Prospect of revived horse-slaughter industry leaves animal-rights groups split and others wondering

The recent reversal of a five-year U.S. horse slaughtering ban, after a study found that it contributed to neglect and abuse, has animal-rights groups split on the issue and leaves some wondering if and when any horse slaughter plants will open. (Casper Star-Tribune photo by Dan Cepeda)

Patrik Jonsson of the Christian Science Monitor reports the Humane Society of the United States and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals continue a strong anti-slaughter stance, while People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says reopening slaughter houses is a good idea. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk told Johnson PETA was against the bill that closed horse slaughter houses because "the amount of suffering that it created exceed the amount of suffering it was designed to stop."

According to a Government Accountability Office report, Johnson writes, the domestic slaughter ban did not reduce the number of horses killed for consumption; instead, it led to more inhumane treatment of old, abandoned or neglected horses and greater numbers of horses being shipped to Mexico or Canada for slaughter. While ending the ban may not result in less horses slaughtered, "it does mean the amount of suffering is now reduced again," Newkirk told Johnson. (Read more)

Wyoming Rep. Sue Wallis, a United Horseman member, told Kelsey Dayton of the Casper Star Tribune that regulations require a minimum of 30 to 90 days before slaughterhoues can open. She estimates it will take longer for any to open in Wyoming since it had no such facilities. North Dakota ranch wife Jeri Dobrowski believes reopening plants will create jobs and increase exports, but she wonders if openings will really occur, Gary Truitt of Hoosier Ag Today reports. Federal money for slaughterhouse inspectors has been approved for only a year, and Dobrowski believes that will keep many plants from opening because owners will have no certainty surrounding their investment.