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Blood mares

About horses
Horses are extremely sensitive and perceptive animals. They experience emotions such as fear, anxiety, loss, loneliness, happiness, joy, and all other feelings like humans. Horses learn from experience – by trying things out and are experts at sensing the tiniest details. (Ingunn Reynisdóttir, veterinarian)

Horses are highly social animals, and mares have a strong maternal instinct. Under natural conditions, foals stay under their nursing mare for up to nine months.

Blood collection setup

Blood collection from pregnant mares involves extracting the hormone PMSG/eCG from their blood. This hormone is produced only when the mare is pregnant (carrying a foal). At this time, the mare is typically most pregnant and nursing a foal simultaneously. The hormone is used as a fertility drug for mammals in industrial breeding (controlled breeding).

A total of 40 liters of blood are drawn from pregnant and often lactating mares over an 8-week period, up to 5 liters each time. Considering the average body weight of Icelandic mares, they lose between 15-20% of their blood volume with each donation. This is far beyond the recommended guidelines for blood collection internationally. It is clear that this causes enormous physical stress. To produce the hormone, the mares must be pregnant. As a result, thousands of foals are born annually as an "extra product," most of which end up in slaughterhouses in the fall. There is no market for foal meat, so most of it is used for pet food.

Physical stress

In Iceland, five liters of blood are removed weekly over two months. This is done up to eight times, totaling 40 liters over the period. Blood loss is accompanied by suffering. Symptoms include rapid heartbeat, cold sensation, hunger, thirst, fatigue, dizziness, lethargy, and shortness of breath. Symptoms are generally more severe with quick blood loss. It can be assumed that it is difficult for a pregnant mare carrying a foal to recover from this blood loss. It is also worth noting that body condition has little to do with blood health. The thickness of the mare’s body doesn't necessarily reflect her blood condition. Veterinarians classify blood loss into four categories. A blood loss of 18.5% falls into category two (15-30% blood loss). In such cases, signs may include rapid heartbeat, increased respiration, decreased urine output, changes in mental state, anxiety, and even hypothermia. (Rósa Líf Darradóttir, veterinarian)

In the scientific article “Cardiovascular, Hematological and Biochemical Responses after Large Volume Blood Collection in Horses” by Malikides, N.; Hodgson, J.; Rose, R.; Hodgson, D., Vet. J. 2001, it is described that horses losing a large volume of blood (up to 25% of their blood volume) experience numerous health problems. The horses showed significant signs of distress during blood collection, including rapid breathing (tachypnea), rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), sweating on the neck, urination, and defecation, and heart and respiratory rates remained elevated for several hours after the blood draw. The authors explain that although some blood values improved after a few days, it took up to 31 days for total protein and especially globulin levels to recover. This suggests that large and repeated blood collections beyond recommended international guidelines could impair the immune system of horses, which may also affect their health and well-being.

Psychological Stress

What happens to a mare/horse subjected to the conditions that blood mares are placed in? They are driven into a narrow capturing pen, separated from their young foal, blinded (a blindfold is placed), and their head is tied up, then a back halter is placed over their back. Merely being blinded and having their head tied up causes enormous distress in horses and can lead to extreme panic and a high risk of accidents. These procedures make it impossible for them to move forward, backward, sideways, or to free themselves. The only escape route is to lie down, which is the worst thing a prey animal can imagine when trying to escape danger. It’s impossible to explain to the horse that this only takes a few minutes; it perceives itself to be in immediate life-threatening danger. More often than not, blood mares are little or unbred mares, and the experience is one of complete anxiety/fear and pain, and they struggle but cannot escape. Like all animals, the horse tries to avoid pain/danger. When escape becomes impossible, they often become agitated and struggle, biting, kicking, trying to escape the threat/pain. When they realize that no matter what they do, they cannot get away, they give up. These horses can enter what is called learned helplessness, a mental state where the animal/individual learns that it has no control over unpleasant or harmful circumstances. All their responses are futile, and they are helpless. There are long-lasting physiological consequences that go deeper than just being unable to escape the stimulus or pain. (Ingunn Reynisdóttir, veterinarian)

SDÍ's stance

Animal Welfare Iceland demands that the blood mare industry be banned.

It should be pointed out that there are many other synthetic alternatives available that make the processing of PMSG/eCG from mares unnecessary. Icelandic pig farmers claim not to use any PMSG, and in 2022, Swiss pig farmers also decided to cease its use.

