Horse slaughter ban lifted

[DJofSD]

http://newsok.com/horse-slaughter-ban-lifted-in-u.s.-after-report-on-unintended-consequences/article/3626719#ixzz1f0jiGX3i

Members of Congress who decided to end the prohibition on domestic horse slaughtering relied heavily on research provided in June by the General Accountability Office, Congress' auditing arm.

The report says the number of horses exported to Mexico and Canada from the U.S. for slaughter increased to 138,000 last year, up from 33,000 in 2006. And, according to the report, both sides of the issue agree that horses must now travel much further to be slaughtered, without adequate rest, food and water and potentially in vehicles designed for smaller animals.

Lobbyists for animal rights groups say the GAO report ignores the fact that horses were being neglected and abused before the ban and were also being transported long distances within the United States for slaughter. They also say that the increase in abandonments is directly attributable to the economy, since many types of animals are abandoned when people no longer can afford to care for them.

[JustRalph]

And Obama signs the bill

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/horse-slaughter-ban-lifted_n_1119518.html

Read the details.......interesting tactic

[Tom]

What a disgrace this congress is. How can anyone have any respect for them at all? Scum of the earth, every last one of them.:ThmbDown::ThmbDown::ThmbDown:

[GatetoWire]

Reminds me of the spread of slots from state to state.

Govt is basically saying that horses from the US are being shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter so why not just legalize it and profit from it in the US.

Pretty weak.

[Striker]

How pathetic is this that the Congress/President can agree on an issue like this? Sickening.

[Greyfox]

Different strokes for different folks.
Here in North America most of us are sickened by the idea of having horses slaughtered. To think of even eating horse meat seems yucky.
Having said that horse hair been used in brushes, their skin used in leather (boots, jackets), baseball gloves, hooves are a source of glue etc.
In France and Japan horse meat is considered a delicacy.

At the same time most of us have no problems eating a good beef steak.
Yet in India cows are sacred and walk the streets.

Different strokes for different folks.

[classhandicapper]

Reminds me of the spread of slots from state to state.

Govt is basically saying that horses from the US are being shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter so why not just legalize it and profit from it in the US.

Pretty weak.

In this country we rationalize poor behavior instead of correcting it. There are no guiding moral principles. It's pathetic.

[MNslappy]

GAO looked into the effects of the ban — in place since 2006 — and released a report entitled “Horse Welfare: Action Needed to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter.”

“Horse welfare in the United States has generally declined since 2007, as evidenced by a reported increase in horse abandonments and an increase in investigations for horse abuse and neglect,'' the report states.

“The extent of the decline is unknown due to a lack of comprehensive, national data, but state officials attributed the decline in horse welfare to many factors, but primarily to the cessation of domestic slaughter and the U.S. economic downturn."


Here's the full 68 page GAO report (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d11228.pdf) if anyone's interested.

[nijinski]

A beautiful and majestic animal as our horses are should not have this fate.
There is nothing humane about a slaughter box in a slaughterhouse plant.
Sad to see this signed.
Everyone in Congress should get a copy of War Horse for the holiday's.
I guess though that it will be just debuting.

[BetCrazyGirl]

If there is anyone to be mad or disgusted with it should be with those who create this situation with the horses from their own irresponsible behavior. No different from the shelters that are overfilled with cats and dogs that sadly end up with a similar fate. Own and breed responsibly.

[PaceAdvantage]

At the same time most of us have no problems eating a good beef steak.
Yet in India cows are sacred and walk the streets.Cattle are raised here for the express purpose of being eaten. Horses are not.

[nijinski]

Forbes article,and it's circulating ....Forbes magazine starts a series on racing

http://www.forbes.com/sites/vickerye...thoroughbreds/

What upsets me is that there are more efforts being done to rehome
race horses than ever before , but this guy is tearing apart the sport .
Sorry if link is broken . It's at Forbes.com re slaughter and horseracing.

[FenceBored]

Forbes article,and it's circulating ....Forbes magazine starts a series on racing

http://www.forbes.com/sites/vickerye...thoroughbreds/

What upsets me is that there are more efforts being done to rehome
race horses than ever before , but this guy is tearing apart the sport .
Sorry if link is broken . It's at Forbes.com re slaughter and horseracing.


Here you go:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/vickeryeckhoff/2011/11/29/racing-industry-silent-about-slaughtered-thoroughbreds/ (http://www.forbes.com/sites/vickeryeckhoff/2011/11/29/racing-industry-silent-about-slaughtered-thoroughbreds/)

[FenceBored]

Just finished reading the Forbes article.
The same fate befell Deputy Broad this past summer. Less than 48 hours after coming in last in a July 11 race at Mountaineer, his trainer, Danny Bird, had an Ohio kill buyer pick up the colt for transport to Richelieu. He arrived on July 19 and was confirmed slaughtered, according to online reports. Bird didn’t even give Deputy Broad the chance to be adopted by a rescue. Stable to table in less than seven days. {emphasis added}
-- http://www.forbes.com/sites/vickeryeckhoff/2011/11/29/racing-industry-silent-about-slaughtered-thoroughbreds/2/

[Tom]

While t-bred racing only accounts for about 20% of the unwanted horses, it is obvious that it needs to do much more than it does. Rules need to prevent this POS and other POS owners like him from going directly tot he kill pen. They MUST be held accountable.

See, this is a good reason why we need far less tracks - the bottom is populate by scumbags like this guy. The tracks need to step up and start looking out for the horses. Especially ones now whoring off of the slots.

[macguy]

Cattle are raised here for the express purpose of being eaten. Horses are not.


Oh I see, it's only wrong to slaughter an animal for food if it wasn't raised for that purpose. Yes, that makes sense.

