Horse meat is sold as beef in Mexico; the U.S. seeks to halt exports for human consumption.

The SAFE Act, proposed by a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, aims to ban the export of horses to Mexico and Canada for human consumption. This proposal is a response to trade tensions and allegations of animal cruelty in Mexican slaughterhouses, as revealed by Animal Equality Mexico. The organization uncovered cruel practices such as beatings, electric shocks, and other forms of abuse, prompting calls for a ban. Despite horse meat being sold as beef in Mexico, the SAFE Act intends to end the cross-border trade, enjoying bipartisan support. The bill not only targets the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the U.S. but also aims to prevent their export to countries where such practices are prevalent.

Amid trade tensions between the United States, Mexico, and Canada due to tariffs proposed by President Donald Trump, the U.S. Congress reintroduced a proposal seeking to ban the export of horses for human consumption to those countries. The U.S. sends horses to Mexico for slaughter and meat exports. According to information from Animal Equality Mexico, an estimated 20,000 horses are sent each year from the United States to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, and their meat is exported to countries such as Brazil, China, Italy, France, and Russia. The organization documented the cruelty at Mexican slaughterhouses where horses exported from the United States arrive, exposing abuses such as beatings, electric shocks, and physical abuse. In 2022, this nonprofit civil association revealed these irregularities, intensifying demands to ban this practice. Horse meat is sold as beef in several regions of Mexico A study published in 2017 by the National Autonomous University of Mexico ...