Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Horse slaughter foes keep fighting to reinstate ban as organizations scout sites for abattoirs

Companies have been scouting locations for new horse slaughterhouses and processing plants since the horse abattoir inspection ban was reversed, but ban supporters are "trying hard to keep them out," Agri-Pulse reports. United Equine LLC was considering a location in Missouri, but abandoned its plans after local protests. The situation is repeating itself in other places, too, despite company assurance that horses are treated humanely before slaughter.

Hermiston, Oregon, is a potential site for a horse processing plant and rejuvenation project, organized by United Horsemen. "In addition to slaughter, the plant would include an onsite 'Rest and Rejuvenation Program,'" in which horses would be evaluated and then go into either training, rejuvenation or processing, Agri-Pulse reports. A United Horsemen representative said slaughter would be humane, and equipment and management has been approved by Dr. Temple Grandin to "ensure a minimum of stress and pain" for horses.

Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary will host the 2012 American Equine Summit this weekend, with its stated objective "to reverse the damage done by Congress in November 2011 by mobilizing an effective grassroots movement to end the slaughter of America's horses in the U.S. and abroad." President Susan Wagner told Agri-Pulse Congress had ignored the will of more than 80 percent of Americans who oppose horse slaughter. But former Texas congressman Charles Stenholm said U.S. horse slaughter is best for equestrian welfare: "Horses are undoubtedly special, but they're livestock. The idea that you can take away the salvage value of horses is having a devastating impact on the industry right now."

Agri-Pulse is available by subscription only, but a free trial can be accessed here.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"the best for equestrian welfare" I think you might mean equine. They haven't started fighting to slaughter the riders just yet, just the horses …

Horse kids favors said...

My brother is an equestrian it is pretty amazing seeing him on the ride.

gayleoneal said...

Get real people. Banning the Slaughter Houses has all but ruined the Horse Industry. People are left with no way out of the financial burden of horse ownership once the animal has become disabled. Regulations say you cannot bury a horse on your own property . . . so, what are people suppose to do with them? Every Rescue Organization you call is FULL, every Foster Home is FULL . . . can you not see the writing on the wall? How do the horses fend in the wild when a cougar runs one down for the dinner kill; do you think that being eaten alive is a fast death? It’s a natural food chain. Horses aren’t going to the slaughter houses for our dinner-table. If the meat goes overseas, who cares; if it goes for dog food, so what . . . it’s a food chain! Our Government does not support our horse fancy interests; it is up to each individual owner. With the economy the way it is, why should I be expected to spend what money I have to support my horse, when I need to feed myself? I don’t hear the same outcry for Cattle, Chickens, Pigs, Sheep, etc.; they are used as companion pets as well as any horse; but, reality is reality. The U.S. does not have to slaughter horses for human consumption; slaughter for carnivorous animal diets or dog and cat food! There are far too many horses and not enough individual incomes to cover them and certainly no Grants. You cannot give a horse away these days; come-on get real people!!! Ban together and offer suggestions for a better way to get rid of the unwanted horses, if there is one; but, for right now, the Slaughter Houses are all we got.

Despite the fact that horse meat is not widely consumed in Canada, over 90,000 horses a year are slaughtered for food there. Its high-protein, low-fat meat is still consumed in many parts of the world, including Italy, Japan and Brazil. The taboo of eating horse meat persists in most of North America, however, and the Canadian horse meat industry remains controversial. If horse meat isn't your thing, perhaps you would like camel (Egypt), whales (Norway) or monkeys (sub-Saharan Africa).

Anonymous said...

Get real people. Banning the Slaughter Houses has all but ruined the Horse Industry. People are left with no way out of the financial burden of horse ownership once the animal has become disabled. Regulations say you cannot bury a horse on your own property . . . so, what are people suppose to do with them? Every Rescue Organization you call is FULL, every Foster Home is FULL . . . can you not see the writing on the wall? How do the horses fend in the wild when a cougar runs one down for the dinner kill; do you think that being eaten alive is a fast death? It’s a natural food chain. Horses aren’t going to the slaughter houses for our dinner-table. If the meat goes overseas, who cares; if it goes for dog food, so what . . . it’s a food chain! Our Government does not support our horse fancy interests; it is up to each individual owner. With the economy the way it is, why should I be expected to spend what money I have to support my horse, when I need to feed myself? I don’t hear the same outcry for Cattle, Chickens, Pigs, Sheep, etc.; they are used as companion pets as well as any horse; but, reality is reality. The U.S. does not have to slaughter horses for human consumption; slaughter for carnivorous animal diets or dog and cat food! There are far too many horses and not enough individual incomes to cover them and certainly no Grants. You cannot give a horse away these days; come-on get real people!!! Ban together and offer suggestions for a better way to get rid of the unwanted horses, if there is one; but, for right now, the Slaughter Houses are all we got.

Despite the fact that horse meat is not widely consumed in Canada, over 90,000 horses a year are slaughtered for food there. Its high-protein, low-fat meat is still consumed in many parts of the world, including Italy, Japan and Brazil. The taboo of eating horse meat persists in most of North America, however, and the Canadian horse meat industry remains controversial. If horse meat isn't your thing, perhaps you would like camel (Egypt), whales (Norway) or monkeys (sub-Saharan Africa).