[Canarsie]

Let's be fair here both sides of congress are at fault and the president also for signing it. I don't care that it was part of a spending bill wrong is wrong.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/horses-slaughtered-meat-us-15053521

My niece owns a standardbred that she cares for with tons of "love". She was over for Thanksgiving while forgetting his bloodlines she said the stud fee for him was pretty high. He only raced seven times and she got him for free or a minimal charge can't recall exactly. I'm very proud of her the horse gets excellent care and she gives up lots of her social life to make sure he's fed properly, given blankets on cold days and anything else the horse needs. She even makes sure that there's no moisture in the hay which could be harmful to the horse.

[Robert Goren]

The number of horses that can no longer be used for racing each year is staggering. There just aren't enough uses for them. Just keeping all of them in a pasture somewhere is cost prohibiting. No matter how you feel about horses, the math doesn't add up. We race them for 2 or 3 years, but they live for 20. At any one time we would have 15 years of retired race horses. Most of them are good for much else than racing and there is not much of a demand for retired race horse. Sure a few might become out ponies and few more might move into the show arena, but those areas are really limited. There aren't that many rich girls these days that would want a race horse as pet either. At the outside there is maybe a place for 10% of the horse retired each year. What do you think can happen to the rest? There is just no place for most of them to go.

[DJofSD]

She even makes sure that there's no moisture in the hay which could be harmful to the horse.

It's not the moisture, per se, that could be harmful but the mold that could grow and be consumed by the horse that is the real danger. If the digestive system for cows was on one end of a scale for toleration/toughness, the horse's would be at the other end.

[PaceAdvantage]

Oh I see, it's only wrong to slaughter an animal for food if it wasn't raised for that purpose. Yes, that makes sense.
It someone is going to equate cows and horses then what else would you like me to say?

[thaskalos]

The number of horses that can no longer be used for racing each year is staggering. There just aren't enough uses for them. Just keeping all of them in a pasture somewhere is cost prohibiting. No matter how you feel about horses, the math doesn't add up. We race them for 2 or 3 years, but they live for 20. At any one time we would have 15 years of retired race horses. Most of them are good for much else than racing and there is not much of a demand for retired race horse. Sure a few might become out ponies and few more might move into the show arena, but those areas are really limited. There aren't that many rich girls these days that would want a race horse as pet either. At the outside there is maybe a place for 10% of the horse retired each year. What do you think can happen to the rest? There is just no place for most of them to go.
Sad but true...

It's easy to identify a problem...but how do you find the solution?

[MNslappy]

Gotta say I'm a bit surprised by the general reaction in this thread.

GAO found that the ban has led to a "decline in horse welfare ... primarily [due] to the cessation of domestic slaughter."

At the very least, this isn't as black and white as many of ya'll want to make it out be.

[OntheRail]

Oh I see, it's only wrong to slaughter an animal for food if it wasn't raised for that purpose. Yes, that makes sense.
Yes there is a HUGE difference... even in the Bible it talks of only slaughtering animals with cloven hoof. Last I knew a quarter crack does not qualify as a cloven hoof. This is America We don't eat CATS... DOGS or HORSES. :mad:

[FenceBored]

Gotta say I'm a bit surprised by the general reaction in this thread.

GAO found that the ban has led to a "decline in horse welfare ... primarily [due] to the cessation of domestic slaughter."

At the very least, this isn't as black and white as many of ya'll want to make it out be.

A serious economic downturn in same timeframe might have more than a little to do with a decline in discretionary income applied to horse care or horse charities.

Of course, the rising costs of various types of feed and bedding don't help either. Look at the cost of hay in drought stricken TX this Fall. $125 for a round bale, compared to $25 last year? :eek:

[BetCrazyGirl]

Yes there is a HUGE difference... even in the Bible it talks of only slaughtering animals with cloven hoof. Last I knew a quarter crack does not qualify as a cloven hoof. This is America We don't eat CATS... DOGS or HORSES. :mad:

Its not common practice to eat horse in America but we do kill cats and dogs everyday because of overpopulation in America. When it comes to horses it does get sketchy under what group they fall under, companion animal or livestock but generally they are under livestock.

What needs to be looked at is how to stop the over population and get people to be more responsible when owning a horse, like not ditching it just because they have found it useless once its past its prime. If you don't have the money to care for a horse and only get the horse in hopes of creating an income I honestly feel then the person shouldn't own one. As long they are animal people are using to try to turn a profit on this will continue to happen. Its the same as puppy mills to an extent.

[OntheRail]

Gotta say I'm a bit surprised by the general reaction in this thread.

GAO found that the ban has led to a "decline in horse welfare ... primarily [due] to the cessation of domestic slaughter."

At the very least, this isn't as black and white as many of ya'll want to make it out be.
Gee they never made the connection that since 2007 (a pivotal year in the decline of income and personal wealth) that could of lead to an increase of people losing discretionary income... homes... farmsteads! No has to be the damn ban on horse slaughter. What a Pile.

[OntheRail]

A serious economic downturn in same timeframe might have more than a little to do with a decline in discretionary income applied to horse care or horse charities.

Of course, the rising costs of various types of feed and bedding don't help either. Look at the cost of hay in drought stricken TX this Fall. $125 for a round bale, compared to $25 last year? :eek:
Not to mention the diversion of feed corn for ethanol production and couple that with flood loses has created a increase in all feeds cost.

[Canarsie]

It's not the moisture, per se, that could be harmful but the mold that could grow and be consumed by the horse that is the real danger. If the digestive system for cows was on one end of a scale for toleration/toughness, the horse's would be at the other end.

Thanks I'm a ignoramus when it comes to this subject she might have even said mold. I was just really surprised that someone is there three times a day and also to make sure the horse is comfortable in cold weather. It was really sad to hear that some ignore a horses basic needs even when they pay board.


A serious economic downturn in same timeframe might have more than a little to do with a decline in discretionary income applied to horse care or horse charities.

Of course, the rising costs of various types of feed and bedding don't help either. Look at the cost of hay in drought stricken TX this Fall. $125 for a round bale, compared to $25 last year? :eek:

Wow I'm not sure what kind of bale she buys but her mom said it was around $10$-12 in central NJ.

