Slaughter ops seek ramp-up (UPDATE: Inspection funds blocked)
 

Very disturbing.. Lots of phony posturing and misinformation by advocates of restoring horse slaughterhouses.

http://newsok.com/article/3626718#disqus_thread

Disgraceful.

I wish I had the answer.... I wish someone did.

I'm fortunate to be able to listen to ATR this morning, and I'm juiced to hear this issue getting the attention it deserves, first from Steve, then from Nick Zito and now from Rich Migliore. I think that removing the seemingly perpetual black cloud that the racing industry has, in this issue, hanging overhead, could be the single most important step in bringing racing back to the forefront of modern sports. Don't let up, Steve.

Christian Science Monitor

Cant get a link to stick but this article lines out what is now allowed.

Thanks Steve for helping me get it out there.

The entire process of how this happened starts with the Government Accounting Office which seems to have been heavily influenced by the slaughter lobby...

Huffington Post: The Equine Welfare Alliance, a group focused on horses' welfare, released a position paper in response to the GAO report, slamming "disturbing omissions" that favored slaughter lobbyists.

"The GAO has a reputation for objective and thorough research and fair reporting," the group writes. "Every indication is that this standard was abandoned in the compilation of this report, and that the result is little short of a propaganda tool for horse slaughter interests."

Equine Welfare Alliane Position Paper: http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org...onse-final.pdf

http://technorati.com/lifestyle/arti...ter-for-human/

Absolutely disgraceful.

Another campaign promise from Obama gone. Both democrats and republicans should be ashamed of themselves.

The argument for bringing back slaughter plants has hinged on the belief that without the slaughter option abuse neglect and abandonment incidents will increase.
The GAO report used to repeal the ban provided statistics showing that in fact there have been increased cases across the country of abandonment and neglect...and any rescue or animal control officer will back that up.
however, those increases coincided with exponential increases in the number of horses exported for slaughter.
The number of US horses slaughtered has in fact remained nearly on par with 2006 numbers.
We are not slaughtering fewer animals.
The closure of slaughter plants is not responsible for the increasing numbers of unwanted animals.... the economy is.

I find it hard to believe that getting one of these plants open again will be as easy as advertised. Slaughter plants of any kind are major NIMBYs as well as polluters.

But once again the push is to stop them... not to find a long term solution.

Absolutely disgusting story.....
 

As well as some of the comments that followed, i read all of those i could stomach! I will be placing a call to Rep. Jim Moran's office tomorrow, he's a good man from my home state of Virginia, to urge him to keep the pressure on to keep this ban in place! This just flippant, almost joyful attitude of some of these people is sickening! Like it's no big deal what happens to these horses, just as long as we control the population, oh and it will be "humane" my ass these people are liars and morons! Who are to damn lazy to bother to look for alternatives and are totally ignorant and would look at the work of wonderful folks like Michael Blowen with Old Friends. It's infuriating!:mad:

Over the years, we’ve covered the efforts of former Playboy playmates Shane and Sia Barbi to put an end to the slaughter of horses in the United States. And, now that Congress has just lifted a ban that could result in a return to horse slaughter for meat after it had been outlawed for five years, the Barbi Twins are revamping their efforts.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/69542.html

Where's PETA when you need um?

PETA, along with AAEP, are in favor of slaughter reasoning that a supervised, finite death for these horses is preferable to unsupervised, prolonged (starvation, dehydration, etc.) suffering and ultimate death.

They are just the greatest... :zz:

USDA BLOG

Setting the Record Straight on Congress’ Lifting of the Ban on Horse Slaughter
Posted by Phil Derfler, Deputy Administrator for Food Safety and Inspection Service, on December 9, 2011 at 3:20 PM

There has been a lot of talk in the past week about Congress’ lifting of the ban prohibiting federal funding for the inspection of horses, which prevented the slaughter of horses for human consumption for the past five years. The issue is understandably a sensitive and emotional one for everyone who loves these majestic animals, but it is important that the discussion be tempered with the facts.

