Animal Equality exposes brutal horse slaughter practices

Chilling investigation into a horse slaughterhouse in Spain, where equines suffer abuse before and during slaughter. Animal Equality, which carried out the investigation, is appealing to change the status of horses and recognize them as pets

@Animal Equality Italia

Beaten with sticks, forced to witness the massacre of their companions marked by tormented groans while they wait their turn to be killed. Lined up to enter the slaughter area, amidst rivers of blood, fear, and endless mistreatment.

These are the horrifying findings from Animal Equality during an investigation at a horse slaughterhouse in Spain. The association’s investigative team, with the support of photojournalist Aitor Garmendia, has gathered and released hair-raising images.

The investigation was conducted between November 2023 and May 2024 in Spain, which remains the largest producer of horse meat in the European Union.

Pure cruelty in the slaughterhouse

At the slaughterhouse in question, the killing of the animals is sheer cruelty, generating anguish and suffering in the horses in their final moments of life. To be slaughtered, the horses are forced to move forward under a barrage of beatings.

@Animal Equality Italia

An operator hits them with a stick, pushing them towards death, but death does not come immediately. Horses, incredibly intelligent animals, are forced to witness the torture inflicted on other horses. We can only guess what they must feel.

In desperation, one of them tries to escape. His survival instinct is not dulled, but his fate is already sealed. He will die, like all the others before him, and just like them, he will suffer.

@Animal Equality Italia

The incomplete stunning documented during the slaughter results in death by exsanguination. Many horses remain conscious. It is an inhumane system that brings horse meat to European tables.

@Animal Equality Italia

Problems in transportation

Transportation poses several issues. A 2011 study by the University of Cambridge found that 37% of horses examined in Europe were deemed unfit for transport under Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005.

The health of the animals is particularly critical, with an average of six horses per load suffering acute injuries. These figures cannot be ignored.

Call for better regulation and awareness

“Our new investigation sheds light on a brutal and widespread slaughter system around the world that victimizes sentient beings considered by many, in Italy and beyond, to be companion animals. Yet, as we have reported, even in our own country, the control system is insufficient to ensure the protection of horses killed for food,” said Matteo Cupi, Vice President of Animal Equality Europe.

The collected material highlights all the abuses horses suffer before and during slaughter.

Source: Animal Equality

Environmental disaster in Bangladesh: a river of clothes

Rebecca Manzi

Posted on 19/06/2024

Happiness Project, launched by Giuseppe Bertuccio D'Angelo, shows us the situation of the rivers in Bangladesh, where waters and fish are suffocated by fast fashion

In the heart of Dhaka, Bangladesh, a tributary of the Buriganga River has turned into a “river of clothes,” choked by waste from the textile industries. Once clear waters are now a toxic sludge, devastating local flora and fauna and forcing residents to live with severe health issues.

This environmental disaster is a direct result of the fast fashion industry, which prioritizes rapid and low-cost garment production. This is the true cost of our fashion on the environment, and it’s a stark reminder that we must change our consumption habits to hope for a healthier and more sustainable world.

Shocking video highlights environmental disaster

A disturbing video published by Project Happiness on Instagram showcases this environmental catastrophe. It highlights the proliferation of factories in countries like Bangladesh, where environmental regulations are often inadequate and poorly enforced. The footage confirms what another creator, @davud, had previously shown and which we reported on in recent months.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by COS’È PER TE LA FELICITÀ? (@progettohappiness)

Only 30% of waste is properly disposed

But how is this possible? Every day, Dhaka dumps about 4,500 tons of solid waste, of which only 30% is disposed of correctly, rendering the water unfit for humans and animals. Fast fashion has caused damage for decades without consumers being fully aware.

The damage is multifaceted: energy consumption, the release of microfibers, and harmful chemicals in wastewater are all threats to humans and wildlife. Additionally, textile and plastic pollution increases the risk of severe flooding. The clothing industry, in terms of CO2 emissions, surpasses the pollution of the aviation and maritime industries combined.

The impact of fast fashion

In 2023, 73% of the clothes imported to the United States came from Asia, with China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh leading the way. Of Bangladesh’s $52 billion in exports in 2021, $44 billion were garments. Our insatiable demand for cheap fashion is destroying the planet.