Footage of racehorse cruelty sparks debate hours before Melbourne Cup begins

As Australia is set to hold its most famous race – the Melbourne Cup later today, revelations of mistreatment of horses at an abattoir in Queensland is igniting debate. 

Last month allegations were aired that hundreds of registered racehorses are being sent to slaughterhouses in breach of racing rules and animal welfare guarantees.

The grim footage could not be further from the carnival and riches of today.

The exposé by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and other scandals - including several recent race-day deaths - have dramatically escalated scrutiny of the sport.

The abattoir footage, secretly gathered over two years shows abattoir workers are shown kicking horses in the head, attacking them with pipes and applying electric shocks to their genitals.

Trapped inside so-called "kill boxes", the horses can barely move, while other animals watch on, defenceless and grimly waiting their turn.

Five horses have died in the last six Melbourne Cups.

Say #NupToTheCup this Tuesday and join the campaign for a Royal Commission into cruelty to racehorses: https://t.co/WpRI634kmK pic.twitter.com/Bbn9FKNUwf

— Mehreen Faruqi (@MehreenFaruqi) November 3, 2019

BBC