WOMEN'S HEALTH AND ETHICS COALITION

For Immediate Release December 29, 2003:

"WHY, OH WHY, WYETH PHARMACEUTICALS…?"

Campaign Is Launched…Women’s Health and Ethics Coalition Calls Upon U.S. Corporate Giant to Give PMU Industry Horses Their Lives!

Due to recent major cutbacks in the Pregnant Mare Urine industry, tens of thousands of horses are now out of a job. U.S.-based corporate giant Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, having profited from the Premarin family of drugs for over 60 years, has initiated an Equine Placement Fund on behalf of PMU ranchers and their horses. (Premarin is made from the Urine of Pregnant Mares.) However, it is clear that this fund, as well as the efforts of numerous rescue organizations throughout North America, has not been enough. Undercover videotape and information gathered during November and December 2003 reveals that thousands of pregnant mares, foals, and stallions are being routinely shipped to Texan and Canadian horse slaughter plants, where many have already met a gruesome and terrifying death!

In a recent conversation, Wendy Neininger, Senior Director for Wyeth, stated that "nowhere near 20,000 horses have been displaced," "the meat industry has stopped buying horses for slaughter," and "pregnant mares are not being slaughtered; they are allowed to have their foals first." Les Burwash (Horse Programs, Alberta Dept. of Agriculture) yet states unabashedly that "horses are part of the food chain and unwanted ones need to be done away with."

Ms. Neininger’s statements can be refuted with the following documented facts: 1)A Canada Agriculture Facts bulletin, Fall 2003 (publication of CANFACT) states: "PMU farms reduced in numbers, 16-18,000 mares".

2) Bouvry Exports (an equine slaughterhouse in Fort Macleod, Alberta) has temporarily suspended purchase of horses for slaughter—because their feedlots are full. Many of these ill-fated horses are from the PMU industry. 3) Numerous sources detail the slaughter of pregnant mares. In fact, Jan Turnbull of Foalquest, a horse rescuer who is associated with the PMU industry through NAERIC (North American Equine Ranching Information Council), states in a widely-circulated e-mail: "This should have been done before June 1. It is bad enough that now about 35% of all of the PMU mares will probably…end up going for slaughter....but because of…timing, those mares are all now pregnant…."

In addition, the statement made by Mr. Burwash of Alberta Dept. of Agriculture flies in the face of North American public opinion, backed up by numerous polls recently conducted. Bill HR 857 (legislation that would ban the slaughter of American horses as well as their export for slaughter) is now pending before the U.S. Congress.

The Women’s Health and Ethics Coalition is asking Wyeth Pharmaceuticals to take full and immediate responsibility by removing industry horses from slaughter plant and other feedlots, and to cover costs of purchasing, transporting and maintaining these horses until permanent homes can be found for them!

For more information, please contact
Trina Bellak,
 American Horse Defense Fund
EMAIL
or
 Dr. Ray Kellosalmi
(250)765-7467 (Canada)