Threats over horse meat sales

Plans by a Perth butcher to sell horse meat for human consumption have been hit by an animal rights backlash amid threats of boycotts, protests and pickets.

Celebrity butcher Vince Garreffa's recent announcement that he had been given ministerial dispensation to sell horse meat for human consumption has fired up horse lovers and international animal rightists.

Their threats have also enveloped Perth's most prominent French restaurant and Australia's biggest truffle festival. Chez Pierre at Nedlands was to have served horse meat at yesterday's Bastille Day celebrations, but the backlash was so vociferous owner Pierre Ichallalene took the unusual step of issuing a media release saying horse meat would not be served.

"There was quite a few people interested in horse meat, but many were disgusted at the prospect of eating horse meat," Mr Ichallalene said.

"Some of them felt so strongly that they threatened never to come back to our restaurant," he said.

"We also had emails from animal activists as far away as Europe. A few people were very angry, very abusive. Most of the abuse came from animal rightists."

Mr Garreffa says he has had many calls and more than 2000 emails from overseas.

"They were very well-organised," Mr Garreffa said.

"Some were very abusive. I even reported one to the cops, because the caller made veiled threats about 'Underbelly' and how I might end up if I sold horse meat."

Yesterday, the horse meat imbroglio deepened when this month's Mundaring Truffle Festival was threatened with pickets and protests.

"Some of the callers made it clear they were able to mobilise a protest group in the thousands to come to the festival and picket it if we allowed horse meat to go on sale," festival chairwoman Megan Griffiths said.

Festival organisers wrote to Mr Garreffa yesterday asking he not supply horse meat at his festival stall.

"There were specific threats. Our priorities are to safeguard festival goers and keep the focus on truffles, not protests," Ms Griffiths said.

Mr Garreffa, who is still supplying horse meat to some Perth restaurants, is hopping mad. "Jewish people don't hit me over the head because I eat pork; Hindus don't attack me because I eat beef," he said.

"It saddens me that 50-70,000 horses a year are slaughtered for human consumption in Australia for sale in countries such as Switzerland, Holland, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and half a dozen Asian nations, and yet we have this gross hypocrisy from animal activists," he said.