[nijinski]

Just finished reading the Forbes article.
The same fate befell Deputy Broad this past summer. Less than 48 hours after coming in last in a July 11 race at Mountaineer, his trainer, Danny Bird, had an Ohio kill buyer pick up the colt for transport to Richelieu. He arrived on July 19 and was confirmed slaughtered, according to online reports. Bird didn’t even give Deputy Broad the chance to be adopted by a rescue. Stable to table in less than seven days. {emphasis added}
-- http://www.forbes.com/sites/vickeryeckhoff/2011/11/29/racing-industry-silent-about-slaughtered-thoroughbreds/2/


Danny Bird is a disgrace and should not be aloud anywhere near a horse.
Bird and Baird .

[davew]

they did not realize the effect this original law would have on the value and liquidity of horses - auctions had horses where no one would bid a dollar

lifespan of a well kept horse is in the 20-30 year range

people in some parts of the country could not give away their horse(s) and were forced to choose between feeding their kids or horse

or try some sort of euthenasia for the horse on their own (many times more inhumane than any slaughterhouse)


so like it or not, lifting of the ban is a good thing as far as I'm concerned


just not enough money going to horse shelters to feed all the horses in the country

[OntheRail]

Its not common practice to eat horse in America but we do kill cats and dogs everyday because of overpopulation in America. When it comes to horses it does get sketchy under what group they fall under, companion animal or livestock but generally they are under livestock.

What needs to be looked at is how to stop the over population and get people to be more responsible when owning a horse, like not ditching it just because they have found it useless once its past its prime. If you don't have the money to care for a horse and only get the horse in hopes of creating an income I honestly feel then the person shouldn't own one. As long they are animal people are using to try to turn a profit on this will continue to happen. Its the same as puppy mills to an extent.

Yes we euthanize cats and dogs in the US we do not slaughter them for food. I had to put down one of my Horses... I called to Vet who injected a sedative to easy her and then the blue dope that sent her on to be with her stablemate of 26 years who passed away in his sleep of old age. I then wrapped her in her warmer and buried her next to her hubby so to say. They where faithful animals and good companion. I did not bludgeon her head in with a hammer or stab her in her spine and call the meat wagon for a few bucks in the pocket. So maybe a percentage of the breeding charge along with a percentage of the pool net should go into a SS for horses... wait what am I saying.... the Politicians would just empty it and place a IOU in the cupboard. Ok kidding aside... if we could fine a way to keep "Administrative Salaries" from depleting the fund allot of good could come from it..

[MNslappy]

Danny Bird is a disgrace and should not be aloud anywhere near a horse.
Bird and Baird .

Is Mr Berry still posting here? I'd love to gets his take on this article, since Mountaineer is named a couple of times.

[nijinski]

The number of horses that can no longer be used for racing each year is staggering. There just aren't enough uses for them. Just keeping all of them in a pasture somewhere is cost prohibiting. No matter how you feel about horses, the math doesn't add up. We race them for 2 or 3 years, but they live for 20. At any one time we would have 15 years of retired race horses. Most of them are good for much else than racing and there is not much of a demand for retired race horse. Sure a few might become out ponies and few more might move into the show arena, but those areas are really limited. There aren't that many rich girls these days that would want a race horse as pet either. At the outside there is maybe a place for 10% of the horse retired each year. What do you think can happen to the rest? There is just no place for most of them to go.

I understand that they haven't figured out what to do with the with the amount of horses , we've hoped the racing industry would give more responsibility to the owners .
It just isn't right. slaughterhouses are not a place for a horse to have a
peaceful end of life no matter what breed of horse. The boxes are built for cattle. There is slaughter and there is euthanasia .
Would you not want to euthanize an animal humanely .
It

[BetCrazyGirl]

Yes we euthanize cats and dogs in the US we do not slaughter them for food.

I agree euthanize would be a more humane way to do this and should be the prefer way if something like this has to be done. I guess I just wish there was more done to help prevent this to begin with. Like the puppymills, some states have put in regulations to help prevent them from operating and also organizations making an awareness to them but I haven't seen much done with horses, maybe it is done and I'm not aware of it but it would be nice to start seeing more action taken against those who are using horses as if they are disposable.

[classhandicapper]

Quite honestly, I would be less upset if we passed a bill making it legal to slaughter congressman. Come to think of it, I wouldn't be upset at all.

[classhandicapper]

On a more serious note, I'm obviously not the moral compass for anyone else, but this is the way I see it.

I think what makes some things related to the treatment of animals less morally acceptable is the intent and level of responsibility involved.

Some people may find slaughtering a cow, chicken, sheep, pig etc.. for food offensive. I actually understand that point of view and have even considered becoming a vegetarian. But it is clear we all have to eat. The intent is not to slaughter those animals. The intent is to provide food for people that have to eat. There is nothing immoral about the intent.

If an animal is suffering we sometimes put them down. The intent is not to slaughter those animals. The intent is to ease their suffering. Again, IMO there is nothing clearly immoral about that.

It's when the intent is to simply rid ourselves of animals that are an economic or other kind of inconvenience that IMO you cross the line into intrinsic immorality. And it's not necessarily even the person or shelter that that does the killing that is at fault. It's the irresponsible behavior of breeders, owners, and others that create the situation where there are animals that can't be cared for properly.

IMO that's the difference between a mature humane society and a F'd up society like ours.

Instead of actually fixing problems and encouraging responsible moral behavior we band-aid them and often do the intrinsically immoral thing in response.

The way to fix this problem is not to slaughter the excess horses. It's to address the reasons we have excess horses so it stops being a problem.

The debate should be how to deal with owners, breeders etc... that abandon their responsibilities to living animals or engage in irresponsible behavior.

[nijinski]

I actually just put mentioned this in the general thread.

There is a possible link to Aplastic Anemia in children and Bute. Therefore they are I believe classifying horses in Europe to certify that they are suitable for consumption.
It is of my opinion then that horses in the US should not be fit to pass regulations .
Did they really know what they were doing when they passed this , or are horse breeding farms for consumption suddenly going to spring up.
The kill buyers need to be severely regulated , as most of our horses are given pain meds .

