The Department of Agriculture has agreed to inspect a New Mexico slaughterhouse that plans to process horse meat for human consumption, a move likely to set off another round of battles over whether horse abattoirs can operate legally in the U.S.
Valley Meat Co. of Roswell, N.M., waited more than a year to get the go-ahead from USDA, which gave it only grudgingly, saying the law required it to issue a "grant of inspection" because it had met all the requirements, Charles Abbott of Reuters reports, adding: "The USDA also said it may soon issue similar grants for plants in Missouri and Iowa." UPDATE: Agri-Pulse reports, "The other companies expected to receive USDA inspection permits are Rains Natural Meats in Missouri and Responsible Transportation in Iowa."
UPDATE, July 3: Responsible Transportation, in Sigourney, said it has received a grant of inspection, and the Rains plant, in Gallatin, Mo., "reportedly could receive a permit this week," Julie Harker reports for Brownfield.
USDA's move could prompt a blocking move in Congress, where members of both parties join with President Obama in opposing horse slaughter. Congress effectively banned it from 2007 to 2011 by denying money for inspections, but lifted the ban after a study showed that it had removed the bottom from the horse market and worsened the problem of horse abandonment and neglect.
An estimated 130,000 U.S. horses are shipped annually to slaughter in Canada and Mexico," Abbott reports. Horse meat is sold for human consumption in several other countries, "and is sometimes used as feed for zoo animals. But in the United States, horses enjoy a higher stature, more akin to house pets, than to hogs, cattle and chickens."
Abbott notes, "The Humane Society of the United States and Front Range Equine Rescue threatened on Friday to sue the USDA, saying horses are raised as pets and as working animals. Because they are not intended as food animals, horses are given medications banned from other livestock, the groups said, questioning if the meat would be safe. The USDA says it can test for residues of 130 pesticides and veterinary drugs." (Read more) On Friday, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service updated its instructions for inspection of slaughtered horses; a PDF is here.
Valley Meat Co. of Roswell, N.M., waited more than a year to get the go-ahead from USDA, which gave it only grudgingly, saying the law required it to issue a "grant of inspection" because it had met all the requirements, Charles Abbott of Reuters reports, adding: "The USDA also said it may soon issue similar grants for plants in Missouri and Iowa." UPDATE: Agri-Pulse reports, "The other companies expected to receive USDA inspection permits are Rains Natural Meats in Missouri and Responsible Transportation in Iowa."
UPDATE, July 3: Responsible Transportation, in Sigourney, said it has received a grant of inspection, and the Rains plant, in Gallatin, Mo., "reportedly could receive a permit this week," Julie Harker reports for Brownfield.
USDA's move could prompt a blocking move in Congress, where members of both parties join with President Obama in opposing horse slaughter. Congress effectively banned it from 2007 to 2011 by denying money for inspections, but lifted the ban after a study showed that it had removed the bottom from the horse market and worsened the problem of horse abandonment and neglect.
An estimated 130,000 U.S. horses are shipped annually to slaughter in Canada and Mexico," Abbott reports. Horse meat is sold for human consumption in several other countries, "and is sometimes used as feed for zoo animals. But in the United States, horses enjoy a higher stature, more akin to house pets, than to hogs, cattle and chickens."
Abbott notes, "The Humane Society of the United States and Front Range Equine Rescue threatened on Friday to sue the USDA, saying horses are raised as pets and as working animals. Because they are not intended as food animals, horses are given medications banned from other livestock, the groups said, questioning if the meat would be safe. The USDA says it can test for residues of 130 pesticides and veterinary drugs." (Read more) On Friday, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service updated its instructions for inspection of slaughtered horses; a PDF is here.
1 comment:
secretary of agriculture tom vilsak defunded horse meat inspectors as horse meat is not recognized by the fda, has no protocols and therefore can not be inspected. without protocols, there are no standards, so how can an inspection be done? there is no basis for comparison. besides, there won't be any money. anybody who thinks slaughtering horses is going to solve any fiscal problems, check out happened to Kaufman, TX where the last plant to operate in the US was located.
http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Put-an-end-to-slaughter-of-horses-4596546.php
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