ianstone
07-16-2010, 07:03 AM
Butcher defends horse meat trade
http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/abc/20100716/12/3167356066.jpg?x=292&sig=ZASf7EODrmxpG4oACFVTJw-- (http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/abc/20100716/12/3167356066.jpg?x=400&sig=w1hnAaIPVDfvQTJBUh5BFA--) supplied © Enlarge photo (http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/abc/20100716/12/3167356066.jpg?x=400&sig=w1hnAaIPVDfvQTJBUh5BFA--)
The butcher who has been given the go-ahead to sell horse meat for human consumption says there has been a small black market in it in Australia for years.
Perth butcher Vince Garreffa began selling horse meat at his store on Tuesday and is vowing to continue, despite receiving death threats from animal liberationists.
But he told ABC News Online that Europeans have been dining on horse meat for centuries and it is an open secret that migrants in Perth go to extreme lengths to get their hands on it.
"If you and I didn't eat Australian lamb for 10 or 20 years and someone showed up with an illegally slaughtered carcass in the boot of their car, I know I'd be the first one to put up my hand to buy a leg," he said.
"You miss it so much; it's a taste of home. And to Europeans, horse is a taste of home. The French go nuts for it and I've found they've gone to the trouble of buying it not only illegally when someone has offered it, but also offered it from pet shops who sell horse for our pets.
"It's very small but it exists.
"At the end of the day it's not an organised black market, the term black market infers a lot of different connotations. The truth is, just like somebody might turn around in Australia and grab an illegal feed of marron and offer it to their friends, somebody along the line eventually has slaughtered some horse.
"Back in the 70s I knew of a favourite pet shop people could trust to say 'I want some horse meat but I want to eat it, I don't want to give it to my pets, so could you make sure it's fresh?' He was famous for handing it over."
Mr Garreffa says Australia has the sixth largest export market for horse meat in the world, slaughtering from 50,000 to 70,000 horses a year for human consumption in countries in Europe and Asia.
He understands that people have an attachment to horses because they have become a companion animal in Australia, but is concerned that buying it illegally could be dangerous, and compares it to the days when people bought kangaroo meat under the counter.
"Because pet meat doesn't have the protocols by the health department, the meat that's slaughtered for pet meat could very well be diseased horses, or horses that are full of steroids and other drugs," he said.
"There's just no way in the world that anybody should be taking a risk of eating that type of meat and I think [WA's Food and Agriculture Minister] has had great courage in allowing a very small, controlled supply.
"I've never heard of anyone dying of kangaroo poisoning but horse from unreliable sources is a much more dangerous affair because of the amount of drugs involved in the horse industry."
Mr Garreffa acknowledges that horse meat is not for everybody and that a lot of people will never consider it as suitable for the plate.
"[It tastes like] beef with a slight sweetness in the back palate. It's a little bit richer, very lean and it has twice the amount of iron than any other red meat, the scientists tell us," he said.
"But not everybody will get over the headspace of thinking about eating one of man's best friends."
He does not believe horse meat should be treated any differently from beef or lamb, but it is clear that not everybody agrees.
Mr Garreffa has received death threats about his decision, both over the phone and via email.
"At first it was a shock. It's words of a nature that whatever was being done to the horses was going to be done to me," he said.
"But the more I think about it over the last couple of days, I realise the amount of passionate people who really do care about animal welfare, and maybe it might not be as dangerous at it sounds."
Despite the death threats, Mr Garreffa says demand for horse meat has been "steady" since Tuesday.
"Just like we don't put pigs heads in the window because they offend people - yet we sell plenty of them in a year - people just come in quietly and ask for one," he said.
"We've now got to a stage because of the furore, people are just sneaking in, quietly whispering that they'd like some horse meat and we sell it to them quietly. So we've become the horse whisperers."
7 News (http://au.news.yahoo.com/)
Horse meat butcher sent death threats
David Weber, ABC July 16, 2010, 7:37 am
A Perth butcher says he is going to continue selling horse meat for human consumption despite receiving death threats.
Vince Garreffa started selling horse meat this week after being given the green light by Western Australia's Food and Agriculture Minister.
Mr Garreffa says his move means Australians will no longer be forced to risk illness through buying illegally slaughtered horses.
But public opposition has been strong and Mr Garreffa has been forced to end plans to showcase the meat at a local food festival because of death threats, one of which he has reported to police.
