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The ponies abandoned by British children and sent to France as horse
meat
The slaughterman precariously balances a rifle against the small grey
pony's head.

Seconds later a shot rings out, the pony flails on the ground and is
then winched onto a production line.

This is the reality of the slaughter and butchering of thousands of
unwanted riding ponies and racehorses at a British abattoir.

The picture here is one of several taken by undercover investigators
for Animal Aid.

Production-line death: A pony that almost certainly belonged to a
child meets its fate at Potter's abattoir: Picture by Animal Aid

They hope the images will prompt an official inquiry - or at least
touch the consciences of owners who simply abandon pets when their
children have grown out of them.

The remains of this pony, like much of the meat that passes through
Potter's abattoir in Taunton, Somerset, each year will be sent to
France as there is no taste for horse meat in Britain.

Animal Aid says its dossier raises serious questions about the running
of the abattoir. Officials suggest the way the slaughterman is holding
the rifle means it could slip if the pony tossed her head.

The bullet would then inflict pain, rather than killing outright.

Animal Aid director Andrew Tyler said: "This seems a typical example
of the abandonment of a pet whose useful days are over. It occurs when
a child loses interest in riding or wants a bigger pony or horse."

The group says one horse was apparently injured elsewhere and then
kept alive long enough to reach the abattoir - prolonging its
suffering.

An animal which is humanely put down in a field or stable cannot go
into the meat process because it has to be bled immediately after
slaughter to make it suitable for the table.

The alternative is to sell it for between £20 and £200 to an abattoir.

Around 3,000 ponies and horses are put through Potter's each year. The
company says that around 100 are from horse racing and the remainder
privately owned.

Its latest annual report says it is engaged in the "elective
euthanasia of equines and export of horse meat".

Stephen Potter, who operates the abattoir, said: "I don't think anyone
who keeps a pony will get rid of it just for the sake of it.

"We will all be old at some point and may spend our later years in
great discomfort and horses are the same.

"The horses are handled in a stress-free manner by professional people
and despatched with the minimum of fuss, none of us could ask for
anything better than that."

The food and farming department, Defra, says the Taunton operation,
together with another in Cheshire, kills 6,000-10,000 horses a year
for consumption abroad.

Animal Aid believes the slaughter of these horses and ponies will
shock the public.

Mr Tyler said: "Those shown being killed in the footage came from
owners who either dealt directly with the abattoir or who didn't know
or care that their animals would end up in this establishment.

"What all the former owners have in common is the transient use of
their animal. They feel that their responsibility is relinquished once
the horse or pony is of no further use to them.

"The fundamental problem at the heart of the horse slaughter
scandal-that we have uncovered is that these horses are bred to
excess.

"When an animal is no longer useful, he or she is often simply
disposed of. This is the fate of thousands of healthy horses and
ponies every year."

Animal Aid is presenting the footage to the Meat Hygiene Service in
the hope that it will carry out an investigation.

Watch the 9 minute film
http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/f/CAMPAIGNS/blog//4//?be_id=94