Would You Say "Neigh" To Horse On Your Plate?

Advertising is an omnipresent part of our lives, and in the course of a typical day, it's not uncommon to view some type of strategic marketing message emblazoned on billboards, the sides of bus benches & taxis, magazine pages, packaging shrink wrapped around the edibles we consume and, well...the list goes on and on. As we eat, watch television, surf the internet and commute back and forth to our jobs or other daily commitments, we are the ideal captive audience. Anyone who's been stuck in traffic knows that it's almost a welcome sight to see new ad campaigns plastered within eyeshot -- the prospect of being minorly entertained while enduring the mundane is what hooks us. People from all walks of life who are exposed to this type of advertising may not automatically run out and purchase the product or service being promoted, but we will take more than a few moments to gaze at the words, scrutinize the artwork and process the whole message.

Major retailers commonly hawk their wares in this manner, but what about organizations attempting to sell lifestyle changes? If they possess a sizable budget (like PETA, for example), splashy advertising campaigns are not uncommon and the riskier, the better. Even if they fail to make new converts via their campaign, there's something to be said for word of mouth, shock value and potentially negative press which generally seems to reach everyone from the strictest vegans and/or meat-n-potato-lovin' mainstreamers to hardcore, fur-wearing-fashionistas and dedicated members of the cheerleading squad. Now, take a moment to mentally transport yourself to the rapid underground transit system in Paris (known more familiarly as the Paris Métro or Métropolitain) for it is there that you will see some very thought-provoking and surprisingly in-your-face animal-themed ads, such as the one above imploring the public not to eat horsemeat. Would that make you stop in your tracks? As an American, perhaps yes, but abroad, the noble creature is consumed more frequently than you might imagine.

If you think that household pets are the only ones who inadvertently nibble on horse from a can, consider this -- the Times Online claims that 2% or 20,830 tons of the red meat currently consumed in France is of the Mr. Ed variety. Remarkably, that is just a miniscule portion of the estimated 720,168 metric tons (or 4,727,829 horses) that people around the world dine on each year. The admittedly taboo form of protein is considered to be a delicacy in all four corners of the globe, from China, Japan and Kazakhstan to Iceland, Italy, Belgium and Sweden, with UK chef Gordon Ramsay famously urging his countrymen to consider it a worthy alternative to mad-cow meat. For the majority of us however, equine creatures are lumped in the same category as other beloved household pets -- with a strict forks-off policy. Now, France policy makers are currently in the process of determining whether horses should in fact be classified as domestic animals, and if so, they would fall under the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, meaning that their consumption would officially be strictly prohibited.

In the meantime, the "Don't Eat Horses" Métro campaign, led by famous French actresses Mathilde Seigner and Brigitte Bardot, serves as a reminder that our hunger for animals goes well beyond the mainstream chicken, pork and beef selections. The ads claim that every year in France, colts less than 18 months are killed for their meat -- in comparison, the typical broiler chicken is slaughtered at around 10 months of age. Delving a little deeper, horses are also used to create a variety of products such as horsehide leather (commonly used to create baseball mitts and gloves), hide and/or hoof glue (typically used in woodworking applications) and pregnant mare urine is even used for hormone replacement therapy (under the Premarin brand name). While a horse is a horse, of course of course, I wonder if any of us should feel more sympathetic toward the plight of one specific animal breed over another simply because we consider them more noble, attractive or deserving of reprieve. What are your thoughts?