[BIG49010]

I actually just put mentioned this in the general thread.

There is a possible link to Aplastic Anemia in children and Bute. Therefore they are I believe classifying horses in Europe to certify that they are suitable for consumption.
It is of my opinion then that horses in the US should not be fit to pass regulations .
Did they really know what they were doing when they passed this , or are horse breeding farms for consumption suddenly going to spring up.
The kill buyers need to be severely regulated , as most of our horses are given pain meds .

Most of the meds that race horses are given have warnings that state not to be given to horses for Human consumption.

I would think the plants that are purchasing race horses are most likely using them for animal feed, but I could be wrong.

[nijinski]

Most of the meds that race horses are given have warnings that state not to be given to horses for Human consumption.

I would think the plants that are purchasing race horses are most likely using them for animal feed, but I could be wrong.
More than likely that's the case .

[Robert Goren]

To all the people who point out that we don't eat cats and dogs here, I would like to point out that there are places that do.

Some of you do not seem to realise the numbers and the costs involved with retired race horses. Your $100 a year to a a retired horse farm is just a drop in the bucket for the care of one horse for a year. We are dealing with thousands of horses retiring a year and they live another 20 years. I don't anybody is going to get the race horse business if they know that they going to be saddled with the cost of keeping that horse for 20 years after it is retired from racing. Remember most horses lose money for their owners during their racing career and now you want the owner to keep paying for a horse that they can't even pay someone to take and may well outlive the owner.

[menifee]

Finally some good policy to remove this ban of horse slaughter. This is a perfect example of the law of unintended consequences and why you cannot legislate everything.

As a result of the ban, in 2010, over 138,000 horses were shipped out of this country to be slaughtered overseas. Many of those horses were not slaughtered in an humane fashion. All the ban did was cause the slaughtering of horses to be transferred overseas rather than in the United States, it did not end slaughtering. The ban also caused the direct neglect of horses to increase. In other words, those people who could not ship overseas, but did not want the horse simply abandoned or neglected them. Once again, another inhumane result for the horse. Finally, the ban eliminated jobs. Whether we like it or not, horse meat is a valuable commodity in some parts of the world and this ban prohibited Americans from competing in this industry.

To summarize, the ban caused horses to still be slaughtered, they were slaughtered in a inhumane environment rather than in a regulated plant, more horses were abandoned and neglected and jobs were lost. Horrible public policy.

[Robert Goren]

This is just another problem that arises from the fact that we have way too many race tracks. Most people know that, but go to great lengths to keep their local race tracks open. Its not going get better anytime soon. Right now if you want to open a casino in a lot of places, you have to run a race track on the side. That is only making matters worse. Horsemen love that because they don't have to deal with the consequences like the costs of retired race horses.

[classhandicapper]

Some of you do not seem to realise the numbers and the costs involved with retired race horses. Your $100 a year to a a retired horse farm is just a drop in the bucket for the care of one horse for a year. We are dealing with thousands of horses retiring a year and they live another 20 years. I don't anybody is going to get the race horse business if they know that they going to be saddled with the cost of keeping that horse for 20 years after it is retired from racing. Remember most horses lose money for their owners during their racing career and now you want the owner to keep paying for a horse that they can't even pay someone to take and may well outlive the owner.

Then they either shouldn't become owners or the sport should not exist on this scale to begin with.

Rationalizing the slaughter of animals because of economic inconvenience when we are the ones breeding them for our enjoyment is what makes this intrinsically immoral. Food is a requirement. Gambling and owning horses for pleasure is not.

[classhandicapper]

Finally some good policy to remove this ban of horse slaughter. This is a perfect example of the law of unintended consequences and why you cannot legislate everything.

As a result of the ban, in 2010, over 138,000 horses were shipped out of this country to be slaughtered overseas. Many of those horses were not slaughtered in an humane fashion. All the ban did was cause the slaughtering of horses to be transferred overseas rather than in the United States, it did not end slaughtering. The ban also caused the direct neglect of horses to increase. In other words, those people who could not ship overseas, but did not want the horse simply abandoned or neglected them. Once again, another inhumane result for the horse. Finally, the ban eliminated jobs. Whether we like it or not, horse meat is a valuable commodity in some parts of the world and this ban prohibited Americans from competing in this industry.

To summarize, the ban caused horses to still be slaughtered, they were slaughtered in a inhumane environment rather than in a regulated plant, more horses were abandoned and neglected and jobs were lost. Horrible public policy.

Then fix the problem, don't settle for a slightly less bad option.

[Dave Schwartz]

I live in Nevada. We have wild horses. The kill vs. don't kill battle has been going on for years. This is different.

It seems to me that the real question is, "Why is slaughter being permitted again?"

And remember that it isn't just the slaughtering... it is that they are re-instating using horse as human food.

I suggest that this country is getting prepared to feed the massive number of new people living below the poverty level.


IMHO, this is the scary part.


Regards,
Dave Schwartz

[baconswitchfarm]

This is being reinstated before we get to a crisis level. There is no place for all these horses to go and is getting worse. If you go to a current livestock sale you will see why this is needed. An older riding horse might bring fifty dollars while a large billy goat brings two hundred. In eastern kentucky people are turning horses loose at abandoned coal land because they can't give them away. There is a buying market for all these horses around the world. I eat meat and don't judge others choices of what to eat. I don't eat grasshoppers. If we were overrun with them and could put people to work and prepare them for food to ship overseas , I say great.

[OTM Al]

Interesting the way we look at things. Articles proclaim the President signed a bill rescinding the ban on horse slaughter. After 2 minutes of reading on the subject we can see what kind of tug at your heartstrings spin that is.

There was never a ban on slaughter, simply a ban on spending federal money on inspections of the meat. No inspection, no can sell. The Preisdent signed a spending bill that had an ammendment to continue the spending ban removed. Thing was probably three feet thick with all kinds of ammendments attached, but this casts them all as bad guys.

