The RTE Investigates team exposed shocking scenes after covertly filming at the only licenced horse slaughterhouse in Ireland, Shannonside Foods Ltd, located in Straffan, Co Kildare. The footage, aired Wednesday evening, depicted horrifying scenes including a distressed animal left unattended on the ground for hours before its suffering was eventually ended. The reality of an already disturbing operation appeared truly deplorable.
Many viewers were introduced for the first time to the term ‘lairage’, referring to a holding area meant for animals prior to execution. Located a few metres from the slaughterhouse, the lairage area was not overseen by Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) officials who typically supervise the abattoir, raising questions of oversight.
This incident is just one among a series of concerns which must be addressed by the department. Given the wider European implications of the horse meat industry, wherein criminal profiteering is rife, not only Irish authorities but state authorities across the region have work to do in terms of enhancing deterrence.
[An investigation by the Department of Agriculture to probe the supply of horses for slaughter is on the cards]
The high value placed on horse meat deemed suitable for human consumption has stimulated rampant identity fraud including passport forgery and implanting animals with multiple microchips. The ease with which unprincipled perpetrators can exploit the system is discouragingly simple.
A large part of the focus of the RTE investigation was on the DAFM’s and various foreign bureaucratic failings. Investigations are continuing. Many of the animals filmed were not thoroughbreds, providing temporary respite to the racing industry. However, any satisfaction that the racing industry might feel in not being explicitly implicated would be considered naive.
[Horse Racing Ireland maintain their thoroughbred identification systems are the best in class]
In the previous year, Shannonside Foods Ltd reported processing a total of 1,428 thoroughbreds, constituting roughly two-thirds of the total equines slaughtered at the facility in 2023. Trainers Philip Rothwell, Luke Comer, and “Shark” Hanlon were identified by RTÉ as having horses they either trained or owned end up at the Shannonside facility.
It is an unfortunate truth that some animals need to be put down, often due to significant injuries, unfitness for career changes, or to prevent potential neglect. In these situations, euthanasia may be the most fitting option, although it should be the last resort, implemented responsibly and adhering to necessary standards, which were gravely lacking in this situation.
There is no requirement for a veterinary degree to identify cruelty, and attempting to delineate in the face of such shocking images as those exposed by RTÉ puts the racing industry in an embarrassing position. This was also the case following a 2021 investigation by BBC Panorama which raised complex ethical questions about the level of responsibility in an sector that not only produces the highest number of foals in Europe and has over 10,000 horses in training, but also prides itself on being worth €2.5 billion annually, while getting €76 million in state funding in 2024.
These stark figures highlight the need to upkeep the industry’s social contract, a somewhat vague concept often dismissed as jargon, but one that lies at the heart of public approval of animal sports. Although the RTÉ investigation may not have found any wrongdoings linked to the racing industry, it has inevitably suffered a blow to its reputation.
While this contract carries significant weight, it’s often baffling to see how the sector lags in maintaining it. Quite often, it finds itself in a reactive state, grudgingly taking measures that ought to be proactively taken, for its own benefit if nothing else.
Implementing permissions for Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board officials to conduct drug tests in unlicensed properties and creating video surveillance in racecourse stalls are part of the extended procedure initiated in response to the scandal surrounding Viking Hoard.
There has long been a vision of achieving an all-encompassing traceability of thoroughbreds across their lifespan, yet this mission remains disappointingly hard to attain. Progress has been made towards a fully digital e-passport system, but the fact that such traceability already exists for livestock is astonishing, demonstrating that the globally acclaimed industry is yet to catch up.
Being able to trace a thoroughbred’s life journey is a crucial aspect of reassuring the public that extreme measures are in place to uphold animal welfare standards and counter those willing to violate the regulations. Progress has been seen, yet there’s room for advancement in the racing industry to significantly quicken this process.
Such initiatives would be a sensible endorsement in public trust concerning broader welfare standards. The incidents in Straffan also underscore the advantages of taking these steps.