Rome: Italy may soon outlaw the slaughter and consumption of horse meat under a proposed law that would classify equines, including horses, donkeys, and mules as pets.
The bill, drafted by Michela Vittoria Brambilla of Noi Moderati and backed by several opposition parties, would impose jail terms of up to three years and fines up to €100,000 for illegal slaughter.
Horse meat has long been part of Italian cuisine, particularly in regions such as Puglia, Campania, Sicily, Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna. Though consumption has declined over the past decade, Italy remains one of Europe’s largest consumers and importers of meat.
The proposal includes mandatory microchipping, a national monitoring system, and a €6 million fund to help breeders adapt their businesses. Brambilla, also president of animal rights association Leidaa, said the law is “an extraordinary opportunity to bring about a cultural shift” in line with modern ethical standards. “Horses, while friends in many parts of the world, continue to be exploited in Italy. Friends are not to be eaten,” she said.
Not everyone supports the move. Gian Marco Centinaio, a former agriculture minister from the League party, warned that banning horse meat would erase part of Italy’s culinary history, from horse meat stews in Verona and Salento to Catania’s meatballs.
The decline in horse meat consumption reflects changing cultural attitudes and growing empathy toward animals. A survey last year found that 83 percent of Italians do not eat horse meat, while 17 percent consume it at least once a month.