While Congress has technically lifted the ban, horse processing will not resume anytime in the near term. Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, horses are an amenable species, which means that horse meat cannot be shipped or sold for human consumption without inspection.

To date, there have been no requests that the Department initiate the authorization process for any horse processing operation in the United States. In the two states where horse processing took place prior to the Congressional ban, Illinois and Texas, there are laws in place prohibiting the slaughter of horses. Even if these laws were changed, any processing facility will still need to satisfy a significant number of requirements, such as obtaining a federal grant of inspection, conducting a hazard analysis, and developing a Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan prior to the processing of any animals.

It's nice for a change to have endless hurdles of beauracratic red tape.

Today is National Horse day. Also a time to reflect on how Congress talks out both sides of their mouth.
http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-ne...the-horse.aspx

http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org...rses-FINAL.pdf

the abandonment paradox

Article this morning in www.tennessean.com about a bill that would allow slaughterhouses in TN.

Psycho Sue Wallis on the stomp in Missouri: http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=613912

A smattering of stuff about her on the internets...

http://stablewomangazette.com/blogs/...-to-sue-wallis

http://rtfitchauthor.com/2011/11/02/...e-desecration/

:eek:

Poll regarding Tennessee bill to encourage construction of equine slaughter plants... not sure who the host really is... but you don't have to live there to vote
http://www.commercialappeal.com/polls/2012/mar/20horse/

I travel to New Mexico frequently. I saw this article on the front page of today's Sunday Albuquerque Journal. The article raises alot of interesting questions. No action will be taken in 2012 on the application in Roswell to open up a horse slaughterhouse due to the issue's volatility in an election year. The governor of New Mexico is vehemently opposed to horse slaughter.

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/...opulation.html

Bill would deny funds for inspectors at U.S. horse slaughter facilities
By Glenye Cain Oakford

http://www.drf.com/news/bill-would-d...ter-facilities

LEXINGTON, Ky. – In a move that could prevent equine slaughterhouses from reopening in the U.S. in the near term, the House Appropriations Committee has voted once again to deny funding for federal inspectors at horse slaughter facilities. In a voice vote Wednesday, the committee adopted Virginia Representative Jim Moran’s amendment to the Fiscal Year 2013 Agricultural Appropriations Bill. Moran’s amendment prohibits funding for the inspectors. The bill will now go to the House floor for a vote.

Horse-Slaughter Plant’s Lawyer Says Opening Three Weeks Away

The lawyer for a New Mexico meat plant that wants to be the first to slaughter horses in the U.S. since 2007 says the facility may be operational in three weeks.

“We’re getting ready to go,” A. Blair Dunn, attorney for Valley Meat Co. in Roswell, New Mexico, said today in a phone interview. The plant may eventually have about 100 employees processing as many as 100 horses a day for export, he said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...eeks-away.html

Horse-Slaughter Jobs Embraced in State Where Cowboys Roam

Tim Sappington is ready to buy horses for Valley Meat Co., which is seeking to open the first U.S. horse slaughterhouse since 2007.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...e-cowboys-roam

Tim Sappington is proud of himself

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2931994.html

I clicked on the link and immediately closed it... cannot even read the thing.

What is wrong with people? Are some of them born without hearts, brains and souls? Where does trash like this come from?

Disturbing, sick, and sad sad sad.

People should be treated how they treat others (which means this guy should be shot).

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/0...ops-horse.html

At least this has been stopped for now, but New Mexico's still trying. I get that they're under pressure from Texas beef plants, but that's no reason to stoop this way--they're ignoring the fact that these animals are medicated which is illegal. People owning these horses shouldn't get an out. Either there needs to be a way to place the horse, or they should be humanely euthanized. They deserve that not pain and fear for the horse, blood money for the owner.