New undercover footage is shining a light on “blood farms” in Iceland, where pregnant horses are bred to produce a fertility hormone called Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG). This hormone is used in factory farming—including in Canada—to manipulate reproductive performance in farmed animals like pigs, forcing more frequent and larger litters. This process also puts the health of mother sows and piglets at risk.
The investigation, conducted by Europe-based Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) and Tierschutzbund Zürich (TSB), documents harrowing conditions across six Icelandic blood farms. Semi-wild pregnant mares—unused to human contact—are chased into tight wooden crates, forcibly restrained, and tied with their sensitive heads pulled high to expose the jugular vein. A large needle is inserted to drain five litres of blood.
This procedure happens weekly for two months during early pregnancy, with the horses losing at least 40 litres of blood each—nearly their entire blood volume. This significantly exceeds widely accepted animal welfare guidelines, which advise taking no more than 10 percent of blood volume over a four-week period, especially if the animal is “donating” repeatedly.
Footage from the investigation shows horses being kicked, struck with various whips and sticks, and violently handled. Their foals—many of whom will be slaughtered—are separated from them but remain within sight during blood collection, adding to the distress. Mares display clear signs of fear, pain, and trauma. One goes limp in an apparent state of “learned helplessness”—a psychological condition where an individual stops resisting after repeated trauma with no escape.
PMSG can only be harvested during early pregnancy. In some cases, the foals are aborted so mares can be re-impregnated sooner. Every year, about 30 percent of mares drop out of the blood production system—either dying in the field when their bodies give out, or being sent to slaughter once they can no longer get pregnant.
In 2024, blood was collected from 4,225 mares in approximately 90 farms across Iceland. The pharmaceutical company behind the trade of PMSG in Iceland, Isteka, runs its own farms and also purchases blood from individual farmers. In 2024 alone, the company earned €11.5 million from PMSG production. While Isteka has claimed that documented animal mistreatment was isolated, the latest footage clearly shows the systematic cruelty inherent in blood farming for PMSG.
Canada’s Role in Icelandic Blood Farms
AWF and TSB have been researching blood farms in Iceland since 2019. Their 2021 documentary, “Iceland – Land of the 5,000 blood mares” helped bring widespread public attention to the issue and sparked public debate. Yet despite growing international condemnation, Canada continues to approve and use PMSG. In Canadian factory farms, the hormone is used to synchronize sow births and maximize litter sizes—cutting costs while increasing suffering for both pigs and horses.
By allowing the use of PMSG, Canada is complicit in this cruelty. Join us in calling on authorities to ban the use and import of PMSG. Urge Canada to stand up for pregnant horses exploited in this cruel and obscure global industry!
Banner image: Animal Welfare Foundation and Tierschutzbund Zürich
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