Food Network Canada Promotes Horse Slaughter
May 11, 2011 § 30 Comments
Next week, during what is known as Horse Week in Canada, the Food Network will air episode six of Top Chef Canada. They have come up with a timely way to promote horses during Horse Week. EATING THEM.
I have sent a letter to Food Network, as well as Presidents Choice since they are the sponsor. Oh, and Shaw Media. (Links to contact them are listed at the bottom of this article).
This is the letter I sent:
I am very disturbed to hear you are doing a show where people are going to cook horse meat.
While I understand it is eaten internationally, and in small pockets of Canada (mainly Quebec), I have to wonder if you understand fully about the horse slaughter industry in Canada in particular.
Do you understand that the horse meat is tainted with drugs perma-banned from the food chain? Phenylbutazone (or “Bute”) is known to induce blood dyscrasias, including aplastic anemia, leukopenia, agranulocytosis, thrombocytopenia, and deaths – and is given regularly to horses. (https://notabreed.wordpress.com/2011/03/15/interesting-article-proves-my-points/). No amount of “detox” time rids the body of many of the drugs given to horses.
Do you understand that the slaughter industry in the US AND Canada creates an ecological mess? (http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2010/04/09/former-mayor-horse-slaughterhouses-a-drain-on-taypayers-never-mind-the-ditches-of-blood) and from Canada (http://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/bouvry-slaughterhouse-temporarily-shut-down/) with video evidence (http://www.flixya.com/video/1554764/Natural-Valley-Farms-Illegally-dumps-horse-blood-i)
And finally, horses are not raised as food chain animals. They are trusting of humans, mostly treated as pets, and then go through the terror of inhumane treatment during transport (no food or water for days, over-packed stock trailers with not enough head room, etc.) and then the final, gut wrenching torture of the slaughter process that was designed for cattle, not horses. Horses have been equated with deer when it comes to their flight response. Cattle are nothing like that. Poor design of slaughter houses for horses increase the torture and inhumanity of the process.
Please read this report on a Canadian slaughter house: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/envf0802.pdf
One last question: did you realize that Horse Week is June 4th to June 12th? Please know that this is going around on Facebook, and I do fully intend on publishing this letter along with a story on my blog. I’ll also link to the story everywhere I can. People are calling for letters and emails to PC, as well as your organization. The overall feeling from the equine community is one of disgust and outrage. I hope you think about this before airing your episode – ever. Horses are not food chain animals, and the promotion of them as such is ignorant.
Please write them a letter, and let them know you are NOT supportive of this sort of TV experience in Canada.
Contact the Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/about/contact.html (copy your letter so you can paste it in the email following)
I got an auto-response from the Food Network:
Thank you for contacting Food Network Canada. We welcome your feedback. If you are contacting us with a concern or a complaint about Food Network Canada programming, please re-send your email to feedback@foodtv.ca with the word “CONCERN” in the subject of your note. Please be assured we share your comments with our programming team for their review. Otherwise, please read the following e-mail carefully. Please understand that due to the volume of mail we receive, individual responses are not always possible.
Shaw Media: http://shawmedia.ca/contacts/general/ or corporate.inquiries@shawmedia.ca
Presidents Choice (sponsor): http://talktous.presidentschoice.ca/FdBackForm.asp?reqLang=EN&reqSiteNum=11&reqSiteNm=PC&reqServInd=Y&reqXMLInd=N&reqTopicNum=2&reqTopicNm=About%20PC%20Products&reqSubTopicNum=0&reqSubTopicNm=&reqSubjectNum=1&reqSubjectNm=
Episode Preview: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/video/index.html?releasePID=8zFpgrMSD4jCAez0y67QXkqFnDleA98z
Food Network Facebook (please “like” and leave comments!!): http://www.facebook.com/TopChefCanada
…
EDIT: Here is the PRODUCER for the show: http://www.facebook.com/mark.lysakowski You don’t have to be a friend to send him a note. ;) But just in case that changes, here’s his email: mlysakow@me.com and a story about him (http://www.thestar.com/living/food/article/955145–mintz-top-chef-canada-crew-guards-its-secrets)
I hope you included the photo!
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Nope, but if they actually click any of the links they’ll see it. I was sorely tempted to add a dozen more photos of slaughter… but then I thought just one would hit home and not overwhelm. I hope I achieved that. I don’t think you CAN attach photos on the web form, but maybe I should have on the emails. ;)
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They may not read every email (due to volume) but be assured that an internet post, cross~posted and shared, will do them a hundred times more damage and the posts can’t be shoved under the rug. The internet is a tool… use it.
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That, in a nutshell, is why I write this blog. So any time a person searches online, from now on, for the Food Network, they will see this blog. That’s why I post names and phone numbers of animal abusers and shitty breeders too.