Worry not though. The bill didn't budget a dime toward slaughter and since the USDA will be facing cuts anyway, I doubt money will be spent in that way for some time at least.

Horse meat was somewhat popular in this country as food some years ago, and that was back when horses actually had more practical uses than they do today. We forget these things. Maybe we are more civilised now. As big a waste as it seems though, I'd rather have it done here than have the animals abused. I wonder though that if someone devised a plan that included a .5%age point takeout increase that would guarantee all were taken care of, how people would feel here.

[Tom]

To all the people who point out that we don't eat cats and dogs here, I would like to point out that there are places that do.

S

Yes there are.
Hell holes.

We are civilized here.

[Tom]

Courtesy of njcurveball, you can sign an on-line petition.


http://www.change.org/petitions/over...an-consumption

[Robert Goren]

Interesting the way we look at things. Articles proclaim the President signed a bill rescinding the ban on horse slaughter. After 2 minutes of reading on the subject we can see what kind of tug at your heartstrings spin that is.

There was never a ban on slaughter, simply a ban on spending federal money on inspections of the meat. No inspection, no can sell. The Preisdent signed a spending bill that had an ammendment to continue the spending ban removed. Thing was probably three feet thick with all kinds of ammendments attached, but this casts them all as bad guys.

Worry not though. The bill didn't budget a dime toward slaughter and since the USDA will be facing cuts anyway, I doubt money will be spent in that way for some time at least.

Horse meat was somewhat popular in this country as food some years ago, and that was back when horses actually had more practical uses than they do today. We forget these things. Maybe we are more civilised now. As big a waste as it seems though, I'd rather have it done here than have the animals abused. I wonder though that if someone devised a plan that included a .5%age point takeout increase that would guarantee all were taken care of, how people would feel here.I would be opposed to that. Takeout rates are all ready way too high. I could support a piece of the purses going that. Also piece of horses sold as yearlings and 2 yo before they race. Maybe a % of the stud fees too. I do not feel this is a cost that should be placed on the all ready overburden bettor.

[Tom]

Put a surcharge on every horse foaled.
And not chump-change.

And do it again on every claim and every private sale.

[menifee]

Put a surcharge on every horse foaled.
And not chump-change.

And do it again on every claim and every private sale.

Yes, let's tax them more. Let's raise the cost of owning and racing horses more. Brilliant idea. I love the idea of 4 horse fields. We won't have anymore abandoned horses because we won't have any horses. What a brilliant solution. We can close the racetracks and layoff those workers too. Good idea!

[andymays]

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/1130/Lifting-horse-slaughter-ban-Why-PETA-says-it-s-a-good-idea

Excerpt:

Congress has found what many may think of as an unexpected supporter in its decision to bring back horse slaughter facilities to the US after a 5-year-ban: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the often-controversial animal rights group known for campaigns like “fur is murder."

In an interview with the Monitor, PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said the US should never have banned domestic horse slaughter – a stance that has put the organization at odds with other mainstream animal rights groups, like the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

[OTM Al]

I would be opposed to that. Takeout rates are all ready way too high. I could support a piece of the purses going that. Also piece of horses sold as yearlings and 2 yo before they race. Maybe a % of the stud fees too. I do not feel this is a cost that should be placed on the all ready overburden bettor.

Note I said a part of the solution, not the whole. All these sort of things would need to be part of it too. My point is, if you really want a real change here and not a phony one like ban legislation, it will cost you. No free lunches.

[Tom]

Yes, let's tax them more. Let's raise the cost of owning and racing horses more. Brilliant idea. I love the idea of 4 horse fields. We won't have anymore abandoned horses because we won't have any horses. What a brilliant solution. We can close the racetracks and layoff those workers too. Good idea!


OK, so where do horses come from if not the breeders?
You want some one else to have pay to clean up their mess?
What happens is, we close a ton of small tracks and weed out those not capable of responsibly participating in the game.

You have a better idea, let's hear it.
I threw out a suggestion, where is yours?

[menifee]

OK, so where do horses come from if not the breeders?
You want some one else to have pay to clean up their mess?
What happens is, we close a ton of small tracks and weed out those not capable of responsibly participating in the game.

You have a better idea, let's hear it.
I threw out a suggestion, where is yours?

The market has found a solution to the overpopulation problem. It's called slaughterhouses. Those who consume horse meat or find other uses for horse meat resolve the breeders' mess. Free markets are wonderful things when we allow people to act freely.

If killing horses for their meat offends your sensibilities, then change those cultures that consume that meat. Horse meat will be less in demand and breeders will breed less.

[Robert Goren]

I askThe market has found a solution to the overpopulation problem. It's called slaughterhouses. Those who consume horse meat or find other uses for horse meat resolve the breeders' mess. Free markets are wonderful things when we allow people to act freely.

If killing horses for their meat offends your sensibilities, then change those cultures that consume that meat. Horse meat will be less in demand and breeders will breed less. I ask my neighbor's dog if he was willing to give up eating horse meat. He replied "ARF". I am not sure whether that was a yes or a no.

[FenceBored]

The market has found a solution to the overpopulation problem. It's called slaughterhouses. Those who consume horse meat or find other uses for horse meat resolve the breeders' mess. Free markets are wonderful things when we allow people to act freely.

If killing horses for their meat offends your sensibilities, then change those cultures that consume that meat. Horse meat will be less in demand and breeders will breed less.

As I am sure that you would not suggest that the the examples of Susan Smith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Smith) and Andrea Yates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Yates) provide evidence of a demand for child slaughterhouses, I would urge you to find a better argument.

If other nations choose to compel rape victims to marry their assailants (http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/afghanistan/story/2011-12-01/afghanistan-woman-pardon/51556132/1), I feel no need to change our laws to agree with this practice. The same principle applies to horse slaughter. Other nations may choose to do so, but that should not compel us to join them in it.

