PETITION TARGET: French National Assembly’s Economic Affairs Committee
Horses slaughtered for their meat often endure brutally long overseas journeys and gruesome treatment on arrival — including being beaten, kicked, shocked with electric cattle prods, and dragged by chains.
France could become the next country to condemn this atrocity. A new bill would ban the slaughter, trade, and consumption of horse meat and also would change the legal status of horses so that they would have many of the same protections as cats and dogs.
“No one would think of eating a dog or a cat, and therefore I find that in our country we would be honored to change the status of the horse,” said bill sponsor Nicolas Dupont-Aignan.
Only 7 percent of French households reportedly eat horse meat, and consumption has decreased in recent years — showing a critical shift in perception of how these magnificent animals should be treated.
But too many horses are still being slaughtered in France, with more than 5,000 killed for their meat in 2022, according to news.
More than a dozen celebrities have publicly supported the bill, noting in an open letter that the horse deserves “the right to grow old and end his life in dignity.”
Sign our petition urging the French National Assembly to prioritize and pass this lifesaving bill and so end the cruel slaughter of horses for their meat!