Horse Slaughter

[marksmu]

I'm sticking this here because Im not sure where else to put it, but the US government very quietly lifted the restriction on the slaughter of horses for human and animal consumption here in the US....ending the five year ban on the practice of horse slaughter.

While I personally do not consume horse meat, I do believe that this was the right thing to do. As it stood the thousands of unwanted and neglected horses were being put on trailers and shipped to Mexico so that they could be slaughtered there - this is a more humane option for those who can not care for an older horse that nobody else is willing to take.

 

[JSCATTLE]

I'm all for it horses are livestock just like cattle... Everyone that lobbys against it should have to take two mean horses home with them... Maybe horses will be worth a little more now..

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

It's about time! Will help solve the abuse, neglected, abandoned horse problem. After all "meat is meat"...feed more people and more domestic pets... Also, unmanageable, untrainable, and horse psychos are a good start to slaughter...

 

[thendrix]

I'll have to pop some popcorn and watch this because this could get interesting. Personally I don't eat horse meat (I don't think) but I agree that horses are livestock to and I don't understand why people put them on such a high pedastal.

 

[Farmerjon]

Have had horses my whole life. Some of them are destined for greatness in only the meat market. I ate horse steak once, a little grainy. If horses were raised like cattle, would imagine it would be as great.
Emotional attachments are made to horses more to most. I personally think it is like my dad says, "just haven't gotten hungry enough". Get hungry enough, horse meat would beat nothing.

 

[Anonymous]

The only reason we eat beef instead of horse is because back in the day the horses were too hard to catch compared to beef

 

[dun]

The only reason we eat beef instead of horse is because back in the day the horses were too hard to catch compared to beef

Horses are easier to break to saddle too.

Since it's now legal I wonder if USDA is back inspecting it.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Great news,,if i had taken all the free one offerd to me the last couple years,, id have a pasture full... course there wouldnt be much grass left on it

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

It makes sense I suppose but I don't know that I could eat horse meat under normal conditions.

 

[spinandslide]

Ive researched this alot..I dont think the "ban" of slaughter caused the cluster F the horse market is in right now..but it definantly helped push it there.

Once a plant or two is back running, we may see SOME recovery of the market..but IMO, better recovery will come with the economy becomes better and people start having disposable income again.

 

[Gale Seddon]

I myself wouldn't go looking for horse meat. I grew up riding and loving horses. But when the ban was put into effect, horses were shipped north and south of US borders to some pretty gruesome slaughter practices (if what I was led to believe was true, some horrendous videos). And look at the rescue situation (rescues can't afford to save them all), people releasing them, starving them, etc. So, I have to hope that renewing slaughter in the USA will provide a more humane end than what has been happening.

 

[LRTX1]

I'm sure it happens all over the place but, there has been a number of cases where somebody trailers their horse to a state type park to ride for the day only to come back and find an additional horse or two tied to their trailer. I live a few miles from such an area and hear about it quite often. Maybe there will be a little relief for the horse people now.

 

[cmf1]

From what I gather from the news sources reporting on it, there was never a ban on slaughter but the meat had to be USDA inspected to be consumed.
The November 18 spending bill returned funding to USDA to inspect horse slaughter plants and they expect plants to open/reopen within 30 days.
Should have never happened and well overdue to be corrected.

Even PETA is for it because of the treatment of shipped animals. even though it puts them at odds with other wacko groups.

It's almost like somebody's maybe even thinking things through.
How scary is that?

 

[mlazyj]

I doubt plants will open in 30 days , first you have to find enough money to get the plants going , get buyers on both ends firmed up , find crews . Maybe a year . The United States is the largest owner of horses , we will see if they take advantage of plants being opened , or if they will keep pouring water down a rat hole.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Ok what happened is in the bill is the House did not remove the funding for the USDA inspection of horse meat for consumption. That is what has been done for the last 5 years. Now that bill has to go to the Senate and then get signed by obummer.

whether the slaughter plants will be re-opened or not is still yet to be seen.

Don't celebrate yet. Some bum can always throw a wrench into it.

 

[circlew]

Here's a link to the story.


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/30/ho ... latestnews

 

[Jim62]

.........."Some bum can always throw a wrench into it."..........

And I'm thinking he probably will. Gotta get them hippy votes.