A few weeks ago, I went to a farm auction and was disturbed by the skinniness of the horses there (though thankfully were a lot number of people there interested in bidding on them). This morning I passed an overpacked livestock semi loaded with paints, probably destined for a slaughterhouse somewhere. The trailer of horses and their imagined fate turned my stomach in a way that the auction's horses did not, except when I consider that some of them may have ended up in that trailer.

[menifee]

As I am sure that you would not suggest that the the examples of Susan Smith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Smith) and Andrea Yates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Yates) provide evidence of a demand for child slaughterhouses, I would urge you to find a better argument.



Are you serious with this? I understand the love of horses, but have some perspective.

[Tom]

The market has found a solution to the overpopulation problem. It's called slaughterhouses. Those who consume horse meat or find other uses for horse meat resolve the breeders' mess. Free markets are wonderful things when we allow people to act freely.

If killing horses for their meat offends your sensibilities, then change those cultures that consume that meat. Horse meat will be less in demand and breeders will breed less.

As long as you get yours, nothing else matters, huh?
Screw the horses, you made your bet.

[menifee]

As long as you get yours, nothing else matters, huh?
Screw the horses, you made your bet.

Not at all, I'll explain it to you once again. The ban was creating more pain and more harm for the horses than good. The market had figured it out, the government screwed it up.

But if you are so angry about the issue, you live near Finger Lakes. Why don't you go picket the track and all individual owners and breeders whoring around (your term, not mine) off the slot machines racing horses that sometime do end up going to slaughter in Canada. I'm sure you have stopped gambling at that track altogether.

Nah, I forgot you are just a spectator. Never in the arena, always a spectator.

[Tom]

Good idea, I'll go to Finger Lakes and picket.....in front of the HORSE SHELTER building right in the middle of the damn grounds. Poor choice - people around here care about horses, unlike you...spectator? You mean CAUSE.

http://www.fingerlakestap.org/

[menifee]

Good idea, I'll go to Finger Lakes and picket.....in front of the HORSE SHELTER building right in the middle of the damn grounds. Poor choice - people around here care about horses, unlike you...spectator? You mean CAUSE.

http://www.fingerlakestap.org/

http://www.fingerlakeslivestockex.com/id4.html
http://www.drchambersauction.com/Index.html
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?p=5993738

Read some more.

They seem to really care. There are a lots of horses that are sold to slaughter at those sales. There is one on the 9th and the 10th. Maybe you can attend both or keep your head in the sand in your ivory tower.

[lonehound]

wow... is all i have to say... i agree with the decision to enable slaughter for human consumption. i see people giving away their horses up where i live, and then two months later the horse weighs 100-200 lbs less because these people cant afford to feed it. thats the point. why would you want to see a horse suffer???? people eat it. thats it.. people in different countries eat HORSE!!!!! deal with it. we eat cows and pigs(are smarter than dogs)we eat them too... goats chickens turkeys buffalo dogs and cats are also eaten in places around the world. i would eat horse and the other animals mentioned. call me sick or whatever you want but i would if it were available to me. just my opinion

[nijinski]

Some folks have just lost their humaniity . Maybe they can watch Seabiscuit
while eating their horsemeat. For me it's just morally wrong and please remember these plants are not properly equipped for horse slaughter , deal with that lonehound.

[baconswitchfarm]

While in the army I was in Belgium for quite a while. I had some horse meat while stationed there. It was just ok. People who lived there loved it and had it regularly . Prepared certain ways it wasn't much different tasting than beef. Different strokes.

[FenceBored]

Are you serious with this? I understand the love of horses, but have some perspective.

I'm confused, are you incapable of understanding Reductio ad absurdum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum), or actually in favor of the commercialization of the slaughter of toddlers? As for your understanding the love of horses, I doubt you understand it any better than Michael Vick understands your average dog lover.

[FenceBored]

wow... is all i have to say... i agree with the decision to enable slaughter for human consumption. i see people giving away their horses up where i live, and then two months later the horse weighs 100-200 lbs less because these people cant afford to feed it. thats the point. why would you want to see a horse suffer???? people eat it. thats it.. people in different countries eat HORSE!!!!! deal with it. we eat cows and pigs(are smarter than dogs)we eat them too... goats chickens turkeys buffalo dogs and cats are also eaten in places around the world. i would eat horse and the other animals mentioned. call me sick or whatever you want but i would if it were available to me. just my opinion

Exactly. You see, there are these folks called vets. If you call one to your farm he'll give your horsey a shot or two which will kill them on the spot. No suffering. Then you can have the carcass carted away, or bury it on your property (local laws permitting). See? No muss, no fuss, no tractor trailers stuffed with 40-50 horses, headed to a cruel and inhumane slaughtering process.

[DJofSD]

Exactly. You see, there are these folks called vets. If you call one to your farm he'll give your horsey a shot or two which will kill them on the spot. No suffering. Then you can have the carcass carted away, or bury it on your property (local laws permitting). See? No muss, no fuss, no tractor trailers stuffed with 40-50 horses, headed to a cruel and inhumane slaughtering process.
Or, depending upon the vet and their set up, take the horse that needs to be put down to his facility where that job can be done.

[toetoe]

The number of horses that can no longer be used for racing each year is staggering. There just aren't enough uses for them. Just keeping all of them in a pasture somewhere is cost prohibiting. No matter how you feel about horses, the math doesn't add up. We race them for 2 or 3 years, but they live for 20. At any one time we would have 15 years of retired race horses. Most of them are good for much else than racing and there is not much of a demand for retired race horse. Sure a few might become out ponies and few more might move into the show arena, but those areas are really limited. There aren't that many rich girls these days that would want a race horse as pet either. At the outside there is maybe a place for 10% of the horse retired each year. What do you think can happen to the rest? There is just no place for most of them to go.



Bingo. :ThmbUp:

[toetoe]

... I did not bludgeon her head in with a hammer or stab her in her spine and call the meat wagon ...



Two wrongs do not a right make, but ... you are making a good case against slaughtering cattle.

