No end to the cruel blood mare business in Iceland
- Press release
Horses still suffer for cheap pork
New undercover footage confirms the ongoing suffering of so-called 'blood mares' in Iceland. Pregnant mares have five liters of blood extracted from them each week for two months in order to supply the pig factory farming industry. The German organization Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) and the Swiss Animal Welfare Association Zurich (TSB) have been documenting the abuse and violence since 2019. The latest footage, recorded in September 2024 and published in May 2025, shows that nothing has improved. Since the responsible veterinary authority has failed to take action to address these abuses, the organizations, together with the Icelandic animal welfare association Dýraverndarsamband Íslands (DÍS), have now filed criminal charges against those responsible for violating animal protection laws. The German organization Doctors Against Animal Experiments supports AWF’s demand for an immediate ban on the cruel animal-derived product PMSG.
In Iceland, mares are made pregnant so that their blood can be used to extract the fertility hormone PMSG (Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin, also known as Equine Chorionic Gonadotropin, or eCG). This hormone is widely used in industrial pig farming to synchronize the reproductive cycles of sows so that they give birth at the same time, simplifying labor. Iceland is the largest producer of PMSG in Europe, and Germany is its biggest buyer.
In 2024, there were around 90 blood farms in Iceland, with more than 4,200 mares. The Icelandic pharmaceutical company Ísteka purchases the blood and generated approximately 11.5 million euros in revenue from PMSG production in 2024.
Legally, the regular blood extractions for the production of blood products are considered animal experiments. This was confirmed by the surveillance authority of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which initiated infringement proceedings against Iceland in May 2023. According to the European Directive on the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes, such experiments are only permitted if no non-animal methods are available. In this case, such methods do exist—including synthetic hormones or hormone-free methods like exposure to boars.
Since 2019, AWF and TSB have repeatedly documented the brutal treatment of these semi-wild horses. The animals are beaten and kicked to force them into restraint boxes, where their heads are tied up and a thick needle is inserted into the jugular vein. The blood is collected directly into canisters. Foals are usually killed as 'waste products' of this cruel practice. “The footage clearly shows the intense fear and panic of the mares, who live semi-wild and are not accustomed to human contact,” explains Dr. Corina Gericke, Vice Chair of Doctors Against Animal Experiments. “The latest footage also reveals the brutal force used by blood farm workers to control the horses, and how veterinarians repeatedly try to insert the needle into veins that are already swollen and damaged.”
AWF, TSB, and DÍS presented the documented animal welfare violations to Iceland’s veterinary authority MAST, which took no action. As a result, at the end of May 2025, the organizations decided to file a criminal complaint with the police against the blood farm operators, staff, and responsible veterinarians featured in the footage. “Ísteka’s license expires in October 2025 and needs to be renewed. The blood season begins in late summer, meaning now is the right time for the Icelandic government to prevent foreseeable animal welfare violations and further cruelty,” says Dr. Gericke. Doctors Against Animal Experiments supports AWF’s petition for a ban on PMSG production in Iceland.
Visible fear and panic in a mare whose blood is being drawn by brute force.
© Animal Welfare Foundation/Tierschutzbund Zürich)