Groups Push To Slaughter Horses For Meat, Possibly Starting In Oregon

[BUDDYSGIRL]

Groups are lobbying Congress to introduce a bill this summer to allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to resume inspecting horse meat for human consumption. That would reopen the door to foreign exports.

In addition, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are considering building a slaughter and processing facility -- possibly for pet food -- on their reservation north of Madras, as recommended last spring by a coalition of Northwest tribes.

The success of either proposal is far from certain. A congressional spokesman said bills that favor slaughtering horses face a chilly reception, and a tribal spokesman said it's too early to say much about the Warm Springs idea.

Yet the efforts, in addition to riling animal-rights advocates, underscore a rural-urban divide and the desperate state of America's horse industry.

Supporters say they need a way to deal with tens of thousands of unwanted horses. The glut was caused by factors such as uncontrolled breeding, closure of the last U.S. horse-processing plants two years ago and an economy that has left many owners unable to pay for feed and care.

The situation has led to a steep decline in horse prices, overgrazing on Native American reservations, and incidents of horse abandonment and neglect, among other problems.

"We think it is very fair and accurate to say there are probably 100,000 horses that would go to processing today" if a plant were available, said Wyoming state Rep. Sue Wallis, a rancher emerging as a national leader in pushing to reinstate horse slaughtering.

Jenny Edwards, who runs the nonprofit Hope for Horses rescue outfit in Woodinville, Wash., dislikes slaughtering but says something must be done. "Everybody who has open land is getting horses dumped on it right now," she said.

But animal-rights advocates find the notion of killing horses inhumane and repugnant. "This is a predatory business," said Chris Heyde, spokesman for the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C., who called reports of horse abandonment exaggerated. "It is making a political game out of a serious issue."

The issue splits along urban-rural lines, with city dwellers more likely to see horses as companion animals that merit protection and country people more likely to view them as livestock suited for "canner" prices when they become old or lame.

"Why is it OK to euthanize 9 million dogs and cats a year?" said Stephanie Duquette, a Hermiston horse trainer who writes about horse issues and supports slaughtering and processing. "Because no one wants to eat them."

Until two years ago, as many as 100,000 horses a year were killed in the U.S. for meat for foreign markets. A 2007 federal court ruling closed the nation's last horse-processing plant -- Cavel International in DeKalb, Ill. -- on the heels of two Texas closures resulting from a state decision to enforce a 1949 ban on horse-meat facilities.

Keep Reading:

- OregonLive.com

[4jpainthorses]

I hope it happens because we sure need something to happen. There is such a large number of horses in our area now that killer horses (yes, killer horses that are being bought to ship to Mexico) are bringing around $40 to $50 a horse. Even for fat big horses. Poor horses and stud horses are bring $25.

[proudmomma]

That's insane 4J. I'm glad they are reconsidering it. The anti-slaughter horse people can cry all they want, but the problem is that no one is willing to step up and take care of them, so... they rot.. or get dumped to rot. Either way, it's much better a quick death than a slow one. Even foreign slaughter is better than slowly starving to death for years. I know people who personally drive their horses to slaughter, and in certain parts in Europe you can hold your beloved animal while it is expertly dispatched by a top notch marksman. I think the way the dutch do it is the best. When the horse is born, you an mark it for slaughter or not. If it is for slaughter, you have to keep a record of all shots and wormings, if not.. no record is kept. Once a horse is marked as not for slaughter, you can't take it to be processed for the rest of it's life. (For those who want to make sure their horse doesn't turn into a steak no matter what). It is a double duty. It keeps the meat contaminate free and provides a way for an owner to "protect" their precious. I think is a quick and humane way to take care of the problem. Anyone?

Oh, and my heart sank yesterday. It probably will again today. We're going to look at a project horse. He was bought as a package deal... along with an entire HERD of mares for......breeding purposes. No one is registered. So aggrivating. Here I am, weighing my options for breeding next year and taking the market into account and whether or not I can forsee keeping said offspring until they are 3 or 4 and broke.. or even longer. I also worry about my mare's health, the problems the baby could have, etc. And here are more bybs... taking in a herd of average mares to breed as they please... cause you know breeding horses makes a TON of dough. *insert gag here* I'll get a better feel for it this afternoon. I might come back here and have to rant, so everyone might want to prepare.

[BUDDYSGIRL]

Supporters say they need a way to deal with tens of thousands of unwanted horses
"We think it is very fair and accurate to say there are probably 100,000 horses that would go to processing today" if a plant were available, said Wyoming state Rep. Sue Wallis, a rancher emerging as a national leader in pushing to reinstate horse slaughtering.


Thats alot of horses!!

[Cuttin74]

I am not opposed to horse slaughter (done humanely), but I really hate that we use it as a dump and keep breeding and cloning all day long. I wish we could become more concience of our breeding practices and maybe we wouldn't have so many unwanted horses.

[miss_snickers]

There was unwanted horses centuries before the ending of horse slaughter and there will be for centuries to come.
I agree with breeding practices, but sure dont want the Government to intervene and tell me what to do, as with many laws already.
There are more people I know who have stopped all together or slowed down on the breeding. Its a small dent, but its a dent.

I dont like it either, but its something I would rather happen than seeing the horses now left to starve to death.