Every year, thousands of pregnant mares are abused on cruel “blood farms” in Iceland so that factory pig farms—including those in Canada—can use a hormone called Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG). This forces pigs to give birth to larger litters so farms can make more money.

PMSG is extracted from the blood of pregnant, semi-wild horses—many of whom are only ever handled for painful blood draws or artificial insemination. During the first stage of pregnancy, mares endure weekly blood extractions of five litres over the course of two months, far exceeding international animal welfare guidelines.

Multiple investigations since 2021 have documented the brutal, systemic abuse that horses endure at blood farms—and a new undercover investigation in Iceland reveals that nothing has changed. 

Canada must not be complicit in this cruelty. Join us in calling on authorities to ban the import and use of PMSG in farming!