Caballo Conundrum
If the idea of eating horse is culturally reprehensible to so many in Mexico, why is the country the second-leading horsemeat producer in the world?
Ever since the Spanish Conquistadors re-introduced the horse to North America during the 16th century, horses have come to play an important role within Mexican society. Today, several hundreds of thousands of horses—and other equines, such as donkeys and mules—are used as working animals, particularly in rural and mountainous areas. As well as serving as beasts of burden, draught animals and to drive cattle, horses are widely used for recreation, equestrian sports and in controversial public spectacles, such as charreadas and bullfighting.
But there is a use for horses in Mexico that many people would prefer not to think about: they are also slaughtered for food. Around 631,000 animals from a total estimated horse population of 6.3 million were slaughtered in 2011 alone.
That is a pretty significant number, but when I have asked Mexican friends and colleagues about any tradition for eating horsemeat in Mexico or its role in the national cuisine, they tend to recoil in horror at the very thought of consuming them. The horses that are slaughtered, I am told, are probably being killed for the European export market or to be used as cheap pet food. “We don’t eat them” is the message I receive loud and clear.
“We don’t eat them” is the message I receive loud and clear.
Data Tells Another Story
Yet the production statistics and export data for horsemeat in Mexico would seem to tell a very different story. Food and Agriculture Organization statistics reveal that in 2010, for example, some 83,200 tons of horsemeat was produced in Mexico, but only a mere 13 percent was actually exported elsewhere around the globe.
It is indeed true that Europe—or more specifically Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland—is presently the main destination for Mexican horsemeat exports, followed in terms of tonnage by the Russian Federation and Swaziland. However, it is clear from the FAO statistics that the vast majority of the meat produced in Mexico must be being used for domestic consumption in some shape or form.
A perhaps even more uncomfortable truth for Mexican horse lovers is that the country is also the world’s second biggest producer of horsemeat. It was not always that way. In fact, FAO production statistics dating from 1961 show that, until the early 1980s, there was a relatively low level of horsemeat production in Mexico. Between 1961 and 1980, production remained fairly stable with between 42,000 to 46,000 tons of horseflesh being churned out each year.
However, during the 1980s horsemeat production in Mexico steadily and significantly increased, reaching its pinnacle in 2005 when some 88,078 tons was produced. Production dropped off again after this point for a couple of years, but then started to rise once again. This can be largely explained by the significant rise in the number of U.S. horses exported to Mexico for slaughter, which was a direct result of the closure of the last U.S. horse slaughterhouses in 2007 following Congress’ withdrawal of funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections of horse slaughter plants and various court rulings.
Why the Increase?
While the shutdown of U.S. horse slaughter explains the post-2007 increase, it does not account for why there was such a significant increase in Mexican horsemeat production over the past three decades. One possible reason is that, increasingly, working horses have become redundant as motorized vehicles have been developed that can better traverse difficult terrain.
The development of a European export market for Mexican horsemeat has almost certainly contributed to the increasing number of horses being slaughtered. The FAO data shows that the rise in Mexican horsemeat production roughly corresponds with the decline in production in Europe. This suggests that the center of production simply shifted abroad to where horses were perhaps cheaper and more abundant.
That European demand partly drives Mexican horsemeat production is evidenced by the fact that there are presently four slaughter plants in Mexico that are approved for the slaughter of horses for export to the EU; all of which are either owned by or have links to European business interests. Two of these abattoirs are located in the Zacatecas region in Jerez and Fresnillo; the others are found in Aguascalientes and Camargo.
There are presently four slaughter plants in Mexico that are approved for the slaughter of horses for export to the EU.
Although this may partially explain the increase in horses being slaughtered annually in Mexico, it does not account for the fact that the export data suggests that the vast majority of meat (some 87 percent) is apparently not leaving the country. It seems highly unlikely that all of this meat is destined to feed dogs or zoo animals; a significant proportion must be for human consumption.
Processed Into Cheap Meat
If what I’m told is true—that the practice of eating horses is not widely accepted in Mexico—this begs the question of exactly where all the horsemeat is actually going. In all likelihood, a substantial proportion of the horsemeat produced is ending up being processed into other cheap meat products, just as it is also in some parts of Europe where it is commonly found as a labeled ingredient in sausages and other processed convenience meat products.
This means that unless consumers go out of their way to read the labels—and the products are indeed adequately labeled in the first place—they will probably be completely unaware that these products contain horsemeat. Likewise, those who buy processed meat products at eateries or via street vendors also cannot be 100 percent sure of exactly which species their snacks contain—and maybe would never even consider asking the question.
The horsemeat scandal, which gripped the European Union earlier this year, provides a very good illustration of just how easy it is within the modern industrial food processing system to hoodwink unsuspecting consumers into eating meat from animals that they would perhaps prefer not to.
Given the level of horsemeat production in Mexico—and the apparently low level of exports—perhaps it is also time to find out exactly how horsemeat is processed, marketed and sold there too. •
Dr. Joanna Swabe is the European Union Director for the Humane Society International and is based in Amsterdam. This guest column first appeared in the Feb./Mar. issue of Poder Hispanic Magazine. Visit us at poder360.com and @PoderMagazines.
