Horseplay, it’s not

By Bridget Cook and
THE phrase “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse” has taken on a literal meaning.
And it has left Cranbourne horse lover Barrie Tapp disgusted.
Mr Tapp said the Western Australian government’s recent decision to approve the slaughter of horses for human consumption was upsetting.
Horse meat is popular in Europe, especially in French cuisine, and parts of Asia, but Mr Tapp said Australians had a sentimental attachment to horses, and could not see why anybody would want to eat man’s equine companion.
“Anybody who owns a horse, would be up in arms about this,” he said. “It’s the only animal we ride for our pleasure. You treat them like your friends. We don’t have to end up eating them.”
But the first Australian butcher to sell horse meat, Vince Garreffa from Mondo Di Carne, said many people did not realise that for many years Australia has been the sixth biggest exporter of horse meat for human consumption.
“We sell horse meat for human consumption to countries including Switzerland, Holland, Germany, France, Italy and Asia,” Mr Garreffa said.
“Europeans who came to Australia in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s grew up eating horse meat as we here in Australia grew up eating cows.
“For some silly reason, we are able to slaughter horses for human consumption and sell it overseas, but not sell it to the citizens in Australia prior to this law being changed.”
The Perth butcher, who has led the fight by getting special permission from the West Australian government to supply the meat to the public, said he got involved after people came to him wanting the taste they grew up with.
Mr Garreffa said Australians already slaughter and consume an array of animals, including camels, kangaroos, emus and crocodiles, and horses were another animal to add to the list.
For those who argue Australians share a special bond with horses and that we should not eat them, Mr Garreffa said he would have no problem with the argument if Australia wasn’t already slaughtering horse for human consumption and pet meat.
“The hypocrisy is people are arguing horses are pets, yet we allow them to be slaughtered for pet food in 33 knackeries around the country,” he said.
Since he started selling horse meat last week, which costs about $15 to $35 a kilogram for a majority of cuts, Mr Garreffa said he had been known as the “horse whisperer”, inferring he has had a steady stream of people coming in every day, politely whispering “can I have a kilo of horse meat”.
“Eighty per cent of people who have brought it are people who want what they grew up with, while the other 20 per cent are young, adventurous Australians desperate to try something new.”