Posted on 11/29/2011 4:55:10 PM PST by SJackson
Horse slaughter plants are legal again in the United States. Restrictions on horse meat processing for human consumption have been lifted.
In a bipartisan effort, the House of Representatives and the United States Senate approved the Conference Committee report on spending bill H2112, which among other things, funds the United States Department of Agriculture. On November 18th, as the country was celebrating Thanksgiving, President Obama signed a law, allowing Americans to kill and eat horses. Essentially, one turkey was pardoned in the presence of worldwide media while in the shadows, buried under pages of fiscal regulation, millions of horses were sentenced to death.
Horse slaughter has been prohibited in the United States as funding for inspections of horses in transit and at slaughter houses was non-existent. This worked because the horse meat cannot be sold for human consumption without such inspections. The House version of the bill retained the de-funding language and the Senate version did not. The conference committee charged with reconciling the two opted to not include it. The result is that it is now legal to slaughter horses for humans to eat.
Notwithstanding that 70% of Americans oppose horse slaughter, that President Obama made a campaign promise to permanently ban horse slaughter and exports of horses for human consumption (horses can be sent to Mexico and Canada), that documentation of animal cruelty, slaughterhouse stench, fluid runoff and negative community impact exists, it is taxpayers that will bear the costs!
Wyoming state representative Sue Wallis and her pro-slaughter group estimate that between 120,000 and 200,000 horses will be killed for human consumption per year and that Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Georgia and Missouri, are considering opening slaughter plants.
During these trying times, is the only thing that Democrats and Republicans can agree on is that Americans need to eat horses?
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Yeah, that is the rich flavor. They almost need a little bit of fat added to them for burgers though. I used to order it but my family doesn’t care for it. Beef just seems bland after a lot of bison.
The horse owners and horse lovers are in favor of this so that the horses are treated more humanely. They will have a better death in a slaughter house then they do getting starved to death because no one wants them.The meat can be used for dog food. I have eaten horse, because that is all we had besides chicken during WWII.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecc0nbg9m-8
Now that’s a tasty burger!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecc0nbg9m-8
Now that’s a tasty burger!
Well, you make great points and know more about the ‘downside’ of our horse populations; than I do; for sure. Still wonder; if same rationale can be equally; and/or eventually to other animals ‘or’. . .Seems a slippery slope; if left in wrong hands. (And certainly no shortage, there.) Appreciate, nonetheless; hearing the other side, per MO behind this.
Back in 1957 we were buying meat at Bob’s Meat Market in a northern city. Good quality, low prices. Then we saw an article in the paper that Bob’s had been raided and shut down for selling horse meat.
I don’t know if we ate any horse meat but I suspect we did. I would not knowingly do it.
“Come into the barn Wilbur....”
“Come into the barn Wilbur....”
I would rather see some of the wild horses served up on someones table than to see them die of starvation and overpopulation.
So "where's the beef"? ;>)
As the saying goes, “Even a stopped clock is right twice a day”.
This has been overdue.
The Fed. Gov. is spending a LOT every year to keep thousands of “Wild” horses in holding pens.
There never were enough people looking to adopt “Mustangs” (really no such thing, the wild horses are cross-bred with every possible domestic breed) to take in all the excess stock.
In the current economy, even well trained young domestic horses from excellent blood-lines are being GIVEN AWAY!
The “Mustangs” quickly out-breed their habitat, then the bunny huggers demand that some of them be rounded up and penned, so that they do not become thin malnourished specimens that affront the romantic notions of tourist.
Of course others want ALL the Mustang’s left strictly alone, thinking that sufficient forage and water will magically appear no matter how many horses are using the range.
Without this law it currently cost about $600.00 to dispose of an old horse, as it has to die and be sent to a rendering plant.
This is part of why old horses are being abandoned, legal disposal is too expensive.
What should happen is to allow private enterprise to round up the excess horses, instead of the Fed. spending hundreds of thousands annually.
The excess horses should be able to be sold for slaughter.
Little of the meat will be sold for human consumption domestically.
The French seem particularly fond of it, it is also a traditional food for some U.S. Indian tribes.
Privatize the whole process and let entrepreneurs put some people to work.
No, they’re not. I would liken them more to a dog.
I get it. Slaughter is an alternative to starvation and painful death for a lot of horses. It’s the humane thing to do.
We euthanize millions of dogs and cats for the same reason.
WHERE DOES IT FOLLOW THAT THAT MAKES IT OKAY FOR HUMANS TO EAT THEM?!
The Constitution is absolutely silent on the issue. That means the states should decide if eating horses is okay or not. If I had a vote, I would say, “Absolutely not. Not in a thousand years. That is NOT our culture.”
When they cut off all slaughter sales they destroyed the value of horses, people were and still are turning them out to starve. My brother got stuck doing a church member a favor, he had to feed two for a year, before he got wise and gave them away.
Sorry...but what does compassion have to do with it????.....
Do u value a horse over a cow?....Pig over chicken?....Please send mt your list of the proper pecking order for human consumption and compassion...Id be damned interested in seeing it!
can you believe this? now they’re talking about eating bikers
If it gets to the point where I am eating horses, I would not give $hit what the government said.
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