Premarin

USESR urges you to boycott Premarin!

Premarin is an oestrogen(estrogen) substitute manufactured by Wyeth-Ayerst and is used by millions of women to treat the symptoms of menopause.

Premarin contains pregnant mare's urine (PMU). Just break one of these pills open and smell it. We are not against hormone replacement therapy. We ARE against the use of the drug, Premarin. WHY????? Because of the inhumane treatment of pregnant mares on PMU farms. Many people will tell you that the following points are out dated and no longer true. We have no way of knowing that because PMU farmers do not allow humane inspectors from independent nonprofit organizations to inspect any of their facilities. Only the people "rescuing" PMU foals are allowed to see the facilities. Photos of these supposedly pristine facilities are very limited and very vague. Please continue reading to find out why the reports of conditions at PMU farms as told by those who gain financially by selling foals on the farm's behalf, should not be considered an objectible source of fact or accuracy.

* For 6 months of their pregnancy, mares are kept in tiny stalls which don't allow them enough room to move around in, in order to remain healthy.

* The mares have to wear rubber urine collection bags at all times. The bags can prevent them from laying down comfortably, and cause the urine to soak the skin, which sometimes causes severe infections and painful sores.

* USDA inspectors found mares at PMU farms stiff-legged and limping due to the lack of exercise and the constant standing.

* The American Association of Equine Practitioners found that PMU mares had lower limb problems that are normally associated with strict confinement, such as hoof/wall separation and difficulty breathing.

* Mares are often denied water so that their urine becomes thick and concentrated. Wyeth-Ayerst pays farmers by the gallon, according to concentration. No wonder liver and kidney disease are common in PMU mares.

The sad fact is that one company holds a monopoly (to put it simply) on the Estrogen Replacement market. It is set up to be self-policeing. And then there is the question of what happens to all of the byproducts of this gigantic industry. There are mares that no longer produce; if a mare is difficult to get in foal, she must be replaced; after all, it is a business. The opposite happens to the stallions. They must be able to impregnate the mares. This brings us to the foals. It is estimated that 50,000 foals a year are the byproducts of the PMU industry. A few fillies are used to replace outgoing mares. Many foals are turned over to the killers to be used for slaughter. There are rescue groups in the northern part of the U.S. that try to buy these foals. Some foals are sold privately, some are sold as individuals at auction, and some are still sold in groups, which prohibits rescue efforts. If you would like to purchase one of the foals, contact the Ipwsich Equine Rescue  and they will supply you with the necessary information.

United Animal Nations also conducts an extensive once-a-year rescue of PMU foals as well as doing quite a bit of research into the current PMU industry. Their web site is located at www.uan.org. We strongly recommend you purchase their video on the Premarin industry. It documents one angry PMU farmer attacking a reporter and camera man just for driving past his farm. It is also very educational regarding the way all of the excess urine negatively impacts the ecosystem in Canada. All of that urine has to be dumped somewhere. Unfortunately, it goes into the water supply. The UAN has granted us permission to reproduce one of their newsletters here for your review:

Please use caution when adopting your PMU horse or foal. Check out the ethics of the group you "adopt" from and beware that you are 'purchasing', not 'adopting', a horse, in most of these rescues. You will own what you own outright, unless you have a contract stating otherwise. Many foals have been delivered sick and died shortly thereafter. There are many more success stories. We just want you to be able to help horses without getting the short end of the stick yourself.

We urge you to remember that the "rescue" you get your PMU horse from is likely paying in Canadian dollars and charging you American dollars, and pocketing the profit. It might be pertinent for you to find out where that money goes. If you don't object to it going into one person in the organization's private retirement fund, then don't bother tracing the money down.

Not all PMU rescues are like the one cited above. Most of them make that profit, and profit isn't bad, as long as it's being used according to the donor's wishes- eithically, responsibly, and for helping more horses.

Prices are what you'll be looking at next. Be aware of slaughter prices when "adopting" your PMU horse. Have an idea of what the slaughterhouses are paying per pound. In the U.S., summer of 2005, top price at BelTex is .20 per pound. Unless a PMU foal has something very special, you may not want to pay several hundred dollars over meat prices, in addition to shipping and health certificates. Find the hidden costs. There are tons of PMU rescues for you to select from. Be a responsible consumer and help USESR stamp out dishonest dealings among rescues!

  USESR
 P.O. Box 565
 Bridgeport, TX 76426

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