Australia Legalizes Horse Meat Consumption

Terry Redman, Western Australia State Minister for Agriculture and Food, gave approval in late June for the slaughter of horses for human consumption. 50,000 to 70,000 horses are slaughtered in Australia every year for human consumption in other parts of the world, but until now they were not available for consumption in Australia.

The WA Meat Industry Authority is keeping a very close eye on the slaughter process.

The first business to sell horse meat in Australia will be Mondi Di Carne gourmet butchers, owned by Vince Garreffa.

"It's not going to be big business, it's not a money making venture," Garreffa said. "It's all about supplying the ethnic community with something they grew up with."
However, some have spoken out against the approval of horse meat for human consumption in Australia, with one petition to stop the approval gaining 1,876 signatures so far.

Horse meat is sold for food around the world, from horse sushi in Japan, to horse tartare and horse steak sold in restaurants in Scotland. While it is a major part of the diet for only a few countries, most notably in Central Asia, it forms a significant part of culinary traditions, from Europe to South America to China.

The top eight countries consume roughly 4.8 million horses a year.