by BETTER FARMING STAFF
Federally inspected Canadian horse slaughter plants in Alberta and Quebec could see their supply of animals from the United States cut off if a bill banning the export of slaughter horses becomes law. The bill, which also bans the killing of horses for human consumption, is expected to be introduced this week.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) support the legislation which is being proposed to thwart a company that wants to open a horse slaughter plant in New Mexico.
U.S. horses have been shipped to Canada in volume since 2007 when the American government cut off funding for horse slaughter inspections and the states of Illinois and Texas shut down horse slaughter plants.
If it becomes law, Canadian horse slaughter plants in Fort Macleod, Alta., and Massueville, Que. will be affected.
Canadian Meat Council director of government and media relations, Ron Davidson, says the majority of horse meat for human consumption processed in Canada is exported, although about 15 per cent is consumed here, primarily in Quebec. He also says horse meat processed here is inspected for purity to make sure it is not camouflaged in other meat products and it is clearly labeled “horse meat.” BF
Comments
This is good news for regular horsemen.
I don't know any body in the horse business who wants to be forced into the EU drug passport system. This summer we'd all have to spend our hard earned dollars on microchipping and writing down every drug. It's just too much government intrusion into private business.
This bill will save taxes, too. We don't need to be paying for our own USDA inspectors to work at a foreign horse slaughter plant - we need to spend our money to keep our own food supply clean.
Horses DO NOT BELONG ON ANYONES DINNER PLATE.
I am praying this Bill passes in the US. Killing horses Toturing them is not acceptable and it certainly is not humane!!! SICK is what it is so I hope to god our gov. does the right thing here for once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slaughtering horses for human consumption is not torture regardless of how you spell it. Animals get slaughtered in the US every day for food. What's the difference whether it's horses, cattle, pigs or chickens. Unless we ban all meat eating it makes no sense.
You, obviously, have not looked in the eyes of a horse.
Simply put Horses are not raised for meat in the U.S. That being said it is safe to assume they have NO TRACKING history that would indicate what they have been administered throughout their lifetime in the form of drug medications.
Regardless of the rhetoric coming from the CFIA and it,s EID program there is no CREDITABLE history that can be confirmed as it relates to the drugs administered to these U.S Horses.
If you thought the state of Horse welfare was in dire straights now, wait, It's going to get a whole lot worse. Just do the math. rescues are full hay is expensive in bad economic times. And now it is thought to be a good idea to stop the export of some 100,000 head plus, effectively Locking them within the borders of the U.S. If you thought it was bad before. Hold onto your hats it's about to get worse!
Slaughtering the horses is still not the answer. People keep breeding, and breeding. Now, we need to really work hard and figuring out how to get the horse population down.
You need to ask the Gov for a buyout like hogs got not too long ago . Problem there too was that they kept breeding and shipping pork and the selves are still over flowing but the complain about the price of feed more than any thing . Problem is you can tell some people but that is about as far as it goes . Every horse breeder is waiting for his Wayne Gretzky of the horse world .
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