SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has responded to an RTE Investigates programme broadcast this week which exposed animal abuse.
‘Horses: Making A Killing’ featured distressing footage from hidden cameras at Ireland’s only licensed equine abattoir in Straffan, County Kildare, exposing routine animal welfare abuse at the facility used by Shannonside Foods Ltd.
“We share in the shock and dismay regarding the images of abhorrent abuse and malpractice from an abattoir in Ireland which was broadcast on RTÉ last night,” the BHA expressed.
“Urgent steps must be taken by the appropriate bodies to improve standards for all horses sent to this facility, and sanctions imposed on anyone found to have committed illegal acts or broken regulatory requirements.”
The association said that it is aware of the illegal tampering of horse passports and believes the introduction of a digital-only system for equine ID is ‘essential’ to stop this practice.
It emphasised that British racing, alongside other equestrian sports and welfare bodies, has repeatedly lobbied the Government to introduce digital ID, adding that it will “continue to make it a core ask” of the new administration.
Overall, British racing’s goal, as set out in the independently-chaired Horse Welfare Board’s strategy ‘A Life Well Lived’, is to achieve 100% traceability of racehorses when they retire and take their first move from the sport.
The BHA’s statement continued: “For horses for whom euthanasia is required – which in some circumstances is the most humane outcome – we are here to help those responsible make difficult but timely decisions.
“Our code of practice for euthanasia emphasises that horses must be allowed to retain their dignity to the end of their lives and if euthanasia is the only option, it should be performed at home or in suitable surroundings.”
In 2022, the BHA imposed a rule that all racehorses which run in Great Britain must be signed out of the human and animal food chain, which was introduced to prevent any horse from racing in Britain and then legally being sold for slaughter to abattoirs – either domestically or internationally.
BHA concluded: “British racing is open and transparent about the horses involved in our sport.
“Facts and information about the horses who are bred for racing, the lives they lead, and what happens when they leave the sport, including how they are supported by the sport’s dedicated aftercare charity Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), can be found on www.horsepwr.co.uk.”
