A Perth butcher says he is going to continue selling horse meat for human consumption despite receiving death threats.

Vince Garreffa started selling horse meat this week after being given the green light by Western Australia's Food and Agriculture Minister.

Mr Garreffa says his move means Australians will no longer be forced to risk illness through buying illegally slaughtered horses.

But public opposition has been strong and Mr Garreffa has been forced to end plans to showcase the meat at a local food festival because of death threats, one of which he has reported to police.

Mr Garreffa says there has always been a demand for horse meat in Australia.

"I am a meat eater and I sell probably every meat that you could imagine that is legal to over 250 restaurants around the country," he said.

"You have got to remember that Australia is slaughtering approximately 50,000 to 70,000 horses a year for human consumption.

"We have two major export abattoirs in Queensland and South Australia and here we are, we are not allowed to eat it. And that is just unacceptable."

Mr Garreffa says his requests to legalise the sale of horse meat have been falling on deaf ears for years.

He has praised Western Australia's Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman for finally approving his licence.

"I think the current minister has got cojones bigger than a horse to have the courage to control it so that it doesn't get out of hand," he said.

"[Mr Redman has said] 'Hey, I see the anomaly. Let's do a trial. Let's see how it goes. Let's make sure that it is properly controlled by the Health Department and the meat industry authority, and make sure that it is clean meat for the public."

But Mr Garreffa says he will not reveal where he gets the horse meat from because of the public anger over the move.

"At this stage, because of the amount of controversy that we have created, we have decided as of today, we will keep our mouths shut where they came from, where they got slaughtered, where they have been sold as far as restaurants go," he said.

"We have got restaurants that are now too scared to advertise it because they are being hounded by animal liberationists and yet, here we are, we might be doing six, 12, 20 animals a year is what I believe.

"We'll become the horse whispers but we will look after you, because that is the business I am in."

Mr Garreffa says he understands that Australians have a sentimental attachment to horses.

"I am so conscious of that, that you have got to realise that it is really pulling at the heart strings," he said.

"If somebody told me that we were going to start eating Jack Russells tomorrow, I would be horrified.

"I love my Jack Russell and I miss him because I lost him last year but hey, emotions are one thing."

He says at this stage, the controversy has probably scared other butchers away from selling horse meat.

"At this stage I think that if they experience the backlash of emotion, they might think twice, but I have had enormous support from customers and people in Western Australia who don't even know me and unknown people from around the world," he said.

"There are 6 billion people in the world, over 2,000 nasty emails [were sent], but they have a right to express their opinion.

"The death threats I didn't appreciate."