Posted on 12/14/2013 10:01:15 AM PST by jazusamo
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A federal appeals court on Friday removed a temporary ban on domestic horse slaughter, clearing the way for companies in New Mexico, Missouri and Iowa to open while an appeal of a lawsuit by animal protection groups proceeds.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver lifted the emergency injunction it issued in November after The Humane Society of the United States and others appealed the ruling of a federal judge in Albuquerque. The judge said the U.S. Department of Agriculture followed proper procedure in issuing permits to Valley Meat Co. in Roswell, N.M., Rains Natural Meats of Gallatin, Mo., and Responsible Transportation in Sigourney, Iowa.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Horses sent to Mexico for slaughter are killed with a knife. Horses have the same jugular veins and carotid arteries in their necks that we do. It is a simple but painful method to kill a human or horse with.
It’s reported that when Old Testament ritual animal slaughter methods are used, that they literally do use knives so sharp they can be shaved with, and the cuts seem so insignificant to the animal that they do not express having felt pain. Many of us probably know what it was like to have been cut deeply by a razor blade and not noticed it until we saw the blood.
Whether the Mexican slaughter houses exercise anything close to that degree of care is questionable. At least till recently they were copacetic with classical bull fights. One of my relatives visited one, and she ended up cheering for the bull, and I understand....
We do. Any animal in our possession or control should be cared for as humanely as possible. I get very, very angry when I hear about animal abuse, on any level. I have stepped-in to interrupt it, several times, and been backed-up by the local sheriff. Being a Farmer gives me a different perspective on animal husbandry.
Right now, stolen horses go to an accumulator here in the US, and then on to slaughter in Mexico. They don’t make as much money as stolen cattle, but they are easier to catch and load.
As someone involved in the horse industry since 1974, and about 30 years cumulative with local humane organizations, I believe this is a good thing. I know that horses are special animals, but not having a price floor has created more suffering for horses than any other thing.
Horses can be bought as colts at some sales for as little as $25 by folks who have no idea whatsoever what they eat, need, or how much it actually costs to take proper care of them -— they plan to keep them in their backyard as a pet, and things go downhill for the horse pretty quickly.
Animal shelters get asked to pick up hundreds of unwanted horses each year -— costing money that many don’t have available.
Humane slaughter is better than starving to death, on overgrown foundered feet, any day.
Well there is a good reason for this. It’s one of the things God wrote upon human hearts. Sometimes our instincts are wiser than we’d think, though when they verge into the control of corrupted philosophies then they become unwise.
Land for high quality horse hay and that for corn are pretty mutually exclusive, at least here in Iowa. Drought has taken the biggest toll on small bale hay prices, not land use. Farmers with good hay ground make alot more from it anyway than they do corn, according to them.
That said, you are right, ethanol is NOT the best use for corn, not by a long shot. We need to be breaking corn down and using for a multitude of far more profitable and needed things than ethanol for fuel.
Well said.
So the horse-feed hay needs better land. I never stop learning more stuff. My red neck cousins had a large Kentucky farm and doubtless knew this, but I never had a chance to deeply study it. Thanks for the extra information.
I do pity the fools, however, who have gotten under that philosophical spell. They are not only harmful, but they are impoverished themselves. I say that as one of those fools myself (though by the grace of God I am getting less and less foolish every day).
Philosophy isn’t a bad thing but like all human pursuits its rightful place is to serve God, who in turn is more wonderful than anything we could dream up.
At least here in Iowa it seems to based more on hilly and erosion prone soils. I know alfalfa makes it’s own nitrogen so it tolerates poorer, more clay soils. Some farmers supplement lime and minerals, but mostly it’s a low input crop that works where corn often does not.
It’s changed though. Farmers used to rotate corn, beans, winter wheat or oats, and alfalfa in successive years. Now it’s corn and beans in rotation on workable ground, and permanent timothy or alfalfa pasture on the rest. Wheat and oats are pretty much gone from the scene till you get south of here around St. Louis.
If you love truly French cuisine then you’ve got to love horse meat. We as a nation used to eat lots of horse meat. At the time of the Civil War the union army commissaries had heards of cow bevies and horse bevies as fresh meat supplies for the troops.
Your friend is right. Humane slaughter has always provided a way to prevent the burdensome overpopulation of economically worthless horses. The slaughter ban and the current economic depression have created a perfect storm, as financially desperate owners of these unsalable horses have been stuck with animals they can't afford to feed and care for, can't even give away, and can't afford to ship to Mexico or Canada for slaughter. Equine rescue organizations have seen sharp increases in the number and severity of neglect cases arising not from outright cruelty, but from decent people in desperate financial trouble who fear prosecution from humane authorities -- but who also fear they have no legal options.
The domestic ban on humane slaughter was well intentioned and has made its supporters feel good about themselves, but its effect has been a humane disaster for the horses it was meant to help. Ending the ban is a sound and rational decision that is good for the horse industry, horse owners, and the horses themselves.
Slaughter houses in the US have regulations, the ones in Mexico don’t. If stolen horses end up in slaughter plants, you want it to be here. They never should have been closed in the first place. When it comes to animals, and especially large animals, you have to think with your head and not your heart.
AP article, excerpt:
KPTV reports that investigators say it's clear a truck and trailer pulled over and turned the horse loose. They're trying to determine who did that.
Why this sentimental attachment to horses and the outrage that they are consumed as food in some parts of the world?
What about elk, bison, deer, and caribou. They're not afforded the same standards.
I say round 'em up and sell the meat. Would I eat a horse? F yeah, like those zombies that devoured the horse in the very first episode of "Walking Dead!"
I hear you...Like nathanbedford’s post #11 I believe it’s a liberal thing, his post is worth reading.
Soylent Green is Mr. Ed !
I would rather repeal the ban on horse slaughter, than continue to spend $64,000,000 a year feeding horses in feraly mandated horse roundups.
The more they manage thing, the more we need laws to fix the unintended consequences, and the more unintended consequences pop up. Gee, the ten commandments and the constitution worked a whole lot better didn’t they.
The corn industry is America’s predominate food source. If there was no oil to plant corn, America would starve. Corn and corn sourced food derivatives are the foundation of our entire food industry. 99% of our family farms have been turned into corn production for industry share croppers. The greatest bio weapon for destroying America would be a corn blight.
Seriously, the takeover of the American farm society by the corn industry is a fascinating study.
Agreed, BLM is going to have to get rid of many horses instead of just rounding them up and corralling them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.