Animal Justice Demands Immediate Halt to Edmonton's Horse Export Operations
An animal welfare organization is calling for a comprehensive prohibition on the shipment of live horses from Edmonton International Airport to Japan, citing disturbing evidence of animal suffering during transport. Animal Justice, a national advocacy group, has released a new report that directly contradicts the Canada Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) favorable assessment of the horse-export industry.
Conflicting Reports on Horse Welfare
The CFIA's data indicates that from July 2024 to June 2025, 2,408 horses were exported from Canada to Japan with zero recorded deaths or injuries. However, Animal Justice's investigation reveals that Japanese records tell a different story, documenting numerous injuries and fatalities among transported horses. This discrepancy has raised serious questions about the accuracy of regulatory oversight.
"Some are limping. Some are dragging their legs. It's just horrific," said Kaitlyn Mitchell, director of legal advocacy for Animal Justice, describing the condition of horses arriving in Japan.
The Reality of Horse Transport Conditions
Mitchell explained that horses are typically packed three or four to a crate and required to stand for the entire duration of flights that can last up to 28 hours under current regulations. This time limit includes not just flying time but also periods spent on trucks during loading and unloading procedures.
"You can see in the records, they'll say four horses fell during landing because the pilot hit the brakes hard, or there was turbulence during the flight, and a few horses fell," Mitchell reported. "Horses have a high sense of gravity. They have barely any room to move around, to adjust their footing when they need to. And then if one horse does fall, well, then the other horses in that same crate are likely to step on them."
The result, according to Mitchell, is horses arriving at quarantine facilities with bleeding lacerations on their bodies, unable to walk properly after enduring the stressful journey.
Legal and Market Context
Canada remains one of the few countries where exporting live horses for slaughter is still legal, a practice that was banned in the United States nearly two decades ago. The majority of these shipments originate from Edmonton due to the proximity of a finishing feedlot, with some additional exports departing from Winnipeg.
There is significant demand for Canadian horse meat in Japan, where the animals are fattened before eventual slaughter. This economic incentive has sustained the industry despite growing opposition from animal welfare advocates.
Legislative efforts to ban the practice have faced repeated obstacles. A bill passed during Justin Trudeau's tenure as prime minister was stalled in the Senate and ultimately expired following the 2025 election, which brought Mark Carney to power as Trudeau's successor.
Regulatory Challenges and Enforcement
Following pressure from animal rights groups in 2024, the CFIA pledged to strengthen enforcement of existing regulations. However, Animal Justice argues that the fundamental problem lies in the transportation method itself.
"No matter what sort of rules the CFIA puts in place, there really is no humane way to ship horses as livestock from the Canadian prairies to Japan," Mitchell asserted.
The organization's report highlights several critical issues:
- Inadequate space for horses to maintain balance during flights
- Risk of injury from falls during turbulence or hard landings
- Potential for trampling when horses fall in crowded crates
- Discrepancies between Canadian and Japanese injury reports
Animal Justice is now urging Canadian authorities to reconsider the entire export system and implement a complete ban on live horse shipments for slaughter, arguing that the current practices cannot be made humane regardless of regulatory adjustments.
