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By: Megan Pigman, Staff Member
Debate surrounding horse slaughter in America may currently be at its pinnacle with two companies on the brink of opening the first slaughterhouses in the United States in seven years.[i] The congressional ban on the horse slaughtering for meat was lifted in 2011, but companies have not come close to opening facilities utilized for such purposes until now. Valley Meat Co. of Roswell, New Mexico and Responsible Transportation of Sigourney, Iowa received USDA permits in June to begin horse-slaughtering operations in their respective states.[ii] Valley Meat was prepared to open its doors this week, but was forced to wait when U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo issued a restraining order temporarily preventing both companies from opening their doors.[iii] The restraining order was issued as part of a case initiated by the Humane Society of the United States and other groups in opposition.[iv]
Those supporting horse slaughtering largely build their arguments by looking at the number of horses transported each year to Canada or Mexico to be slaughtered. In 2012, the total number of horses being sent to these countries for slaughter was estimated to be 123,807.[v] Slaughter supporters point to the cruel treatment horses experience in these border countries where there are no guidelines regarding how these horses lives come to an end, as well as the great cost incurred in shipping horses these long distances for them to ultimately meet the same fate.[vi]
Those opposed to horse slaughtering point out that not only is it an inherently inhumane and cruel practice, but also an expensive operation. They suggest millions of tax dollars would be necessary for the FDA to conduct horse slaughter inspections and such money would be diverted away from food safety programs currently in place to protect Americans, to enable a practice that 80% of the American public opposes.[vii] Those in opposition find hope in a bill being considered in the House, the Safeguard American Food Exports (“SAFE”) Act, which would prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the U.S. and their export for that purpose abroad.[viii] This bill, sponsored by Representative Patrick Meehan (PA), was assigned to the House Agriculture committee on March 12, 2013, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate as a whole.[ix]
Individuals passionate about this issue are anxious about the case brought by the Humane Society progresses and whether horse slaughtering will begin in America once again. An answer will likely come soon, as another hearing in the case took place on Monday, August 5th.[x]
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[i] Judge Blocks Planned Horse Slaughter at Two Plants, WashingtonTimes.com (Aug. 2, 2013), http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/2/judge-blocks-planned-horse-slaughter-2-plants/ (last visited Aug. 5, 2013).
[ii] Id.
[iii] Id.
[iv] Id.
[v] Horse Slaughter Statistics, Animal Welfare Institute, https://awionline.org/content/horse-slaughter-statistics(last visited Aug. 5, 2013).
[vi] AVMA Position on Safe Act, AVMA.org, https://www.avma.org/Advocacy/National/Documents/IB_Horse_Slaughter_17April2013.pdf (last visited Aug. 5, 2013).
[vii] The Facts on Horse Slaughter, The Humane Society of the United States, http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/horse_slaughter/facts/facts_horse_slaughter.html#owner (last visited Aug. 5, 2013).
[viii] Banning the Slaughter of Horses for Human Consumption, Popvox.com, https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/113/hr1094 (last visited Aug. 5, 2013).
[ix] Id.
[x] Judge Blocks Planned Horse Slaughter at Two Plants, WashingtonTimes.com (Aug. 2, 2013), http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/2/judge-blocks-planned-horse-slaughter-2-plants/ (last visited Aug. 5, 2013).
The pro slaughter faction tells lies and untruths. The plants in Canada and Mexico where US horses go must meet EU humane requirements. My question is why the sudden concern about the horses going across the borders, horses we're being shipped to Canada and Mexico for years, since way before the plants here in the US we're closed.
ReplyDeleteHorse slaughter is cruel and inhumane, they are not cattle, bottom live they are not raised for food in this country.
What do the EU humane requirements consist of? And who is responsible for oversight in Canada and Mexico as far as compliance with those requirements go? Thanks for your comment and for whatever insight you can provide as to these requirements.
DeleteNot only is the slaughter of horses cruel and inhumane, but horses are not raised for food in this country. Horses are routinely given medications that are not approved for animals going to slaughter. Several medications are never permitted during the life of an animal to be used in the food supply. It's flat out dangerous to the public health.
ReplyDeleteThen there is the damage the slaughter plants have done to the environment in the past. Just take a look at the problems in Kaufman, TX with the slaughter plant until it closed.
It is certainly true that there are a host of different angles which provide support for those who oppose slaughter. Such items of support encompass environmental, emotional, and economic concerns. It was difficult limiting the post to just touching on a few of those issues. What details do you know about the Kaufman, TX problems? I would be interested to hear more about that situation.
DeleteThere is nothing in this article about the contamination of horse meat with many medications such as bute and dewormers that make the meat unsafe for human consumption.
ReplyDeleteAlso to get facts about horse slaughter please visit the web sites www.vetsforequinewelfare.org and www.kaufmanzonimg.net
I would have liked to address that issue as well, however I simply had to limit my discussion. The contamination of horse meat is of course another serious and important issue related to this topic and one that other KJEANRL staff members have actually addressed on this blog in the past. (Most recently, see http://www.kjeanrl.com/search/label/horse%20meat) Thank you for your comment and for the website suggestions.
ReplyDelete