existing knowledge about this cruel, unnecessary industry.  We have already worked closely with veterinarians who believe that the slaughter of horses should be abolished because it cannot be humanely conducted, and we will continue to seek mentorship, advice, and support from members of this profession until CVEWC is fully formed and active.

Please give whatever you can to help fund CVEWC – the first group of its kind in Canada.   As defined by the Canada Revenue Agency, the CVEWC cannot be a registered charity so we are, unfortunately, unable to provide tax receipts.

All donations are gratefully acknowledged.  To make a contribution, please visit the CHDC Support page, where you will find payment options such as PayPal or see where to send your cheque to the CHDC.  Please indicate the direction of your donation by noting that it is intended for “CVEWC”.  We also invite you to visit our new Facebook page where we are assisted in our fundraising goals by our supporter Charlotte Uhrich.

Thank you for your continued support to protect our horses.

Canadian Horse Defence Coalition

info@defendhorsescanada.org

Tags: "Canadian Veterinary Equine Welfare Council", "horse slaughter", CVEWC, horse meat, horse welfare, horsemeat