6,573 horses were killed in Ireland for human consumption last year

The number is down on the 2017 figure.

6,500 horses in Ireland were slaughtered for meat last year, according to figures released by the Department of Agriculture. Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath asked Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed what the figures were for horses slaughtered for human consumption in Ireland. It was revealed that 6,573 horses were slaughtered for human consumption in Ireland in 2018, significantly down from years previous when the scandal about horse meat in Ireland was in the headlines. The figures also show that 453 horses were slaughtered in the first two months of this year.

A total of 7,748 horses were culled for human consumption in 2017. However, this number is considerably lower than numbers during the recession.

Figures released last year reveal that 64,074 equines have been slaughtered for meat in Ireland from 2012 to 2017. The annual number fell from a peak of 24,362 that year to 6,033 in 2015, but rose until 2017. The bulk of the horse meat produced in Ireland is exported for customers in Belgium, France and Italy, where it is considered a delicacy in many areas.