Horse Slaughter to Start Up Again in the U.S.--Bad Idea?

In My Humble Opinion
1

"A New Mexico company is slated to be the first to slaughter horses for human consumption in the U.S. since 2007 after federal authorities agreed to issue a permit required for its operation.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is close to approving two additional horse-slaughter plants, said yesterday it was required by law to issue the permit to Valley Meat Co. in Roswell once the company had met the requirements. The last U.S. horse-meat plant closed six years ago after Congress banned funding for inspections for such facilities."
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-06-28/slaughtering-of-horses-set-to-resume-in-u-dot-s-dot-with-usda-approval

Opinions?

2

As long as that’s true, it’s definitely a bad, dangerous idea. The kind of idea that can easily kill people.

3

I’m against horse slaughter for a lot of reasons concerning how inhumane it is, but there are public health reasons, as well. Discarded race horses in particular are pumped full of drugs that are not screened for during the slaughter process. There are laws, but they’re not enforced. There would have to be BIG changes that would probably cost too much money to make it economically feasible. I don’t eat much meat anyway (chicken once or twice a week), but there’s no way I’d ever eat horse, simply from a health perspective.

4

Knowingly. Let’s not forget our friends across the pond.

5

As a vegetarian due to ethical reasons, it pains me to hear this.

6

Hey, I’ll have you know our meat is of the highest quality; it has to clear several hurdles before it goes on sale.

In fact I had some last night and I’ve still got a bit between my teeth.

7

#golfclap

8

quit horsing around.

9

You can’t spell slaughter without laughter!

Think about it this way: every time a person eats horse, they’re *not *eating beef, chicken, duck, deer, squirrel, rabbit, or fish. Millions of precious animal lives will be saved!

10

Like AU, I’m a vegetarian due to ethical reasons. Much as it hurts to have to type this, I think its a good idea. Well, not a good idea, but better than what is happening now.

Currently, some (not all) people will put old horses up for auction instead of paying for euth and burial. Many of those old horses are bought for a hundred bucks or less and shipped by truck to slaughterhouses in Mexico.

American slaughterhouses are far from ideal, but at least they are inspected and pay lip service to the notion that the animals should be treated humanely.

Mexican slaughterhouses are horrific. So much so that I’m not going to post cites because just looking at them will ruin my day. If you don’t believe me, the cites are easy to find.

So, anyhow, IMO those horses will be slaughtered anyhow. Nothing will change there.

What will change is that the horses will have shorter truck rides and won’t have to endure crossing the desert with no water, and hopefully will have a faster, cleaner death.

11

In so far as we have an overabundance of horses, it’s because we have a lack of horse predators.

Instead of slaughtering the horses, they should allow wolves to roam freely across all public US land. Ranchers who want to graze on public land can take steps to protect their animals including hiring more guards and guard dogs.

Restoring the natural ecosystem is better management than letting the horse population breed out of control and then slaughtering them.

Or - if we are going to alter the natural ecosystem - we should just admit that the herds of wild horses are only there for sentimental reasons and take rational steps to control them including birth control and regular culling.

12

Hah! I think it’s a wonderful thing. Been longing to try horse for years . It’s a meat like any other. Few people humanizing those critters shouldn’t make them any less accessible to people who want to eat 'em.

13

Actually it’s because of domestic over-breeding. Always breeding for the winning show/race horse.

14

I have to agree with Flatlined. Stopping slaughter in the US does not stop an excess of domestic race/show bred horses. Those horses are going for meat/rendering, it’s just a question of where.

I do not believe that any American horsemeat should be approved for human consumption; even if the plants are regulated, the supply stream is not.

15

Is it inhumane? Are horses slaughtered differently than, like, cows?

16

Another one:

“A business in Sigourney [Iowa] will be one of the first to begin slaughtering horses after congress banned the practice seven years ago. Tuesday the USDA gave a green light to Responsible Transportation LLC., a business which vows to humanely euthanize horses.”

17

checks forum - OK, I have some HOs.

Not even that, although “professional” over-breeding has it’s portion of the blame. I believe horse overpopulation stems from backyard breeders, people who have a few horses and maybe mean well, and decide, for whatever reason, that producing foals is fun and/or could be profitable, and hey, the neighbour up the hill has a beauuuuutiful palomino/pinto/grulla(FFS) stallion…

These thoughtlessly bred horses can be horribly ugly, unsound and dangerous. They are often poorly trained by people with little experience training foals.

Disposal of a euthanized horse carcass is difficult and expensive at the best of times. I agree that trucking horses for slaughter to Canada/Mexico isn’t the solution either. No, the local zoo doesn’t want your dead horse “to feed the lions.” (That’s a real question we get several times a week.)

One more factor to consider is the soft-heartedness of horse owners. Like other companion animal owners, horse owners ought to be trained to recognize when a horse’s quality of life is so low, that euthanasia becomes the best option. Resources, including space in horse rescue organizations, should be reserved for the animals most likely to become useful, long-term companions.

What’s the solution? Like everything, better education. Regulate horse ownership? Licence horse breeding? I can’t see those being acceptable solutions.

Research horse rescues thoroughly before you donate. Send your kids to reputable riding schools and camps. (In Australia it’s all about Pony Club - despite its reputation, the curriculum/manual is strong.) Don’t breed a foal just because you want one just like its mama. Know your limitations as a trainer.

No easy answers, just some thoughts on the industry.

18

if this is true, then I am for it as the lesser of two evils.

19

Remember, people, recipes go in Cafe Society.