Where's the outrage for poor Elsie and her calves ? I know, I know --- man does not live by maiden claimer alone. Still, can we justify any slaughter at all ?

[toetoe]

Also piece of horses sold as yearlings and 2 yo before they race.



Ouch !!! That smarts. Please rephrase, Shylock. :D

[toetoe]

As I am sure that you would not suggest that the the examples of Susan Smith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Smith) and Andrea Yates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Yates) provide evidence of a demand for child slaughterhouses, I would urge you to find a better argument.







How dare you, Sir. We call them family planning clinics, and Mesdames Smith and Yates are employed as service providers. For shame. :eek:

[classhandicapper]

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/1130/Lifting-horse-slaughter-ban-Why-PETA-says-it-s-a-good-idea

Excerpt:

Congress has found what many may think of as an unexpected supporter in its decision to bring back horse slaughter facilities to the US after a 5-year-ban: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the often-controversial animal rights group known for campaigns like “fur is murder."

In an interview with the Monitor, PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said the US should never have banned domestic horse slaughter – a stance that has put the organization at odds with other mainstream animal rights groups, like the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

This gets back to my original point.

In this country we never address core problems and fix them.

We band-aid them.

PETA is probably for this because they think the alternative (shipping them out and slaughtering them anyway) was worse, but that's an entirely different matter than actually solving the problem of slaughtering the horses.

I'm not even entirely opposed to raising horses for food if some people enjoy horse meat. (though I don't think that's usually the reason why people eat it)

I am opposed to irresponsible breeder's and owners running from their responsibilities to the horses they bred and owned and using slaughter to solve the problem. IMHO, that's immoral.

Yes, there are economic problems with excess race horses once their careers are over etc..., but that does not justify slaughtering them. You fix that problem somehow or reduce racing.

[DJofSD]

What exactly is an irresponsible breeder?

[nijinski]

To me they are part of our national heritage . There is honor in that .
If you feel the same please let Congress know.

[classhandicapper]

What exactly is an irresponsible breeder?

It's not clear to me where all these horses are coming from or that they are all ex race horses. Maybe someone else can clarify that for me.

I would say anyone that knows there is an excess of horses (not necessarily race horses) but continues to breed them and not care for them.

[classhandicapper]

To me they are part of our national heritage . There is honor in that .
If you feel the same please let Congress know.

That's another good point.

Wild horses especially are a in different category.

[Tom]

What exactly is an irresponsible breeder?

One who ignores the vast number of broken down horses left and does nothing to correct the problem. Probably a majority of breeders fit this classification.

[DJofSD]

Are we talking about horses a breeder still owns or all of the horses it produces regardless of the current owner?

[classhandicapper]

Are we talking about horses a breeder still owns or all of the horses it produces regardless of the current owner?

I was thinking mostly about those that own and neglect horses or send any to slaughter, but if you are selling to irresponsible owners there's probably some level of responsibility there too.

If I breed a horse and sell it to you even though I know you are the kind of person that will neglect it or send it to slaughter if things don't work out well, there is some kind of issue there. It doesn't pass the "smell" test.

[Robert Goren]

It's not clear to me where all these horses are coming from or that they are all ex race horses. Maybe someone else can clarify that for me.

I would say anyone that knows there is an excess of horses (not necessarily race horses) but continues to breed them and not care for them.Are telling me that there is one breeder out there of race horses who doesn't know there a lot of horses that there is no use for after their short racing career. We are talking thousands of horse who being retired from racing each year. Most would live at least another 10 years if they weren't slaughtered.

[DJofSD]

Wow. So now a breeder must ferret out the long term intentions of a potential owner, and if there is any whiff a horse might be sent off to the knacker, it should be a no sale.

[classhandicapper]

Wow. So now a breeder must ferret out the long term intentions of a potential owner, and if there is any whiff a horse might be sent off to the knacker, it should be a no sale.


I wouldn't hold a breeder responsible for ferreting them out, but if you KNOW that someone is whacking unwanted horses and you sell to him anyway, I don't see how you are any less responsible.

[Robert Goren]

Wow. So now a breeder must ferret out the long term intentions of a potential owner, and if there is any whiff a horse might be sent off to the knacker, it should be a no sale.Are telling me that the breeders don't know what going to happen to their horses after their racing days are over. With very few exceptions, It is either the breeding shed or the slaughter house. What do they think is going happen to them? I really don't care if the horse ends up at a slaughter house, but don't try and tell me the breeders don't know that it is very real possibility for the horse they breed.

[classhandicapper]

We are talking thousands of horse who being retired from racing each year. Most would live at least another 10 years if they weren't slaughtered.

You keep saying the same thing and I keep saying that just because there are excess horses that are an economic burden does not make it right to slaughter them.

Guess what, many elderly parents and grandparents are an economic burden to their children and society but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't advocate slaughtering them because they might live another 10 years.

Like I said earlier, I'm not the moral compass for you or anyone else and I'm not saying you have value animal life the way I and others do, but IMO the idea is CLEARLY to evaluate why there are excess horses and try to fix it so no horses have to be slaughtered. IMO, just rationalizing slaughtering them as a non event is preposterous.

[Tom]

I wouldn't hold a breeder responsible for ferreting them out, but if you KNOW that someone is whacking unwanted horses and you sell to him anyway, I don't see how you are any less responsible.

I agree, but that is why the breeders should have to pay a tax on every horse bred - to go to a fund to take care of the thousands they leave behind every year.

[Robert Goren]

You keep saying the same thing and I keep saying that just because there are excess horses that are an economic burden does not make it right to slaughter them.

Guess what, many elderly parents and grandparents are an economic burden to their children and society but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't advocate slaughtering them because they might live another 10 years.

