Animal rights groups continue to call for the closure of controversial Icelandic horse farms, a year after a video exposing horse abuse shocked the entire nation.
Iceland is one of the few countries in the world – and the only one in Europe – to use this controversial method.
In our video above, we see a pregnant mare having a cannula down her throat and being slapped on a “Blutfarm‘the blood is taken in Selfoss, in the south of the country. In response to the backlash, the farmers on the farm decided to remain anonymous.
Blood from pregnant mares is in high demand due to the PMSG pregnancy hormone. It is then taken to a laboratory and used to improve the fertility of other animals including cows, sheep and pigs. Several liters per week can be obtained from each pregnant mare.
The hormone is processed by the biotechnology group Isteka, one of the market leaders in Europe. Blood collection is a profitable business from which farmers can earn up to 10 million Icelandic crowns (around 70,000 euros) per year.
In 2021, the number of blood farms in Iceland tripled to 199, where nearly 5,400 mares are bred solely for their blood.
Public backlash
The release of the video last year sparked a protest in Iceland and a police investigation. Many farmers have been forced to retire from this business.
Animal Welfare Iceland has called for a total ban on this practice as semi-feral horses are kept in small stables and in some cases are mistreated and beaten.
Do you think it’s okay to take a frightened horse and stab it in the neck to create a fertility drug that increases the suffering of other animals? Do you think this is okay? I think most people would say no.
Rosa Lif Darradottir, vice president of the organization
However, Arnthor Gudlaugsson, Isteka’s chief executive, says the video doesn’t provide an accurate picture.
“The video was, so to speak, designed somewhat in such a way that in my opinion there is too negative a description of the process. There were also spots in the video that indicated bad practices or practices that should have been better“, and said.
government response
The scandal sparked debate in Iceland, where many residents first heard about the practice, despite having been practiced since 1979. However, little has changed since then.
“This makes us think about where we are with our ethics„, Sagt Darradottir.
“To produce a fertility drug for use in livestock […]to increase their fertility beyond their natural capacity just so we can have a steady stream of cheap pork […] It is not a noble thing“, she says.
Opponents also criticize the amount of blood taken.
“This is animal abuse, plain and simple, and there is a word for it: animal crueltysays parliamentarian Inga Saeland, who has repeatedly proposed a ban on this practice, but without success.
However, stricter rules came into effect in August, giving authorities more powers to monitor the sector and “evaluation of one’s future‘over the next three years.
