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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Abby Young-Powell, in Reykjavik

Iceland urged to ban ‘blood farms’ that extract hormone from pregnant horses

Group of mares on open land - foal in foreground
There are about 80,000 horses in Iceland; more than 5,000 are used as ‘blood mares’ to produce PMSG, widely available in the UK and Europe. Photograph: Animal Welfare Foundation

Iceland is under pressure to ban the production of a hormone extracted from pregnant horses, a practice that has been described as “cruel” and “animal abuse”.

The hormone is used by farmers across the UK and Europe to increase reproduction in pigs, cows and other female farm animals.

Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG) is extracted from pregnant horses in Iceland during the summer at “blood farms”, before being converted into powder and shipped around the world.

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