The stress on mares is multifaceted, both physical and psychological, during blood collection. Even if the blood volume were reduced, the stress associated with the blood draws themselves would remain unacceptable. Blood collection is not a blood transfusion or comparable to milking a cow. Mares that are pregnant and often lactating at the same time need all their blood to maintain their health and care for their foals.

What have we done?

We established a multidisciplinary working group on blood mare issues. This group includes veterinarians, doctors, riding instructors, ethicists, and legally trained individuals.

Meetings have been held with representatives from the Ministry of Food and Veterinary Authority, the Minister of Food, and the Animal Welfare Advisory Board. We also met with a working group on blood mares called together by Svandís Svavarsdóttir in 2022.

In March 2022, we, along with 17 other animal protection organizations, filed a complaint with ESA (EFTA Surveillance Authority). We criticized the decision of the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority that blood mares would no longer fall under Regulation 460/2017 concerning the protection of animals used in scientific research. In May 2023, ESA issued a statement agreeing with us that blood mares should be protected under Regulation 460/2017.

In May 2022, we petitioned the Food and Veterinary Authority to the Ministry of Food regarding the decision to revoke the license of Ístek. The Ministry dismissed the complaint, but we sent a formal protest to the Parliamentary Ombudsman due to this rejection.

We have repeatedly submitted opinions on draft laws related to blood mares.

The association sent a letter to the State Audit Office, complaining about the oversight of the blood mare industry by Mast and the general farm animal inspection.

We are engaged in raising awareness about the blood mare industry both in Iceland and abroad, for example by keeping FEIF – the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations informed about the situation in Iceland.

Numerous articles about blood mare management have been written by SDÍ’s board and members of the blood mare working group. These reviews include topics like the blood supply management of mares, the legal framework, and farmers’ positions regarding Ístek.

We are regularly in contact and collaborate with foreign animal protection organizations such as Tierschutzbund Zürich, Animal Welfare Foundation, and Doctors against Animal Experiments, among others, regarding blood mares.

Laws and Regulations

900/2022 – Regulation on blood collection from pregnant mares. (island.is)

910/2014 – Regulation on equine welfare. (island.is)

55/2013: Animal Welfare Act | Laws | Alþingi (althingi.is)

Additional Material / Links
Video TSB 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkHP65O4RUg

Video TSB 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwVvVpnBLPY

Report of the working group:
https://www.stjornarradid.is/library/01--Frettatengt---myndir-og-skrar/MAR/Fylgiskjol/Sk%C3%BDrsla%20starfsh%C3%B3ps%20um%20bl%C3%B3%C3%B0t%C3%B6ku%20%C3%A1%20fylfullum%20hryssum%20%20010622.pdf

ESA opinion
https://www.eftasurv.int/newsroom/updates/iceland-breach-eea-rules-protection-animals-used-scientific-purposes-regards-blood

Articles in the media about the ESA opinion:

https://heimildin.is/grein/17842/um-blodtoku-ur-fylfullum-hryssum-og-verndun-dyra-sem-notud-eru-i-visindaskyni/?fbclid=IwAR3Ur3wTgIPwdsPCLfAc6srWdsEccgRnV1gjEcuaQvVDygihaOPgP-j4fyI

https://www.ruv.is/frettir/innlent/2023-05-11-segir-nidurstoduna-afellisdom-yfir-grutmattlausri-stjornsyslu?fbclid=IwAR2R_X_FoLU20YIFwwyeTq1TnU6mGaW4pKhx2WXs1DjUBb5fTbwDXX-PW-Y

https://www.visir.is/g/20232413252d/a-fellis-domur-esa-og-blood-merar?fbclid=IwAR32u7pMWW4BB7hrJnBZnl8CQPG70ONGqZxmL0BEvXSzaDq2L2U6cB-JHkY

Articles about the media coverage of blood quota for mares:

https://www.visir.is/g/20212196811d

https://kjarninn.is/skodun/meint-ahrif-reglugerdar-eiga-ekki-vid-rok-ad-stydjast/

https://kjarninn.is/skodun/enn-um-hag-og-heilsu-fylfullra-hryssa-sem-saeta-blodtoku/

https://kjarninn.is/skodun/opid-bref-um-blodmerahald/

Articles on the ethics of blood collection:

https://www.visir.is/g/20212202715d?fbclid=IwAR3g5n8qhyktW6xlfYkO8-5V4zLhEPvw4UDVaYMi2KBGRCTOrkjEhtMw3ow