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I think whoever dreamed this up should be laying off grampa’s cough medicine, wow. Whats next, Dog-al-la-BBQ? Gross doesn’t describe this, where’s a “PUKE” emoticon when you need one?
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I agree! It’s a Canadian show. Less than 7% of Canadians eat horse meat. Do the fucking MATH Food Network.
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Another great blog piece by a fantastic group: http://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/food-network-canada-reality-check-required/
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[…] Network Canada Promotes Eating Horse Meat VERY GRAPHIC PHOTO https://notabreed.wordpress.com/2011/…rse-slaughter/ Reply With Quote + Reply to Thread « 5/10/11 Broker Owned […]
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A very small percentage of people in Canada eat horse meat. Horses are badly injured, scared to death, and inhumanely treated when being transported to slaughter. Once they reach the slaughter house HELL begins for them! I can NOT believe you would even consider airing shows with chefs cooking horses during horse week. Horse week should be used to educate people about horses, and honor them for being magnificent creatures and all they have done for civilization in the past, and what they still do for people today. I will post information about these shows on Food NetWork Canada everywhere I possibly can also to let the horse lovers of this world know about this travesty. You should be ashamed!!!!
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Cross posting is extremely appreciated! Get the word OUT. Thanks Evon.
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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Top-Chef-Protect-the-Horses/182296598489582?sk=wall
New Facebook page to protest!
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Thanks Marge. I’ve “liked” it already. Every little bit helps!!
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This has got to stop. We as a horse rescue have worked many years taking in horses that were headed to slaughter, even a nice QH/Appy mare that was in foal.
She has a nice QH filly and both have been adopted into awesome homes…
We all work hard to get the slaughter stopped and to get the over breeding stopped.
It is so sad and heartbreaking. They need to take the cooking of horse meat off of the food network forever.
Thank You,
Linda
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Thank you Linda. I agree!
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Cross-posting – and everything else! – immediately!
After I barf.
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[…] here to see the original: Food Network Canada Promotes Horse Slaughter « ← Americans Against Horse Slaughter in Arizona: Post Cards From … Horse abuse case […]
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I am so appaled at this!! I sent an email once I read this! I volunteer at a horse rescue and this stuff really gets me going!
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Cross posting this on my FB page, Trot.org and Saddlebredrescue, Inc. forum.
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Thanks Anne. Get the word OUT. Much appreciated!!!
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[…] … people are going to cook horse meat. While I understand it is eaten internationally, and in small pockets of Canada (mainly Quebec), I have to wonder if you understand fully about the horse slaughter industry in Canada in particular. …. That, in a nutshell, is why I write this blog. So any time a person searches online, from now on, for the Food Network, they will see this blog. That’s why I post names and phone numbers of animal abusers and shitty breeders too. … … Go here to see the original: Food Network Canada Promotes Horse Slaughter « […]
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Even CBC did a story on this and the spokesperson for Canadian Food Inspection Agency was quoted as being shocked and dismayed by the video footage of the actual slaughter. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/05/17/f-horse-slaughter.html I can’t believe that the Food Network would want to be associated with this
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why would u promote horse slaughter its terible
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losers
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This is just stupid. You don’t bother to consider the fact that Top Chef Canada would NOT be using tainted meat, horse or otherwise, on their shows! This is just too fucked up to believe! You need some serious help to think that Food Network Canada would a) be promoting horse slaughter and b) that they’d use tainted meat XS
Get a fucking life!
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Thank you for your comments. I appreciate your ignorance as much as I do your rudeness.
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And besides – it just so happened that Episode six aired the same time as National Horse Week. You people don’t have anything better to do, do you????? XS
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The fact you don’t see that for the marketing ploy that it was, PROVES your ignorance.
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If some one wishes expert view about blogging after that i recommend him/her to pay a
quick visit this web site, Keep up the good job.
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Thanks!! I haven’t been able to write much in a while but hope to get back to it!
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Cavalia’s Odysseo is coming to Winnipeg Sept. 10. sixty five horses in all will be used in the show. It will probably be quite the spectacle that will leave the audience in awe over this magnificent animal.
But in the back of my mind the dirty little secret, horse slaughter plants in Canada and the cruel, barbaric end for thousands of hroses, creeps to rhe forfront of my mind. I am compelled to raise awareness about this issue.
I may use some of your material in a letter to the paper, if you don’t mind.
horses are not raised as food chain animals. They are trusting of humans, mostly treated as pets, and then go through the terror of inhumane treatment during transport (no food or water for days, over-packed stock trailers with not enough head room, etc.) and then the final, gut wrenching torture of the slaughter process that was designed for cattle, not horses. Horses have been equated with deer when it comes to their flight response. Cattle are nothing like that. Poor design of slaughter houses for horses increase the torture and inhumanity of the process.
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