Progress

First of all, the Catholic University of Leuven studied the factors that may affect the well-being of horses during transport and slaughter. Their conclusions have been made public and published in the form of reports and scientific articles. Since then, they have continued to visit the participating slaughterhouses in order to train the staff and give advice on improving animal welfare.

During a second phase, the conclusions of their research were used to fine-tune the Respectful Life specifications. These specifications are based on European and Swiss legislation, but have been adapted to take account of the specific features encountered in the various exporting countries. They include good practices concerning the well-being of horses destined for the slaughterhouse, from the collection centres to the slaughterhouse itself. These specifications will form the basis of an audit system to be put in place as of 2022.