Food Network to Feature Horsemeat

Dear Friends:

On Monday, May 16th, the Food Network in Canada is showing an episode of French cuisine, and in it they are touting foie gras and horsemeat.

I am horrified that they would have the audacity to showcase horsemeat on television, especially during horse week in Canada.

The only way we can hopefully affect any change is to inundate them with as many e-mails as possible. Whether you are from the United States or Canada or wherever, they need to know our outrage.

I implore you to send an e-mail to Food Network as I have done to: [email protected]

I have included my letter to Food Network, Canada, below. Feel free to use it and change as you see fit. You can also find letters on the following sites: (warning- graphic images!)

http://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/food-network-canada-reality-check-required/

http://notabreed.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/food-network-canada-promotes-horse-slaughter/

Thank you for your time. An e-mail will only take a few seconds- please send one to Food Network and please send this on to as many people as you can, whether they own a horse or not.

Elizabeth Zarkos

President, Hanaeleh

[email protected]

Dear Food Network:

I was shocked and disgusted when I discovered that you were going to show on your network an episode which featured the cooking of horsemeat. By showing this episode, you are displaying your complete disregard for your viewers- those who are aware of the horrific practice of horse slaughter.

Horses who are slaughtered in Canada are not raised for the purpose of human consumption- many of these are trucked up from the United States. The horses you are presenting as food were most likely a child’s pony only a week before, just regrettably sold to a killer buyer at an auction because of the recession. Because the horses are not regulated as food, they are sent to slaughter with medications that are unsafe and even carcinogenic to humans.

Because slaughterhouses are not set up for horses specifically, the manner in which they are killed is often ineffective, and the horses thrash around violently while an individual tries to drive a bolt through their head. Sometimes it can take multiple strikes before the animal finally dies, and even then it can often only stun the horse, which means that the animal is alive while being vivisected.

Canadian slaughterhouses have as many environmental concerns as those in the United States, which were shut down for their complete disregard for the conditions in which the animals were brutally killed.

Instead of showcasing horsemeat, you should show some intelligence and compassion, and state why you refuse to have horsemeat as an entree on your show. I implore you to pull your episode showcasing horsemeat. The French have to have some cuisine that does not needlessly involve the suffering of a family pet.

Thank you for your time. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Zarkos

[email protected]