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Thread: Horses to be killed for meat in U.S. for the first time in five years

  1. #1
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    Default Horses to be killed for meat in U.S. for the first time in five years

    Horses to be killed for meat in U.S. for the first time in five years due to Mexican demand for unusual food



    By Daily Mail Reporter
    PUBLISHED: 00:51 EST, 16 April 2012 | UPDATED: 01:12 EST, 16 April 2012



    The owner of a New Mexico slaughterhouse is defending his plan to become the first plant in the nation since 2007 to handle horses after an outcry from politicians and animal activists.

    In interviews with the Roswell Daily Record and the Albuquerque Journal on Friday, Valley Meat Co. owner Rick De Los Santos said he's trying to revive his failing business and that what he's proposing is legal.

    The horses he plans to process are being slaughtered anyway in Mexico and his operation would be overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and meet much higher standards, he said.

    The company's application for federal inspections at the plant just outside Roswell triggered an outcry when it became public Friday, with New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez calling on the USDA to deny his application.



    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1sJu795s6
    "But none of the wicked shall understand [that the End of the Age is upon them]."
    [Daniel 12:10b]

  2. #2
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    Speaking as a devoted, life-long horseman, some of the best news I've heard in 5 years.

    The do-gooders destroyed the horse industry in the U.S. and caused the suffering, starvation and misery of hundreds of thousands of horses. Every market needs a bottom...and with horses, it has always been about 35 cents/lb. Take that away and horses suffer immensely with owners who can't afford to euthanize, feed or get veterinary care.

    Bottom line...a quick death at a slaughter house is much better than months to years of neglect and/or abuse. Hopefully regional processors will step up so that animals don't have to be shipped too far. Bring it on!

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alder View Post
    Speaking as a devoted, life-long horseman, some of the best news I've heard in 5 years.

    The do-gooders destroyed the horse industry in the U.S. and caused the suffering, starvation and misery of hundreds of thousands of horses. Every market needs a bottom...and with horses, it has always been about 35 cents/lb. Take that away and horses suffer immensely with owners who can't afford to euthanize, feed or get veterinary care.

    Bottom line...a quick death at a slaughter house is much better than months to years of neglect and/or abuse. Hopefully regional processors will step up so that animals don't have to be shipped too far. Bring it on!

    Yep, been needed, things have gotten worse for horses since they banned it and then got hit with sky high hay prices...
    The word Bipartisan usually means some larger-than-usual deception is being carried out. George Carlin

  4. #4
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    Amen, Alder...

    It's not like they stopped horse slaughter anyway... it just meant FAR longer, horribly stressful journeys to the slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada. And yes, it also meant many animals ending up starved and neglected, because people couldn't get what they thought they were "worth", and often couldn't afford to euthanize them and bury/dispose of the carcass. OR, they were your typical bleeding hearts who wanted that illusion that the horse they sold went to the proverbial "good home", even though it was untrained, poorly conformed, had a lousy disposition and was essentially useless and worthless.

    One good thing that came out of the collapse of prices- I've got a wonderful bay roan large pony mare who I got free; her owners couldn't afford to feed all their animals, and to their credit, chose to keep their elderly (35 years- and in GREAT shape) mares and tried to find good homes for the rest. I couldn't take more than one, but I was very happy to get Jazz... a couple years earlier, a pony of her conformation, breeding and color would have brought in the mid 4 figures. She's got a lifetime home with me, though..

    Summerthyme

  5. #5
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    I've always felt that way; one animal doesn't feel pain any more or less than another. And I've also heard about a lot of suffering horses that would've been better off slaughtered long ago...

  6. #6
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    Default Horse shot and left in federal forest areas

    Last year my vet told me that horses were being found in the forest areas shot and left to rot, presumably by owners who couldn't afford to feed them, nobody would buy them, couldn't sell them for slaughter., couldn't afford to shoot them on their own property and hire a backhoe to dig a hole to put them in.

    Thousands of dogs and cats are euthanized every day in this country. It was ridiculous to make horses off limits.

    I was against long rides to slaughter. that was very cruel, but apparently this law didn't stop that, sounds like it only caused horses to be shipped farther.

    I'm a horse lover/owner, too. This is a good change.

    Laws like this one are as ridiculous as the folks who want to tell ranchers, farmers, hunters they shouldn't breed their working dogs.

  7. #7
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    There's a sign at my local livestock auction stating that if you want to sell a horse, then you need to leave them $265 to pay for the rendering fee if your horse doesn't get a bid.

    If we are going to kill them anyway, why not let them butcher them for meat?

  8. #8
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    I agree this is the smartest thing they have done in years. The law of unintended consequences were never thought out with the ban.

    How many horses have suffered needlessly because of the ban? My old horse trainer is now the Animal Control Officer, the stories he has told me are heartbreaking. The do gooders should have been made to see what this ban wrought

  9. #9
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    IN Europe they eat horse meat all the time. We did here to not that long ago. Now people just shudder, oh how could they do that. I think it is a good thing to have slaughter houses for horses.
    BUt you know the horses they want for meat, for europe are young horses. NOT old. you can buy steaks, ribs, roasts.
    I saw it in Germany and other countries in the 90's.
    momof23goats

  10. #10
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    Wink

    Brovo ! About time sanity gains some traction.

    Animal rights people rarely have a answer to an issue.

    wonderer

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