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'Slaughtered for raw consumption': Why is Edmonton a horse-meat hub?
'Slaughtered for raw consumption': Why is Edmonton a horse-meat hub?

Calgary Herald

time6 hours ago

  • General
  • Calgary Herald

'Slaughtered for raw consumption': Why is Edmonton a horse-meat hub?

Article content Over the past decade, thousands of horses have been placed in crates and shipped out of Edmonton International Airport. Their final destination is Japan, where they are slaughtered. Their meat is mainly used in high-end dishes, the stuff of culinary blogs and Instagram posts. Article content It's an industry that goes along quietly, despite the efforts of animal-rights activists to drag the practice into the light. A federal bill to ban the export-by-air of horses passed through parliament while Justin Trudeau was prime minister, but didn't get past the senate before the 2025 federal election reset the legislative calendar. Article content Article content Article content April 14 was just another day in the horse-export trade. Ninety-nine Belgian Crosses were placed three to a crate and prepped for loading onto Korean Air Flight 9214, a Boeing 747-8 making a routine cargo run from Edmonton International Airport to Kitakyushu, Japan, with a refueling stop in Alaska. Article content Article content But one crate had a problem; one of the horses was down. A Canadian Food Inspection Agency report stated that the horse had water poured on it and was prodded in efforts by handlers to get it to stand up. Workers debated whether or not to use an electric prod, but decided against it. After 50 minutes, they gave up and the crate was pulled. Only 96 horses made the trip. The CFIA stated that the treatment of the horse was 'unacceptable.' Article content Four hours after the Alaska layover, with the plane somewhere over the Pacific, another horse went down and wouldn't get up. Checks were made every half-hour. A hard landing in Japan caused four more horses to topple over. Article content Article content The length of the journey from the Alberta feedlot to Japan's quarantine area was 28.91 hours. Under Canadian regulations, the longest a horse in transit can go without food, water or rest is 28 hours. The CFIA report states that the agency did not receive a transfer-of-care document. Article content Article content The CFIA's red-flag-filled report led Animal Justice, a national animal-welfare advocacy group, to launch a legal complaint and alert the Alberta SPCA. Article content 'When people I talk to find out about this, they are shocked and appalled,' said Schwarz. 'Canadians have a special relationship with horses.'

'Slaughtered for raw consumption': Why is Edmonton a horse-meat hub?
'Slaughtered for raw consumption': Why is Edmonton a horse-meat hub?

Edmonton Journal

time7 hours ago

  • Politics
  • Edmonton Journal

'Slaughtered for raw consumption': Why is Edmonton a horse-meat hub?

Over the past decade, thousands of horses have been placed in crates and shipped out of Edmonton International Airport. Their final destination is Japan, where they are slaughtered. Their meat is mainly used in high-end dishes, the stuff of culinary blogs and Instagram posts. Article content It's an industry that goes along quietly, despite the efforts of animal-rights activists to drag the practice into the light. A federal bill to ban the export-by-air of horses passed through parliament while Justin Trudeau was prime minister, but didn't get past the senate before the 2025 federal election reset the legislative calendar. Article content Article content Article content April 14 was just another day in the horse-export trade. Ninety-nine Belgian Crosses were placed three to a crate and prepped for loading onto Korean Air Flight 9214, a Boeing 747-8 making a routine cargo run from Edmonton International Airport to Kitakyushu, Japan, with a refueling stop in Alaska. Article content Article content But one crate had a problem; one of the horses was down. A Canadian Food Inspection Agency report stated that the horse had water poured on it and was prodded in efforts by handlers to get it to stand up. Workers debated whether or not to use an electric prod, but decided against it. After 50 minutes, they gave up and the crate was pulled. Only 96 horses made the trip. The CFIA stated that the treatment of the horse was 'unacceptable.' Article content Four hours after the Alaska layover, with the plane somewhere over the Pacific, another horse went down and wouldn't get up. Checks were made every half-hour. A hard landing in Japan caused four more horses to topple over. Article content Article content The length of the journey from the Alberta feedlot to Japan's quarantine area was 28.91 hours. Under Canadian regulations, the longest a horse in transit can go without food, water or rest is 28 hours. The CFIA report states that the agency did not receive a transfer-of-care document. Article content Article content The CFIA's red-flag-filled report led Animal Justice, a national animal-welfare advocacy group, to launch a legal complaint and alert the Alberta SPCA. Article content 'When people I talk to find out about this, they are shocked and appalled,' said Schwarz. 'Canadians have a special relationship with horses.'