Mr Garreffa says there has always been a demand for horse meat in Australia.
"I am a meat eater and I sell probably every meat that you could imagine that is legal to over 250 restaurants around the country," he said.
"You have got to remember that Australia is slaughtering approximately 50,000 to 70,000 horses a year for human consumption.
"We have two major export abattoirs in Queensland and South Australia and here we are, we are not allowed to eat it. And that is just unacceptable."
Mr Garreffa says his requests to legalise the sale of horse meat have been falling on deaf ears for years.
He has praised Western Australia's Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman for finally approving his licence.
"I think the current minister has got cojones bigger than a horse to have the courage to control it so that it doesn't get out of hand," he said.
"[Mr Redman has said] 'Hey, I see the anomaly. Let's do a trial. Let's see how it goes. Let's make sure that it is properly controlled by the Health Department and the meat industry authority, and make sure that it is clean meat for the public."
But Mr Garreffa says he will not reveal where he gets the horse meat from because of the public anger over the move.
"At this stage, because of the amount of controversy that we have created, we have decided as of today, we will keep our mouths shut where they came from, where they got slaughtered, where they have been sold as far as restaurants go," he said.
"We have got restaurants that are now too scared to advertise it because they are being hounded by animal liberationists and yet, here we are, we might be doing six, 12, 20 animals a year is what I believe.
"We'll become the horse whispers but we will look after you, because that is the business I am in."
Mr Garreffa says he understands that Australians have a sentimental attachment to horses.
"I am so conscious of that, that you have got to realise that it is really pulling at the heart strings," he said.
"If somebody told me that we were going to start eating Jack Russells tomorrow, I would be horrified.
"I love my Jack Russell and I miss him because I lost him last year but hey, emotions are one thing."
He says at this stage, the controversy has probably scared other butchers away from selling horse meat.
"At this stage I think that if they experience the backlash of emotion, they might think twice, but I have had enormous support from customers and people in Western Australia who don't even know me and unknown people from around the world," he said.
"There are 6 billion people in the world, over 2,000 nasty emails [were sent], but they have a right to express their opinion.
"The death threats I didn't appreciate."
Eaten it in France Braised and it was very tasty if i'm honest
http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/abc/20100716/12/3167356066.jpg?x=292&sig=ZASf7EODrmxpG4oACFVTJw-- (http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/abc/20100716/12/3167356066.jpg?x=400&sig=w1hnAaIPVDfvQTJBUh5BFA--) supplied © Enlarge photo (http://l.yimg.com/fv/xp/abc/20100716/12/3167356066.jpg?x=400&sig=w1hnAaIPVDfvQTJBUh5BFA--)
The butcher who has been given the go-ahead to sell horse meat for human consumption says there has been a small black market in it in Australia for years.
Perth butcher Vince Garreffa began selling horse meat at his store on Tuesday and is vowing to continue, despite receiving death threats from animal liberationists.
But he told ABC News Online that Europeans have been dining on horse meat for centuries and it is an open secret that migrants in Perth go to extreme lengths to get their hands on it.
"If you and I didn't eat Australian lamb for 10 or 20 years and someone showed up with an illegally slaughtered carcass in the boot of their car, I know I'd be the first one to put up my hand to buy a leg," he said.
"You miss it so much; it's a taste of home. And to Europeans, horse is a taste of home. The French go nuts for it and I've found they've gone to the trouble of buying it not only illegally when someone has offered it, but also offered it from pet shops who sell horse for our pets.
"It's very small but it exists.
"At the end of the day it's not an organised black market, the term black market infers a lot of different connotations. The truth is, just like somebody might turn around in Australia and grab an illegal feed of marron and offer it to their friends, somebody along the line eventually has slaughtered some horse.
"Back in the 70s I knew of a favourite pet shop people could trust to say 'I want some horse meat but I want to eat it, I don't want to give it to my pets, so could you make sure it's fresh?' He was famous for handing it over."
Mr Garreffa says Australia has the sixth largest export market for horse meat in the world, slaughtering from 50,000 to 70,000 horses a year for human consumption in countries in Europe and Asia.
He understands that people have an attachment to horses because they have become a companion animal in Australia, but is concerned that buying it illegally could be dangerous, and compares it to the days when people bought kangaroo meat under the counter.
