“Boycott the blood farms in South America”

Europe must ban the import of the fertility hormone Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG) and prohibit its use. “For this hormone blood is collected from live horses in South American blood farms. The use of this hormone is contrary to European legislation as a result,” according to the Party for the Animals. MEP Anja Hazekamp has raised the issue with the European Commission.

Source: Animals’ Angels

PMSG, a hormone made of the blood of pregnant mares, is used in the Dutch and German livestock industry to improve the reproduction of animals. To produce the hormone, the so-called ‘blood farms’ in Argentina and Uruguay systematically extract large volumes of blood from pregnant mares. Animal welfare foundation Eyes on Animals recently found major abuses in this industry. For example, unborn foils of blood horses are prematurely aborted or are squeezed to death. The mother horses become very thin and grow weak because of excessive blood extraction.

PMSG is imported because blood farms are not permitted in Europe; two Dutch companies among others conduct this import. “But also the use in itself is in conflict with European legislation,” according to MEP Anja Hazakamp. “Breeding methods that hurt or injure the animals involved are not permitted in Europe. The use of PMSG to fertilise animals cannot be disassociated from the blood extraction from live horses to produce this hormone. This type of practice is just not acceptable,” according to Anja Hazekamp.