Welfare concerns on production of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin – A comment.

This is a letter to the editor expressing concern over the ethical issues surrounding the production of Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG), a hormone derived from horses, especially within the South American and Icelandic industries. The author advocates for veterinarians’ role in ensuring ethically sourced medications and alludes to the broader, growing concern surrounding this issue across Europe.

Situational Context

• The letter is written by a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience, contributing to the overall authority of the message.
• The author’s previous experience with a pregnant mares’ urine (PMU) farm is referenced to relay knowledge with the related industry.
• They lament the problematic practices occurring in the PMSG industry in South America and Iceland, indicating a gap between these regions’ practices and more regulated areas like Canada.

Ethical Concerns

• The core issue addressed is the potential unethical treatment of horses in the PMSG production process.
• The author criticizes the disconnect between good veterinary practice and the disregard for animal welfare in the involved industries.
• The author calls for veterinarians to question the ethics of the medications they prescribe and recommend.

Regulatory Actions and Proposals

• The European Parliament’s resolution calling for a ban on PMSG due to welfare and health concerns is mentioned as a significant regulatory action against this issue.
• The complaint lodged by 17 NGOs against Iceland’s PMSG production practices indicates a wider critical viewpoint on the matter.
• In Iceland, political resistance to these practices is highlighted by the People’s party’s proposal to ban “blood farms”.

Lessons from the Past and Future Actions

• The author draws an analogy to past medical practices that were later understood as harmful, proposing that the same perspective shift should occur in the utilization of PMSG.
• The letter concludes with an open question, urging fellow veterinarians to reconsider their practices and take action against the issues surrounding PMSG production.