Jumbo jets have almost disappeared, but one airline is sticking with them
Jumbo jets have almost disappeared, but one airline is sticking with them

The Age

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • The Age

Jumbo jets have almost disappeared, but one airline is sticking with them

It was easy to spot the aviation geeks walking past gate B32 at Frankfurt Airport. Each slowed from their purposeful stride, or stopped entirely, transfixed. For parked on the apron in the near darkness, with twinkling navigation lights suggesting imminent distant adventures, was a Boeing 747-8. Huge, majestic – and very rare. There are 25,000 blue whales, an animal to which the jumbo jet is frequently compared, navigating the planet, but now only about 50 747s in active passenger service, the vast majority of top-tier carriers (including Qantas in 2020), having retired them in favour of newer models. Their decline has been long and drawn out, but was hastened by the COVID pandemic, which saw hundreds sold to cargo airlines or simply scrapped. It seems this four-engine behemoth, first flown commercially in 1970, is no longer financially viable in an era of increasingly-efficient twin-engined jets. The final passenger-configured jumbo was delivered eight years ago, and Boeing has no plans to restart the production line. But one European airline hasn't turned its back on the 747 just yet. Germany's Lufthansa, perceived by many to be aviation's kings of efficiency, still operates 27 jumbo jets – 19 of the newer 747-8s, and eight older, slightly smaller 747-400s – and is even upgrading some jumbo jet interiors with swanky new Allegris seats as part of a €2.5 billion ($A4.4 billion) Lufthansa fleet-wide refit. Why the lingering attachment? Part of the reason is simple and unromantic economics. According to aviation analysts, operations out of its Frankfurt and Munich hubs are each at take-off slot capacity. So, with flight numbers capped, Lufthansa really needs its biggest aircraft, and the 364-seat 747s-8s drop neatly between the Airbus A350 (293 seats) and A380 (455 seats). Furthermore, jumbos, despite their age, have a cracking range of nearly 13,000 kilometres and remain among the fastest passenger jets in the sky (reaching speeds of more than 1100 km/h).

Jumbo jets have almost disappeared, but one airline is sticking with them
Jumbo jets have almost disappeared, but one airline is sticking with them

Sydney Morning Herald

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • Sydney Morning Herald

Jumbo jets have almost disappeared, but one airline is sticking with them

It was easy to spot the aviation geeks walking past gate B32 at Frankfurt Airport. Each slowed from their purposeful stride, or stopped entirely, transfixed. For parked on the apron in the near darkness, with twinkling navigation lights suggesting imminent distant adventures, was a Boeing 747-8. Huge, majestic – and very rare. There are 25,000 blue whales, an animal to which the jumbo jet is frequently compared, navigating the planet, but now only about 50 747s in active passenger service, the vast majority of top-tier carriers (including Qantas in 2020), having retired them in favour of newer models. Their decline has been long and drawn out, but was hastened by the COVID pandemic, which saw hundreds sold to cargo airlines or simply scrapped. It seems this four-engine behemoth, first flown commercially in 1970, is no longer financially viable in an era of increasingly-efficient twin-engined jets. The final passenger-configured jumbo was delivered eight years ago, and Boeing has no plans to restart the production line. But one European airline hasn't turned its back on the 747 just yet. Germany's Lufthansa, perceived by many to be aviation's kings of efficiency, still operates 27 jumbo jets – 19 of the newer 747-8s, and eight older, slightly smaller 747-400s – and is even upgrading some jumbo jet interiors with swanky new Allegris seats as part of a €2.5 billion ($A4.4 billion) Lufthansa fleet-wide refit. Why the lingering attachment? Part of the reason is simple and unromantic economics. According to aviation analysts, operations out of its Frankfurt and Munich hubs are each at take-off slot capacity. So, with flight numbers capped, Lufthansa really needs its biggest aircraft, and the 364-seat 747s-8s drop neatly between the Airbus A350 (293 seats) and A380 (455 seats). Furthermore, jumbos, despite their age, have a cracking range of nearly 13,000 kilometres and remain among the fastest passenger jets in the sky (reaching speeds of more than 1100 km/h).

Air Force One: Qatar's gift soon to be in Washington's hands
Air Force One: Qatar's gift soon to be in Washington's hands

L'Orient-Le Jour

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • L'Orient-Le Jour

Air Force One: Qatar's gift soon to be in Washington's hands

It's just a matter of days now. The U.S. government and Qatar are expected to sign this week the controversial agreement for Doha to transfer a Boeing 747-8 to the Trump administration, according to a report by the Washington Post. The delivery is described as an "unconditional gift" to the U.S. Department of Defense, according to official communication reviewed by the newspaper . This approach is intended to sidestep corruption accusations that have surrounded the gesture since it came to light a few months ago. Last May, Washington confirmed this XXL gift, a "palace in the sky" estimated to be worth $400 updatesAccording to its first article, the U.S. Constitution forbids the president from accepting any present or emolument from any "king, prince, or foreign state" without the consent of...

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