You have to be careful who you sell your horse to these days. Be particularly careful if your horse is going to auction. The “kill” buyers are out there in force and they will not identify themselves as such. They buy ‘em, load ‘em up, and transport ‘em out of the country.
All the horse slaughter plants in the U.S. closed after passage of a federal law banned USDA inspections of those facilities in 2006. Its purpose... to stop horse slaughter for human consumption. But that hasn’t stopped the rapidly growing and often illegal business. Many U.S. slaughter plants simply moved their facilities over the border.
The number of horse slaughter plants in Canada and Mexico more than doubled. Companies based in those countries distribute horse meat for human consumption in Europe and Asia. USDA statistics show that 134,000 horses were exported to Canada and Mexico last year alone.
If Montana Rep. Ed Butcher has his way, kill buyers won’t have to leave the country at all. A new state law to encourage construction of a horse slaughter plant in Montana takes effect this week. Not only did Mr. Butcher sponsor this law but he is proudly courting Chinese and South Korean investors to make the project a reality. With China using 160,000 tons of horse meat a year, horse slaughter can be quite profitable. The “Missoulan”, a Montana newspaper, quotes Mr. Butcher as saying,
"Only about four to six horses out of every 10 born actually become usable animals... This is the thing the animal rights people don't understand: Every horse that's born doesn't turn into a Trigger or
a Black Beauty. They're animals. Some of them are usable and some
of them are not "
Mr. Butchers callous statement infers that we should simply kill 40% to 60% of all horses born. There are many who would disagree.
The supply of live animals to slaughter houses comes from irresponsible breeding in the racing and other performance horse industries, wild horses illegally taken from the range or sold at auction by managing agencies, and from unsuspecting private owners who believe their four-legged friend is going to a good home. This meat is often tainted with disease or medications that stay in the animals system for up to 6 months.
Tough new European regulations on importing horse meat will take effect in the spring of next year. And the U.S. has bills currently awaiting Congressional approval that will institute further restrictions and penalties for those dealing in the trade of equine steaks. Two facts remain:
- the bills may not be approved.
- Human consumption is not the only profit making use for horse meat.
Would you send your horse to slaughter?
For a detailed investigative report on horses tagged for slaughter go to Animal's Angels Warning: some of the images are graphic and may be disturbing.
Comments
Thank you Carol Abel... I could also add a few horror stories from auctions across the midwest that I've attended. The point not made here as well, it's not the fault of the horses, it's mostly uneducated and/or irresponsible horse owners that have caused and continue to cause this uproar.
You're right Gina. The horses aren't the guilty ones... we are.
Thanks for your comment.
What is the big deal. Different people eat different animals. Better than them starving on both ends. Hell if I could buy it I would.
Yes Brian there are several countries in which horse meat is considered a delicacy. I tasted it myself many years ago and have to admit that is was good. The problem with horse slaughter in the U.S. is two fold: 1- From a medical standpoint, the overwhelming majority of horses slaughtered in the U.S. don't produce meat safe for human consumption. 2-From a humanitarian standpoint, horses in the U.S. are born as pets, performance, work, or wild animals... not as food animals.
In regard to "starving" horses, managing agencies of wild horses love to use the term to sway public opinion in their favor when announcing removals. It is rarely the case. The starving horses coming from the public sector aren't useable in slaughter for consumption as they have little meat left to consume.
With that said why not create a regulated market for that so that it can be monitored. By stopping it all is done is created a blackmarket and no standards.
A black market for horse meat has existed for some time. Opening slaughter plants for that purpose won't change it. European and Asian countries pay as much as $40 a pound for horse meat (hardly a case for feeding the poor). Horses are not raised as food animals in this country. For now, ours is not a society in the need for addition meat sources. Let us hope it stays that way.
I understand the anti-horse slaughter bills are stalled in DC. The racing industry, quarter horse industry back yard breeders and the ranching industry will never let these bills become law. The only chance there is to stop the shipment of horses across the borders to Canada/Mexico to be killed is hopefully the EU regulations going onto effect this spring that requires a paper trail on each horse stating what drugs the horses have been given. With the loads of horses coming from the US that are bought at auctions there is no way to track any of this. I have just learned that the EU has not been aware of the fact that almost all of the horses killed and and their meat
shipped to Europe has come from the US which has the most medicated horses in the world. They seemed to think that Canada/Mexico supplied all of them from their two countries. It's going to be interesting to find out how this turns out.
if no one on earth killed and ate horses than they would become so numberous that they would starve themselves or succumb to disease. Ignorance is definately bliss here
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