PRÉMARIN- FERMETURE DES FERMES DE JUMENTS

[Animal 0]

26 avril 2005-Today at 1:00 p.m., Wyeth-Aherst announced they are
suspending all PMU operations in Alberta. That means 19 ranchers just got word they lost their contracts and are out of business. In addition, another 30 ranchers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are being closed down.

p.s.: Au moins l5 000 juments prêtes à mettre bas devront trouver preneurs .... (d'autres nouvelles à ce sujet, à venir...)

[animo-aequoanimo 0]

Il fallait s'y attendre à cette fermeture mais que va-t-il advenir de toutes ces pauvres juments... et de ces pauvres petits poulains ou pouliches... on peut penser que certains preneurs seront des abatteurs, étant donné le grand nombre de juments et comment se fait-il que ces juments attendaient des petits alors que les premarine étaient déjà sur la liste noire :evil:

[Animal 0]

Citation :

Il fallait s'y attendre à cette fermeture mais que va-t-il advenir de toutes ces pauvres juments... et de ces pauvres petits poulains ou pouliches... on peut penser que certains preneurs seront des abatteurs, étant donné le grand nombre de juments et comment se fait-il que ces juments attendaient des petits alors que les premarine étaient déjà sur la liste noire

Il semble bien que même si Prémarin était sur la liste noire, les éleveurs continuaient quand même d'en produire ... Depuis quelques années quelques fermes ont déjà "fermé" leurs portes et en effet, de nombreuses juments et leurs poulains/pouliches ont été envoyés dans des abattoirs.. Plusieurs associations canadiennes s'occupent de placer ces animaux, mais il y en a tellement à placer que c'est presque mission impossible ! ....
Je me demande où s'approvisionneront maintenant les 3 abattoirs de chevaux du Québec !!!

[Animal 0]

http://www.thinknovascotia.com/The%20Hoof%20Beat/Pages/pmu.html

http://www.pmurescue.org/

http://www.equinewebdesign.com/links/links_horse-rescue.html

http://www.prismpmufoals.com/

http://www.pmuhorseplacement.citymaker.com/page/page/1255272.htm

http://www.kirklandkreek.com/pmu.htm

[Animal 0]

A Changing Industry, A Changing Role


APPLICATIONS FOR 2005 AVAILABLE HERE
http://www.pmufoalquest.com/


Since 1999, FoalQuest is proud to have been involved in finding homes for more than 1,500 foals born on PMU ranches in Western Canada.

We are now coming to a crossroad in our efforts due to recent changes in the PMU industry.

In the winter of 2003, the contracts of approximately 70% of these PMU ranchers were lost in drastic industry cutbacks. These cutbacks left hundreds of farm families without an income, and thousands of mares ‘out of work’. That same winter, FoalQuest volunteers worked very hard to find new homes and new lives for more than 400 of these mares. Unfortunately, homes could not be found for all of the mares, leaving the ranchers to care for a large number of horses. Since the mares were already bred when the ranchers found out about the cutbacks, FoalQuest continued our work of finding homes for the foals born in the spring of 2004, just as we had in previous years.

2005 brings many questions surrounding the continuing need for groups like FoalQuest. There has been much debate in recent months amongst the foal placement and rescue communities about what now can be considered a PMU horse, and more so, whether such groups should be continuing to assist ranchers who no longer hold contracts with Ayerst.

FoalQuest can not tell anyone what to believe or how to think. All we can do is to explain the situation, give both sides of the issue and allow people to follow their own hearts in deciding whether or not they wish to continue to support the placement of mares and foals from these ranches.

The one side of the argument is that since the remaining mares are no longer required to be pregnant in order to produce urine for the industry, it is counterproductive to have any part in helping this year’s foals. Some feel that the ranchers are breeding their mares for no other reason than to try to profit from ‘bleeding hearts’ still willing to save foals from feedlots. Their thought is that if people refuse to buy any 2005 foals, the ranchers will stop breeding their mares, thus reducing the number of ‘unwanted’ horses in the long term. There has been much said about these being NON-PMU horses now.

I personally have a very hard time justifying turning my back on innocent foals in order to ‘teach someone a lesson’. I also have a hard time understanding how the same mares that have worked year after year for the PMU industry are now being considered by many to be NON-PMU mares. These are the same mares that have spent many years in production lines for the PMU industry, some for more than 10 years. How then can they suddenly NOT be PMU mares simply because of a business decision? The mares remaining on these ranches are PMU Mares, mares that stood on line to provide an important service to humans. They are, in my opinion, no less a product of the PMU Industry than they were a year ago.

The argument that these EX-PMU Mares should not have been rebred this year is a valid one. It also happens to be an issue that is not as simple as it may appear. In it’s most basic form, it certainly makes sense that if the mares are not bred there will be no foals to worry about. That is very true, but, as with most things in life, there is another side to consider.

That other side is the fact that for many years, sometimes generations, PMU Ranchers relied on the income from urine production to survive. That income no longer exists. The ranchers have all tried actively to sell their mares to homes but now the question is, what becomes of the mares that they were not able to sell? The ranchers could have just sent their remaining mares to auctions or slaughter plants, but that option doesn’t appeal to most of us, including the ranchers themselves. With that option ruled out, the ranchers still need to be able to feed and care for their remaining mares. Without the income from the urine, the only option for many is to rebreed these mares and to sell the resulting foals. The 2005 foals were not produced in order for the ranchers to try to make huge profits. These foals were produced in order to provide the income needed that will allow the ranchers to pay for the feed and care of their mares. Those who own horses know that it costs a lot more than $400 or $500 to feed a mare and provide vet and farrier care for a year.

The 2005 foal crop will be out of EX-PMU mares. All of these mares were on line in the collection barns until the cutbacks in 2003. FoalQuest does NOT consider these to be NON-PMU horses.

It is my own decision that I do not feel right sacrificing this year’s foals as any sort of protest against the rebreeding of out of work PMU mares. My mission from day one has been to help the mares and foals from PMU ranches and it is my decision to continue that mission for the 2005 foals. Everyone else is free to choose the decision that feels right to them.

If people prefer only to obtain foals from working PMU ranches, FoalQuest will be more than happy to assist. We have, since 1999, purchased PMU foals from production sales in Alberta and do intend to continue to attend these sales this fall. As in past years, these foals will be pre-purchased via a ‘Wish List’ provided by adopters.

Foals from some ranches that still hold contracts can be purchased directly from the ranchers themselves. The information for these ranches can be found at www.naeric.org

Jan Turnbull

President

FoalQuest Ltd.

http://www.pmufoalquest.com/