Horse slaughter

[cert]

From the Cow/Calf Weekly

Horse Slaughter Ban Is Important To Cattlemen
Many months ago, some friends and I were talking about the proposed ban on horse slaughter and its ramifications for ag. At that time, I didn't consider it a major issue but as one looks at how this issue has evolved into H.R. 503, "The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act," it's obvious it's a major issue for the beef industry.

In our society, the horse has never been considered a meat animal, which reflects my beliefs as well. Horses are unique animals and rightly so. No one is going to be in support of horse processing, but it's a very important management practice.

A recent National Cattlemen's Beef Association editorial equated passage of such a bill as a slippery slope leading to dire changes in livestock agriculture. It becomes especially concerning when one considers some of the supporters of this bill. One can't help but see this bill as a serious threat to our business.

If issues such as these are defined or decided based on emotion, then we have to understand horses are the easy target, but not the last target. Animal harvest must be done humanely and in a sanitary manner, and such laws exist already to provide such animal and human protections.

As a college kid, I worked for a weekly horse auction. The fact is there's a percentage of the horse population that's going to be disposed of every year -- that's the reality. The cattle industry has a vested interest in defeating this bill. We can't let emotion-based restrictions occur, in any business.
-- Troy Marshall

[RoperAB]

I dont agree with the slippery slope in this case.
Horses are all together different than livestock. Horses are way smarter than cattle. They injure themselves way easier as well.

This is what you should do. Contact a horse slaughter plant. Tell them your training to be a farrier and you want some horse feet<detached> to practice on.
This should get you in there.

You will see foundered,sometimes badly injured, scared horses fighting it out in close quarters. These horses are shoved together and grained up.
You will see scared Horses being lead into a bloody kill floor where they are lined up and shot one after another.
Even if you have a strong stomach you will have a hard time watching this. Horse slaughter is way different than the beef industry.
I say let the french eat snails instead of old Dobin!

[OldDog/NewTricks]

Yea! Pass this law - learn what real curlty is, what it is to watch you watch you Old Friend die a long slow painfull death - to watch you horse lie in pain on the ground unable to get up while you try to comfort it by hand carying food and water. (It Not Legal to Shoot It)

When you horse dies you won't be allowed to bury it on your land with the respect it should have so you'll call the Tallow Co and you last viewing will be of you friends body being drug by a cable into that beautyful Tallow Truck (a sight you wont soon forget) an it will only cost you $200.

Of cource you can pay $1000's for a Pet Cemerty that is on Least Land < http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Pet+Cemetery+on+leased+land&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 >only to have the land owner deside he wants to build there and digs all the remains up and hauled off to the dump with a Judges Approval

Oh Yes there's the 1000's in Laywer fees you spent to try to stop this!

[RoperAB]

I thought it was only commercial slaughter?
Why would they make it against the law to put a horse down yourself?
On trips to the mountains I always make sure I have a firearm just so if one did break a leg or something I could put it down right away instead of making it wait hours<days> for me to go back home to get a rifle.

[skidboots]

Here in Texas, we have 2 horse slaughter plants. Back 2yrs ago, horses were bought at local auctions for as high as .60 per lb. Then held in pens till a big truck from Dallas came by to cram them all in. However, those guys won't pay more than .35 now, so the market must have slipped. Also the Govt regulations regarding the tracking of animals sold at aictions have resulted in some hefty fines for some folks who were holding animals till the truck came.Coggins testing is an expensive deal to horse owners in this area.
What I object to is healthy animals, young and some aged but well trained and safe, being bought and traded by these shady guys, just to make less profit than they could make shining shoes on a street corner! After years of imprinting and service to mankind, to be treated that way. I'm no softie, I kill and eat too, sure some have to be put down, but when my old roping horse dies (shes 25 now) I'll get out the backhoe and plant her standing up, faceing West...thanks very much!

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Sounds to me like basically, they take your right to put a sufferin animal down, so they can come in and charge you with animal cruelty later.

Won't happen here........SSS and cry about it in private.

[IL Rancher]

We deal with it a lot here in Illinois as there was/is a plant near Dekalb. It burned down a few years ago and they rebuilt it afteer/during a long legal fight. Most of the meat was shipped to France and Czech republic aparently as the comsumption of horse meat is way down in most of western Europe (That is partially why prices droppe from .60 to .35)..

Th laws regarding putting down a horse are getting pretty strange, they kind of fall between livestock and pets.. IE, al the protection that pets have with all the practicality of being the size of a "cow" when it comes to final disposing. There were some reports of from putting the animal down legally to burial/rendering you where looking at several, several hundred dollars....

I have such mixed feelings about this proposed legislation that I don't know which way is up anymore... I wish I could say I felt about it in a black and white manner but I just don't//

[RoperAB]

Is the market down or are the horse packers just breeding their own?
There is a huge horse slaughter plant in Fort Macleod AB and for the last few years they have been buying way more than they need so they can breed them themselves and raise their own horses for slaughter.
Im just guessing because the Fort Macleod plant actually has horses on three different outfits in the area but they must have over 20,000 horses at any given time down there.

[IL Rancher]

We were looking at a farm that had made a bit of money on th horse meat trade a few years ago and when I was talking to my dad about it (he works in Europe) he had said that a lot of the countires in Europe were not eating as much Horse as they used to for whatever reason... There are, as far as I know, only 3 horse plants in the US that process for human consumption. The two in Texas and the one in Illinois.

I really don't know much about the industry as eating horse meat or seling horse meat has never been soemthign I have thought about. Perhaps I should think about it more. All I know is the buyers for the plants did not hae a good time of it as their names where published by folks and the horse people got al over them about it.

[RoperAB]

There are three horse slaughter plants in Canada as well.
I can see the government banning these slaughter plants but I see no reason to take away an individuals non-commercial right and duty to put a horse down when necessary.
Im thinking that the original article might have taken what the government is trying to do out of context?
Besides such a law is un-inforceable anyways. If you put your horse down who is going to know? Who is going to care?

[OldDog/NewTricks]

California Laws ?????

Downer Horses (to get around the Law)(as I understand it) must be shipped Out-of-State and and unloaded before they can be shipped to a horse slaughter plant in Texas or Mexico

[Faster horses]

The people who talk about this problem that I know of, worry about others turning horses loose all over the place and then it is the ranchers problem, though it isn't their horses. Who wants to have to kill horses and bury them?

I'm a horse lover and I don't like talking about killer horses. But we have to have some way of disposing of undesirable horses. Have you seen the stats on them? There are a LOT of horses that go to kill each year. What will happen to them if that route is barred?