Arrests have been made in the thefts of several draft horses from the Jura area. In the European Union, ALL horses born after 2009 must be micro-chipped. These are read by veternarians whenever they are doing their work and they are supposed to be scanned/read whenever horses cross a border. 

Note the word "supposed". Apparently, not all border crossing agents got the memo.

All animals making a border crossing in/out of EU countries are also supposed to have healtth certificates-again, which they shouldn't be able to get without having the microchip scanned. Hmmm. Sounds like some back roads, bribery, and who knows what else was going on. 

Some horse breeds in the area are well-known for being bred specifically for their meat. This has led in the past almost to their extinction due to slaughter in the past and, in some areas, is already on the point of doing so now. In Flanders where the Belgian draft horses orginated, subsidies are being proposed to breeders because so many of the horses have been sold to slaughter. The Ardennes breed from the Jura region of France faces the same pressures. They are not alone. 

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31728/french-horses-allegedly-stolen-for-meat

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/28/world/europe/to-preserve-regional-tradition-flanders-subsidizes-horse-breeding.html?_r=0