The newspaper La Petite Nation announced the temporary closing of Les Viandes de la Petite Nation (LPN) slaughter plant in Saint-André-Avellin, Quebec. The slaughterhouse was at the centre of the 2011 Canadian Horse Defence Coalition’s investigation entitled ‘Pasture to Plate‘ that showed horrific abuse during the stunning process, the predatory nature of the slaughter industry from auction to plant, as well as serious violations and fraud regarding the Canadian government’s Equine Information Document.
The full report can be viewed at this here.
The reason for the temporary closure is due to the March 1, 2017 European Union directive which insists that horses for slaughter entering from the United States must be confined to feedlots in Canada for six months prior to slaughter. Presumably, the six month time period would lower the risk of contamination in the horse meat.
Here is La Petite Nation’s newspaper article regarding the closure, you can put it into google translate to read in English.
It is welcome news that the Quebec horse slaughter plant, La Petite Nation, has closed its doors due to regulations set out by the European Commission.
The CHDC has been anticipating such a fall-out after the announcement that horses going to slaughter in Canada after February 28, 2017 must reside on Canadian soil for a minimum of 6 months – a rule set out by the EC to allay fears of tainted horsemeat reaching consumers in the European Union.
While it’s encouraging to know that the rules are indeed being followed, it is still concerning to know that thousands of horses will be victims in this “market adjustment”. The agriculture industry and horse breeders expecting to profit from the disposal of intentionally bred or excess horses must now take heed and understand that the crackdown by the EU directly affects their bottom line. There are no margins left to profit from the lives of horses – it is time for breed associations such as the AQHA and others to advocate responsible breeding, and stop the needless disposal of horses to slaughter. There is no industry left to recklessly send them on to slaughter. Responsible breeding and horse ownership is the only answer
Canadian Horse Defence Coalition's Blog 
Unfortunately, all this has done is condemned hurt, injured and dangerous horses to more horrifying lingering endings.
As long as there are animals we will never starve. On the other hand I’d love to see all the vegans find food if the stores run out. Yup, let’s see how much you grow that is edible. That is if the crazy weather we’ve been having doesn’t wipe out your crops. Horse meat is quite tasty and leaner than beef. Mind you I like all meat. Raise and butcher my own.
All slaughter plants. Should be eliminated along with the people who believes in slaughter let them roam free
Now they are being turned around and sent to Mexico where their fate is much more traumatic.
Mexican slaughter plants do continue to slaughter and horrifically. EU bans horsemeat from Mexico, though many countries continue to buy Mexican slaughtered horsemeat. There are huge feedlots in Canada, Bouvry for one, who raise horses. animalsangels.org reports to the EU on these feedlots, which continue to be in violation of EU standards. AA’s documentation of the actual slaughter pipeline vs. ads in Europe showing happy horses eating green grass in the sunshine, is what catapulted the EU’s oversight of imported horsemeat. Animals’ Angels documents and presents facts, which is why they are a great source for the international picture of horse slaughter. Emotional reactions do nothing to help our cause, though I do not fault anyone for venting, only that they take action. Donating to organizations which are on the ground documenting and getting that documentation to the authorities who have the ability and willingness to take action is what will end horse slaughter.
You all do realize that they are filling a market. That market isn’t just to kill….it’s feeding people. Producing meat that is in demand. As long as there is a market for and people eating horse meat….there will be a slaughter industry. I have no problem with that if they are quickly killed. We have processed our own here because we eat meat here. I have raised meat chickens, we have processed a couple goats and steers over the years. We are all part of the food chain.
There is NO reason to eat meat, there is NO means of humane slaughter despite what crazy people like temple grandin might say. Stop this genocide of our non human friends, it is a travesty and I do believe there will be a reckoning
Won’t they just ship them to Mexico instead ? There is no regulation there.
Great news for horses, but Heather is right. Why do these heartless butchers then have to kill more deer or cattle? sounds like they’re deliberately breeding captive deer to slaughter. Don’t we have enough factory farms in this country without now breeding more horses (in AB) or deer to increase the carnage? I also worry about backyard butchers increasing here and in the US, because they are even more brutal than the places “overseen” by the CFIA. In Fla., Richard Couto and ARM work full time exposing and shutting down these hellholes, and I’m sure they operate under the radar everywhere. Bottom line, we need a culture shift, so people stop seeing horses and other animals as commodities bred and killed to make money, and value them as the fully sentient and worthy souls they are. Unfortunately, we have far to go, but maybe this bit of good news from Quebecwill make overbreeders think twice, and get some of the parasites out of the horse world. Fingers crossed.
This sounds great but I have already heard kill buyers here in the US, that truck to Mexico, are getting calls to take them down there instead . It’s really horrific in Mexico , let alone some of their damn rodeo & bull events with horses .
The registries need to step up and participate in the rescue of horses left in the lurch and examine their own contribution to encouraging over breeding.
This is very good news! It should certainly make a difference. Fingers crossed for a complete collapse if the industry!
shipping of live horses from Calgary to Japan must stop, I want to see all slaughter stopped in Canada as ppl breed horses to just be killed for European consumption, better still they should raise their own animals and have their own slaughter houses, no more importing,
The only problem I see, is what do you do with all those surplus horses?
Also all the back yard breeding make castration cheaper
Yes and stallion owners need a license
Stop the back yard breeding
The stats don’t seem to show much of a ban on horse meat from America through Mexico to the EU. There’s VERY LITTLE decline!! Instead of ending slaughter, I fear this will further VP pence and his cronies’ efforts to reinstate horse slaughter in the US!!!
I think that if they try to export to the EU they would face the same market requirements at some point. Six months holding time. Unless they adulterate the food supply, it would be difficult to find a market for that much horsemeat in the US itself. US should be prepared for the possibility of donkey breeders exporting to China due to the demand for donkey skins.
I went to the site after It was translated and it looks like because of the new law having to feed the incoming horses from the U.S. for six months it may put most of the horse slaughter plants out of business because they can’t afford to feed the horses that long and make a profit. This is why they had to stop accepting them for slaughter as soon as the law went into effect. I said when I first found out about having to feed the horses for six months instead of slaughtering them the next day would never work. So, this place is going to depend on slaughtering deer instead, good, now lets see how it will effect the killer buyers here in the U.S. It just might put all of them out of business because from what I found out a few years ago the EU stopped the slaughter plants in Mexico from accepting any U.S. horses. I doubt the closing is temporary.
LPN cannot survive by slaughtering only 2,400 deer (which is their projection in the near future). I also think that unless the plant retools for cattle, they will close for good. Although I’m relieved for the horses, I don’t want to throw deer or cows or any other animal under the proverbial bus.
Mexico is still accepting horses. Where did you read that at?
I think people are confused because the EU stopped accepting Mexican horses from the Mexican EU plants. That does not mean that the former EU plants are not exporting to other countries or within Mexico.