The animal rights group Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) has confirmed a scandal that broke out about a year ago on the use of horsemeat as food for human consumption.

YiuTube/BBCNewsMribology

Elio Celloto, campaign director of CPR, disclosed that a large number of young discarded racehorses are shipped overseas as meat for human consumption. He mentioned Belgium and Japan as the recipients of the horsemeat.

Canada also exports live horses to Japan for eventual slaughter, according to the video below.

YouTube/defendhorsescanada

Mr Celotto reckoned that about 15,000 racehorses end up at the knackery annually. It includes surplus foals raised for the racing industry. Some end up as dog food.

To protest the practice which the CPR described as the dark side of the racing industry, about 50 protesters will bring with them cans of dog food made of horsemeat at the main entrance of the Magic Millions Carnival on Saturday in Gold Coast. One of them would look like a butcher and even be covered by faux blood.

Ahead of Saturday, a smaller group of protesters made a similar show on Thursday at King George Square in Brisbane.

The foals are bred for racing, but if they are found not fast or strong enough, the animals end up as meat for human and dog consumption. Mr Celotto estimates about half of the foals are not of race quality and end up in slaughterhouses.

He asked the Australian Racing Board to support a plan for the horseracing industry to commit 1 per cent of its yearly betting turnover of about $143 million to save the animals from the abattoir.

A spokesman for the board supported the CPR initiative but question the figures that about half of the unqualified foals end up as meat products. He said the board had started a survey among trainers to find out the real numbers and it is expecting to have a different set of numbers in about six months.

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