Reblogged from Horseback Magazine: http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/15151
State Officials, Humane Groups Oppose Proposed Horse Slaughter Plant in New Mexico
Governor and Attorney General Blast New Mexico Plant
WASHINGTON,
(ASPCA —The Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA (American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), Front Range Equine
Rescue and Animal Protection of New Mexico condemn plans to open a horse
slaughter plant in Roswell, N.M.
The plans for the slaughterhouse were uncovered in an investigation by
Front Range Equine Rescue, a Colorado-based equine rescue organization.
The proposed facility would be operated by Valley Meat Co., LLC, a
company in Roswell that has already applied with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture
Food Safety and Inspection Service for inspection of the
slaughter of equines for human consumption. According to Front Range’s
investigators, FSIS officials were scheduled to conduct a preliminary
walk-through inspection of Valley Meat’s facility last month. USDA
temporarily suspended inspections of cattle slaughter at Valley Meat Co.
in February 2012 and November 2011 due to failure to comply with humane
slaughter regulations.
“A horse slaughtering plant in Roswell is a terrible idea,” said New
Mexico Attorney General Gary King. “Such a practice, while not illegal,
is certainly abhorrent to public sentiment, and I strongly suggest it be
abandoned. I come from a ranching family but processing horses for food
was never part of the plan for raising livestock. Horses are different
and should be treated differently.”
“As a veterinarian and someone who has had the great good fortune to
grow up with and around horses, I am very saddened and angry about the
recent revelations of mistreatment of horses in New Mexico,” said New
Mexico State Land Commissioner Ray Powell. “If a horse is hurt,
terminally ill, or has no chance to find a loving home, then humane
euthanasia is a realistic alternative. I am told New Mexico is
entertaining the idea of a horse slaughtering facility in our state.
Since we do not have the horses in New Mexico to make this economically
viable, it means horses would be trucked in from surrounding states.
This is a bad idea on every level, and I strongly oppose it. New Mexico
can do much better by these intelligent and gentle creatures.”
“Horse slaughter means tremendous suffering of horses, a proven history
of environmental and waste violations, and allowing a toxic meat product
to enter the human food chain,” said Hilary Wood, president and founder
of Front Range Equine Rescue. “Solutions to horse slaughter include
stopping irresponsible breeding practices, more gelding and euthanasia
assistance programs, re-homing and re-training options, and short-term
owner assistance programs. Horse slaughter has no place in the U.S. or
across our borders.”
“American horses are our partners in sport, work and recreation—not
dinner,” said Keith Dane, director of equine protection for The HSUS.
“The entire process of horse slaughter is filled with nonstop terror,
pain and misery for horses, and it is proven to have a severe negative impact
on surrounding communities. It would be irresponsible for the federal
government to sign off on a predatory industry that has no regard for
animal or human welfare.”
“New Mexicans have a deep and enduring appreciation for horses,
especially given their important role in our state’s rural way of life.
It’s an affront to our citizens to suggest bringing the cruel, dangerous
and polluting enterprise of horse slaughter to New Mexico as we
celebrate our state’s centennial,” said Elisabeth Jennings, executive
director of Animal Protection of New Mexico.
“The overwhelming majority of Americans are intensely opposed to this
cruel practice, and as more people learn that we are allowing our horses
to be shuttled off to gruesome deaths all for the sake of foreign
gourmands, they are outraged, and opposition to this grisly practice is
growing,” said Nancy Perry, senior vice president of ASPCA Government
Relations. “Horse slaughter plants abuse more than just horses as they
have proved economically and environmentally disastrous to communities
in other states.”
In November 2011, Congress chose not to renew a ban on funding federal
inspectors at horse slaughter plants in the United States, even though a
similar provision has been part of the agriculture department’s
spending bill for the past five years. That action opened the door for a
return of horse slaughter to American soil, including taxpayer funded
inspections of horse meat destined to be sent abroad, despite broad
opposition in this country to the practice. A January 2012 poll
commissioned by the ASPCA confirms that 80 percent of American voters
oppose the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
When the last three horse slaughter plants in the U.S. closed, the
surrounding communities cheered. These communities had endured water
pollution, an unending stench of rotting blood and offal, and a negative
stigma that caused other businesses to leave the community. The
slaughter plants employed no more than a few dozen employees in
low-paying, dangerous, high-stress jobs. In their quest for higher
profits, the foreign-owned companies did their best to avoid paying
property taxes and the fines levied against them for environmental
violations.
Additionally, it is unclear how Valley Meat Co. or the USDA would
address the medications, vaccines and other substances that are
routinely given to American horses and are known to be poisonous if
consumed by humans. Earlier this year, The HSUS announced its intention
to pursue legal action if the federal government failed to follow
required protocols to ensure that food safety and environmental review
requirements were observed.
Last month, The HSUS joined Front Range Equine Rescue in filing a
petition with the Food and Drug Administration to declare the meat of
former companion, show, and working animals to be unfit for human
consumption due to the risk of the meat containing toxic residues. Last
week, the two groups filed a separate petition with the USDA to ban the
slaughter for human consumption of such animals for the same reasons.
Related articles
The Disreputable Trade in Horse Meat(hsus.typepad.com)
The European Commission Has Failed to Stem That Tide of Horse Meat Imports.(goldendays-suzanne.blogspot.com)
