The Royal thinks raising the animals for meat would increase their value - and help cut the number of horses suffering from neglect.

The Princess Royal made the comments in a speech for the charity World Horse Welfare, of which she's president.

Princess Anne argued "the value of the animal to everyone individual is slightly different. But if it has real financial value, you look a little bit further ahead in how you look after your animals." She cited France as a country where often horse meat fillet is the most expensive cut available in butchers.

Paolo Tullio discussed the topic with Fionn Davenport earlier this year (you can listen back to the podcast here). He said many Italian doctors advise patients to "stop eating beef if you want to eat red meat and start eating horse. It has less fat and is generally better for you than eating beef", although also emphasises many doctors advise against eating red meat at all.

Paolo discussed how cultural differences can alter the acceptability of specific meats in different countries. "Here especially horse is [considered] a friend," he observed. "[In France and Italy] it's a working beast. Italians are terribly unsentimental about their animals". 

The horse meat taboo in countries such as the UK, US and Ireland has arisen in cultures where horses are often kept as pets and sporting animals. In other countries, the taboo has historical and religious foundations. Meanwhile, the meat is particularly popular in countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Mongolia. It is also popular in areas of Canada such as Quebec.

Would you eat horse meat? Do you have ethical or health concerns about the meat? Is there no reason for it to be taboo when most will happily eat many other forms of meat? Vote in our poll and leave your comments below.