by Matteo Cupi, Executive Director of Animal Equality Italia

Sentient and intelligent creatures, horses occupy a deeply contradictory role in Italy: for many they are life companions and symbols of an ancient bond with human beings. Yet they continue to be placed within a system of exploitation and abuse, culminating in a slaughter process filled with suffering that cannot be ignored.

Animal Equality, in collaboration with Fondazione Islander, has launched a petition for a citizens' legislative initiative to put an end to all of this and stop their slaughter, guaranteeing them the protections they deserve.

A proposal to change society's perception of horses

As Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder, who supports our initiative, explains: "This proposal represents a step forward for animal rights and for moving beyond an anthropocentric vision, in favour of a biocentric culture. Horses too have contributed to the development of human civilisation, and the time has come to restore their dignity and rights."

Even today, the fate of many horses is shaped by a supply chain that exploits them throughout their lives and kills them cruelly. This is demonstrated by our latest undercover investigation, conducted over seven months inside the Zerbini & Ragazzi equine slaughterhouse in the province of Reggio Emilia, where between 50 and 70 horses a week are slaughtered for food.

Hundreds of hours of footage gathered and reviewed by Animal Equality and veterinary staff show horses left in stalls or tied in stables for days, abandoned in their own excrement, as well as animals being beaten in violation of European animal welfare regulations and serious negligence in stunning and slaughter procedures. All of this occurred between 2024 and 2025, despite the company publicly presenting itself as a model of best practice in terms of animal welfare.

In Italy, equids are the only animals that, at the time of registration, can be classified — at the owner's discretion — as DPA (destined for food production) or non-DPA (not destined for food production). The choice to register an equid as non-DPA is irreversible.

Despite this, numerous judicial investigations and the ongoing interventions of law enforcement agencies, in collaboration with veterinary health authorities, show that many elderly, sick or retired horses — which have become a cost rather than an economic resource for their owners — nonetheless end up in the slaughter pipeline, often in violation of regulations.

When a horse is no longer able to generate income, keeping it is a cost. In a system that prioritises profit, this creates a powerful economic incentive to send it to slaughter rather than guaranteeing it a dignified end of life.

What needs to change in this system

For some time now we have been denouncing not only the illegal practices and abuses in slaughterhouses and farms, but also the existence of a genuine clandestine circuit behind the slaughter of horses not destined for food production. Used for work, equestrian sport or as life companions, these animals can be administered pharmacological treatments with no obligation to track them. It is precisely this grey area — combined with imprecise databases, inadequate regulations and a lack of oversight — that enables the perpetuation of illegal practices and abuse, driven by purely utilitarian logic.

It is worth emphasising that legal does not mean right: animals are forced to endure extremely long transport journeys, incompatible with their ethology and with the most basic animal welfare requirements, with serious consequences for their health — as the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) has reiterated in numerous scientific opinions.

Moving away from a system such as the livestock industry — one based on extreme exploitation and, in many cases, the mistreatment of millions of sentient beings — is a necessary step if Italy truly intends to respect all animals, as stated in the Constitution.

The Italian public's position on the issue

With our legislative proposal, we are calling for the slaughter and suffering of equids to be stopped once and for all as a first and crucial step in this direction. Specifically, we are calling for a strengthening of the protections and recognition of the guarantees so far reserved for companion animals, regulatory protection of equids throughout the entire chain, and an expansion of protections for end-of-career equids.

We believe Italy is ready for this step, just as millions of Italian citizens are: according to the Ipsos research published last year, of the 92% of meat consumers nationally, only 17% say they eat horse meat at least once a month. 83% of respondents say they do not consume it at all, with 73% expressing empathy for this animal and considering it on a par with dogs and cats.

Together we can stop the suffering of all equids and help increase protections for animals raised for food. The citizens' legislative initiative can be signed here.