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Horse Slaughter Laws Unbanned by Congress, You Could Soon Be Eating Horse Meat

Horse MeatHorses can now be slaughtered for horse meat after a lift from a Congress ban that was first placed in 2006.  The $62 million-a-year slaughter industry could be running in as little as 30 to 90 days.  President Barack Obama signed the agriculture spending bill on November 18, 2011 which reversed the ban of horse slaughtering for meat. Horses are viewed as pets in the United States, so states have strict laws against consumption of the meat and slaughtering.  The horse slaughter ban could change that.

United States doesn’t have the market for human consumption of horse meat, but overseas like Europe, Asia, France and Japan it’s considered a delicacy. Although, the U.S. has been known to use horse meat to feed zoo animals because it’s a good source of protein.

The agriculture spending bill is thought to help the animals rather hurt them. The Government Accountability Office reported in June that “More horses were left abandoned when owners could no longer afford to keep them or use them for work; owners who wanted to sell their horses for slaughter were forced to have them shipped to Canada or Mexico, where slaughtering is legal; and horse prices became depressed in the United States.”

The GOA also reported that data shows that investigations in Colorado for horse neglect and abuse increased more than 60 percent, from 975 in 2005 to almost 1,600 in 2009. The U.S. Government Accountability Office also determined that about 138,000 horses were transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter in 2010, almost the same number that were killed in the U.S. before the ban. The U.S. has an estimated 9 million horses.

The Humane Society and other groups think a renewed interest in the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011, will help ban the interstate transport and live export of horses for slaughter for human consumption. The Equine Welfare Alliance said in a report, “The GAO has a reputation for objective and thorough research and fair reporting. Every indication is that this standard was abandoned in the compilation of this report, and that the result is little short of a propaganda tool for horse slaughter interests.”

Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of The Humane Society of the United States, told the Associated Press in a statement, “If plants open up in Oklahoma or Nebraska, you’ll see controversy, litigation, legislative action and basically a very inhospitable environment to operate. Local opposition will emerge and you’ll have tremendous controversy over slaughtering Trigger and Mr. Ed. Euthanasia has always been an option, but if you acquire a horse, you should be a responsible owner and provide lifetime care.”

The founder of a nonprofit company, Horse Feathers Equine Rescue in Oklahoma said in a statement to CBS News, “A lot of the situations are due to the economy. People deciding to pay their mortgage or keep their horse.”

The USDA said Tuesday in a statement that as of right now there are no horse slaughterhouses in the U.S., but once one does open, they will conduct inspections and make sure they are following federal laws.

CNN reported on the law lifted to ban horse slaughter:

(WARNING! This Video contains some Graphic Content. Viewer Discretion is Advised!)


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  1. medleymeadows farm says:

    Bible clearly states we are to eat only animals with cloven hooves…that being said very few people know or care. I understand that we cannot control what other people do. Abuse happens, that is true. But transporting the animals across the borders is so much more abuse for these beautiful animals. Where I live people who have lost there jobs have just turned the horses loose, you think a deer does a lot of damage, you should see what hitting a horse does to your car! I love my horses with all my heart, I would never let anything like this happen to my animals. This law makes it a responsibility of the owner how their animals are cared for. We have so many horse owners out there that should not be allowed to have animals! Lobby your congressman and try to make a difference, but something needs to be set in place for unwanted animals. ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF THEY ARE JOINED BY A MILLION ONE PERSONS, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF WINNING ON A CHAT PAGE.

  2. Cortlyn Mitchell says:

    Do you live in America? cause the way your talking you sound like a towelhead. I eat beef because I raise it and I also eat deer and other wild game, but a horse is something I would never eat, I think noone should eat horses, I’m not a animal rights activist or anything like that, I own horses and I would never send them to slaughter just to eat up on someones dinner plate, I have the vet come out and put my horses down when they are to ill, or they are injured beyond recovery, and we bury them on our land, not send them to a slaughter house. I’m an American and I proud to be one, true Americans do not eat horse meat, they were put on the earth as athletes and workers, not as sombodys next meal.

  3. H. Rod Dawson III says:

    Right. you’re suggesting violence against another human being, and I’m the disgrace to the human race. Never mind that you probably eat beef, or lamb or chicken, but think that there is something taboo about eating horse meat? That is hypocrisy and is likely based on your opinion that ‘horsies is cute’. Horses are eaten throughout much of the world, so just because it isn’t so in your part of the world, doesn’t make it true everywhere.

    My favorite part of your rebuttal is where you show that you don’t believe in freedom of speech and that you think that just because I expressed my opinion, I should have my head cut off. Are you perhaps a member of the Taliban. Because that’s what they do.

  4. H. Rod Dawson III says:

    This is great news, if you’ve never had french fries done is horse tallow, you’re missing out! The Europeans have it right, horse meat is delicious!

    Also this will put an end to horse owners staving their horses to death after they are ‘done’ with them or when they cant afford to feed them anymore, which has become endemic up here in horse country.

    • Cortlyn Mitchell says:

      What the is wrong with you?! Horses are not meant to be eaten by people or slaughtered for anything else, they were put on this earth as pets, workers and Atheletes not as somones meal. I’ll put this the nicest possible way I can if you think horse slaughter is ok, then maybe someone should shoot you in the head, while they only knick you and have you strung up by your feet and have your throat slit then we’ll see if you think horse slaughter is ok. You should have your head cut off for saying those things. Your a disgrace to the human race!!!!!!!

  5. Luke Thomas says:

    Obama is African. They are into bush meat.

  6. Anon says:

    Not only am I against slaughter because it will always be inhumane no matter how many ‘regulations’ are put on it, what happens in these plants would not go on if people weren’t so blind. The problems (abuse/neglect) are only going to increase if you give people an outlet (and selling them to these people offers an incentive!). As someone whose life revolves around horses I can tell you this is not a good thing, it’s appalling, not only these things but….People do realize horse meat is toxic, right? Nearly every medicine a horse takes is labeled “not for use in animals for human consumption” and I know that people are not going to stop giving their horses these medicines… bute, for example, is given to horses quite often and is very toxic to humans

  7. Journey says:

    This sucks. Go die.

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