Meat from slaughtered racehorses has been illegally used in snacks in the Netherlands

Irish and British racehorses no longer used in sporting contests are ending up in the Dutch food chain because of horse traders in the Netherlands, House of Animals announced on Thursday. Horse meat was found in snacks like bitterballen and croquettes, which were sold at food wholesalers, according to the animal welfare foundation. The conclusion was based on research that the Dutch foundation carried out in cooperation with the Irish TV program, RTÉ Investigates.

It is not suitable for people to eat horse meat made from old racehorses as they could have been given medication during their racing career. The racehorses that no longer win are considered too expensive to be kept around by their owners. They are often transported to the Netherlands and Belgium in "appalling conditions" to be given a new identity in the countries.

Traders then give them a new microchip and a fake animal passport before bringing them to slaughterhouses in countries like Spain, Italy, Poland, but also in Kerkdriel in the Netherlands. This is how horse meat ends up illegally in the Dutch food chain. House of Animals claims that many snacks contain horse meat.

It is easier to obtain a fake passport for horses in the Netherlands because a veterinarian is not required for the issuance of passports there, whereas that is a requirement in many other countries. The chips are ordered on the internet with a German code, which ensures that the horse's background is hardly traceable, because Germany has a closed database.

House of Animals reported that a European food warning was issued in 2022 for meat from the slaughterhouse in Kerkdriel because it should not have entered the food chain. The animal organization's founder, Karen Soeters, has said she does not understand why the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) has not conducted more thorough checks at the slaughterhouse since then.

The NVWA responded to the story by admitting that there were horses in slaughterhouses in the Netherlands with incorrect passports in 2022. The regulator added that the meat was taken off the market at the time but would not speak any further about the current situation.

Soeters thinks it is remarkable that the Netherlands is once again "a spider in the web of animal suffering." House of Animals has submitted an enforcement request with the NVWA for extra surveillance on animal transports from Ireland and the United Kingdom.

The foundation also wants an investigation into passport fraud and the new chips and wants the slaughterhouse in Kerkdriel to be closed. The supervisor has a threefold mandate here: maintaining animal welfare, combating fraud, and guaranteeing Dutch and European food safety," said Soeters.