SELFOSS, Iceland - On an autumn day on a lush green prairie, more than a dozen pregnant mares are waiting to be bled for the last time this year.
The video published last year showed farmhands beating and prodding horses with sticks, dogs sometimes biting horses, and the horses weakened after giving blood. Veterinarians collect blood from pregnant mares at a ‘blood farm’ near Selfoss, southern Iceland on Sept 30, 2022. PHOTO: AFP The blood collection, carried out from the end of July until early October, is profitable: the 56-year-old running the operation near Selfoss – who also works as an attorney – makes up to 10 million kronur a year from the business.
Scientists conduct quality analyses of blood samples in the lab of Isteka, Europe’s largest producer of the eCG/PMSG hormone in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Oct 12, 2022. PHOTO: AFP