"Because pet meat doesn't have the protocols by the health department, the meat that's slaughtered for pet meat could very well be diseased horses, or horses that are full of steroids and other drugs," he said.
"There's just no way in the world that anybody should be taking a risk of eating that type of meat and I think [WA's Food and Agriculture Minister] has had great courage in allowing a very small, controlled supply.
"I've never heard of anyone dying of kangaroo poisoning but horse from unreliable sources is a much more dangerous affair because of the amount of drugs involved in the horse industry."
Mr Garreffa acknowledges that horse meat is not for everybody and that a lot of people will never consider it as suitable for the plate.
"[It tastes like] beef with a slight sweetness in the back palate. It's a little bit richer, very lean and it has twice the amount of iron than any other red meat, the scientists tell us," he said.
"But not everybody will get over the headspace of thinking about eating one of man's best friends."
He does not believe horse meat should be treated any differently from beef or lamb, but it is clear that not everybody agrees.
Mr Garreffa has received death threats about his decision, both over the phone and via email.
"At first it was a shock. It's words of a nature that whatever was being done to the horses was going to be done to me," he said.
"But the more I think about it over the last couple of days, I realise the amount of passionate people who really do care about animal welfare, and maybe it might not be as dangerous at it sounds."
Despite the death threats, Mr Garreffa says demand for horse meat has been "steady" since Tuesday.
"Just like we don't put pigs heads in the window because they offend people - yet we sell plenty of them in a year - people just come in quietly and ask for one," he said.
"We've now got to a stage because of the furore, people are just sneaking in, quietly whispering that they'd like some horse meat and we sell it to them quietly. So we've become the horse whisperers."
7 News (http://au.news.yahoo.com/)
Horse meat butcher sent death threats
David Weber, ABC July 16, 2010, 7:37 am
A Perth butcher says he is going to continue selling horse meat for human consumption despite receiving death threats.
Vince Garreffa started selling horse meat this week after being given the green light by Western Australia's Food and Agriculture Minister.
Mr Garreffa says his move means Australians will no longer be forced to risk illness through buying illegally slaughtered horses.
But public opposition has been strong and Mr Garreffa has been forced to end plans to showcase the meat at a local food festival because of death threats, one of which he has reported to police.
Mr Garreffa says there has always been a demand for horse meat in Australia.
"I am a meat eater and I sell probably every meat that you could imagine that is legal to over 250 restaurants around the country," he said.
"You have got to remember that Australia is slaughtering approximately 50,000 to 70,000 horses a year for human consumption.
"We have two major export abattoirs in Queensland and South Australia and here we are, we are not allowed to eat it. And that is just unacceptable."
Mr Garreffa says his requests to legalise the sale of horse meat have been falling on deaf ears for years.
He has praised Western Australia's Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman for finally approving his licence.
"I think the current minister has got cojones bigger than a horse to have the courage to control it so that it doesn't get out of hand," he said.
"[Mr Redman has said] 'Hey, I see the anomaly. Let's do a trial. Let's see how it goes. Let's make sure that it is properly controlled by the Health Department and the meat industry authority, and make sure that it is clean meat for the public."
But Mr Garreffa says he will not reveal where he gets the horse meat from because of the public anger over the move.
"At this stage, because of the amount of controversy that we have created, we have decided as of today, we will keep our mouths shut where they came from, where they got slaughtered, where they have been sold as far as restaurants go," he said.
"We have got restaurants that are now too scared to advertise it because they are being hounded by animal liberationists and yet, here we are, we might be doing six, 12, 20 animals a year is what I believe.
"We'll become the horse whispers but we will look after you, because that is the business I am in."
Mr Garreffa says he understands that Australians have a sentimental attachment to horses.
"I am so conscious of that, that you have got to realise that it is really pulling at the heart strings," he said.
"If somebody told me that we were going to start eating Jack Russells tomorrow, I would be horrified.
"I love my Jack Russell and I miss him because I lost him last year but hey, emotions are one thing."
He says at this stage, the controversy has probably scared other butchers away from selling horse meat.
"At this stage I think that if they experience the backlash of emotion, they might think twice, but I have had enormous support from customers and people in Western Australia who don't even know me and unknown people from around the world," he said.
"There are 6 billion people in the world, over 2,000 nasty emails [were sent], but they have a right to express their opinion.
"The death threats I didn't appreciate."
Eaten it in France Braised and it was very tasty if i'm honest