Equine meat from non-EU countries
Equine meat imported from third countries should follow similar rules as the ones applying within the EU borders.
The European Union has some of the world’s highest animal welfare standards. In order to introduce certain products to the Union market, third countries must comply with EU rules. For instance, animal-related products entering the EU must follow the Union’s food safety and phytosanitary requirements.
Currently, the EU imports tonnes of horse meat from various third countries such as Argentina, Australia, Canada and Uruguay, among others. Although these countries must follow the EU rules in terms of animal welfare and food security, various investigations showed these may not be followed. In particular, the lack of traceability of those animals can put human health and food safety at risk.
World Horse Welfare advocated for further audits and checks to third countries entering horse meat and horse meat related products in order to ensure those products have followed the existing rules.
