Yet another reason for ending this cruel and dishonest business for good.
kvue.com
Posted on September 19, 2011 at 8:33 PM
Updated
today at 5:35 PM
PRESIDIO -- KVUE News has a follow-up to a story on the horse export pens on the border.
Horses in this country headed to slaughter in Mexico are held in livestock pens in this tiny West Texas town before they cross the border. A recent report revealed allegations of abuse and neglect at one facility. Now, the Texas Environmental Agency has cited that same company for illegally dumping dead horses along a river bed.
KVUE News has obtained video shot by investigators with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. They flew over the export pens in a DPS helicopter after complaints this summer about dead horses dumped in a dry river bed.
"The smell is horrendous," said Amber Taylor, who works with a horse rescue group in Virginia. She shot her own video of the illegal dumping site. Taylor came to Presidio to document allegations of abuse and neglect of horses kept in the Texas export pens before they’re sent to slaughter in Mexico.
"You can just look up where these horses are and see the buzzards flying around," she said.
Taylor said she saw dying and dead horses at the export pens leased by the C-4 Cattle Company.
"I have to believe there are so many more," she said.
Environmental investigators also videotaped a path they discovered at the illegal dump site. It lead straight to the C-4 export pens.
The investigation details four serious violations. Most focus on the C-4’s failure to document the number of horses that died at the facility, the cause of death, and proof that the animals were disposed of at an authorized dump site.
In an e-mail, the owner of C-4 said his lawyer would appeal the decision to cite his business. The environmental agency has not imposed a penalty yet.
The company faces up to $10,000 a day per violation.
