Evidence

World Horse Welfare believes we must base our calls for change on solid research. This means that we can be sure that our recommendations are the best for horse welfare, and helps us to make a strong case to policy-makers.

Our campaign is based on extensive research. We undertake regular field investigations, as well as desk research, in order to monitor travelling conditions across Europe.

In 2008, World Horse Welfare funded a ground-breaking scientific research project studying the effects of long-distance transport on horses travelling to slaughter, the results of which were summarised in our first Dossier of Evidence 2008. We use this evidence to put pressure on policy-makers, asking them to make much-needed welfare improvements. Since then we have continued to collate and submit evidence for change. Our work was cited by the European Food Safety Authority in their 2011 Scientific Opinion, and was used to produce a second edition of the Dossier of Evidence 2011, handed over to the European Commission in October 2011.

We also carry out regular field investigations, collecting evidence from Europe’s slaughter routes.