Every year, approximately 2,500 Canadian horses are flown to Japan for slaughter and consumption in high-end restaurants. Despite government promises to ban this practice, legislation has not yet been passed to end the export of horses for slaughter.

Animal Justice and Life Investigation Agency have exposed the industry for failing to report the suffering horses endure during transport, with investigations revealing a lack of oversight by the CFIA and violations of transport regulations.

Horses are subjected to long, stressful journeys from barren feedlots to airports, where they are crammed into wooden crates and flown to Japan. Many horses suffer injuries, illnesses, and even death during transport, with the entire journey taking between 25 and 34 hours. Once in Japan, the horses are quarantined, fattened, and then violently killed for consumption as a raw delicacy.