Like I said earlier, I'm not the moral compass for you or anyone else and I'm not saying you have value animal life the way I and others do, but IMO the idea is CLEARLY to evaluate why there are excess horses and try to fix it so no horses have to be slaughtered. IMO, just rationalizing slaughtering them as a non event is preposterous. That fine, if you can up with a method to take of the horses just so long as it doesn't come out of the already over burden bettor. I also doubt you are going to find very many people in the racing business that are willing to take on the cost either. The answer is fewer race tracks and the need for fewer race horses, but as long as the slot machines are keeping a lot of tracks open that is not going to happen. The next time somebody thinks racinos are good thing, you might want to bring up the excess retired race horse problem. I will be watching for your input when there is a discussion on racinos in places like NJ.

[classhandicapper]

That fine, if you can up with a method to take of the horses just so long as it doesn't come out of the already over burden bettor. I also doubt you are going to find very many people in the racing business that are willing to take on the cost either. The answer is fewer race tracks and the need for fewer race horses, but as long as the slot machines are keeping a lot of tracks open that is not going to happen. The next time somebody thinks racinos are good thing, you might want to bring up the excess retired race horse problem. I will be watching for your input when there is a discussion on racinos in places like NJ.

No one has been more anti casino than I am.

Casinos are the same kind of band aid solution I object to.

IMHO, any track that can't make it on it's own should be closed on economic grounds. If we got rid of a bunch of unprofitable tracks, most of the handle would not go away. It would simply shift to the remaining tracks and make them more profitable.

That approach would solve an endless number of problems including opening the opportunity to lower the take and perhaps diminish this problem with the horses. The only downside is a loss of jobs, but industries with excess capacity simply have to shrink.

[iceknight]

It someone is going to equate cows and horses then what else would you like me to say?

They are both sentient beings.

To add more, I think the overall idea is that the horses would have otherwise had to endure rough travel and then slaughter under (possibly) bad conditions.

Now, they might have to travel lesser and then be slaughtered. Of course, this still depends on market demand for horse meat, which I feel would be really low.

[Striker]

wow... is all i have to say... i agree with the decision to enable slaughter for human consumption. i see people giving away their horses up where i live, and then two months later the horse weighs 100-200 lbs less because these people cant afford to feed it. thats the point. why would you want to see a horse suffer???? people eat it. thats it.. people in different countries eat HORSE!!!!! deal with it. we eat cows and pigs(are smarter than dogs)we eat them too... goats chickens turkeys buffalo dogs and cats are also eaten in places around the world. i would eat horse and the other animals mentioned. call me sick or whatever you want but i would if it were available to me. just my opinion
I thought I had heard and seen it all when I would see people of a certain ethnicity a few towns over from me kill the geese in open areas, and take them back to their homes for consumption, but now somebody has admitted to eating, or that they would consume cats and dogs.

[nijinski]

Three Chimney's has stepped up to say they if they found out any of the horses they bred are at risk , they would help out and make sure they got those horses to safety . Paulick has a story on it.
They must be getting overwhelmed with calls and emails.
Hope it spreads to the rest of the big operations.

[pondman]

The horse issue has gotten beyond the slaughter for human consumption stage, where in some States such as California, they've made it difficult to put a horse down for any reason. You won't find any tallow houses picking up dead horses in California. Activists have made it illegal. So you see many more old horses hobbling around in California today than 5 years ago.

We put down 6 old horses this year. They were in bad shape with venicular and ringbone diseases. They'd fall over in the snow and couldn't get up. We had to find a Rogue Veterinarian to do it. And we had to dig a hole out of sight of the neighbors. It would have cost $286 per horse, to haul the carcasses out of State, which is how you are required to dispose of the horses.

The pendulum swung to far in the horse industry.

[nijinski]

The horse issue has gotten beyond the slaughter for human consumption stage, where in some States such as California, they've made it difficult to put a horse down for any reason. You won't find any tallow houses picking up dead horses in California. Activists have made it illegal. So you see many more old horses hobbling around in California today than 5 years ago.

We put down 6 old horses this year. They were in bad shape with venicular and ringbone diseases. They'd fall over in the snow and couldn't get up. We had to find a Rogue Veterinarian to do it. And we had to dig a hole out of sight of the neighbors. It would have cost $286 per horse, to haul the carcasses out of State, which is how you are required to dispose of the horses.

The pendulum swung to far in the horse industry.

Pondman , if you are in the position again of having a horse that can't get back on it's feet due to infirmity , please reach out to one of the rescue groups like Pure Thoughts or Beauty's Haven for a referral , or I would even mind making calls for you. I can't imagine a a Vet with good standards not doing the right thing .
The cost of hauling , yes its part of the costly financial responsibility of ownership , as you well know.

[iceknight]

I think the group CANTER of PA or CANTER of California (for ur state)... also is a racehorse rescue program..

[bigmack]

Interesting take from:

Kathleen Schurman is editor of Bethwood Patch. She and her husband David Melina own Locket’s Meadow farm in Bethany, CT, where they have rescued hundreds of horses from slaughter.

http://middletown-ct.patch.com/articles/how-president-obama-made-it-legal-to-slaughter-horses

[nijinski]

Interesting take from:

Kathleen Schurman is editor of Bethwood Patch. She and her husband David Melina own Locket’s Meadow farm in Bethany, CT, where they have rescued hundreds of horses from slaughter.

http://middletown-ct.patch.com/articles/how-president-obama-made-it-legal-to-slaughter-horses
:ThmbUp:
Amazing people !! They took in all these horses and also give an opportunity for the special needs community to access.

But :ThmbDown: to the AQHA !

[CryingForTheHorses]

Interesting take from:

Kathleen Schurman is editor of Bethwood Patch. She and her husband David Melina own Locket’s Meadow farm in Bethany, CT, where they have rescued hundreds of horses from slaughter.

http://middletown-ct.patch.com/articles/how-president-obama-made-it-legal-to-slaughter-horses

What a incredible couple,Horsepeople till they die.Story does bring a tear to your eye.Yes the horses need protection but unfortunalty not all can be saved.Do these people pay for this out of their own pockets? I worry about some of these rescues getting funded as I have heard stories on a few of them where its the owner of the rescue getting rich along with caring for the horses.When funding of any kind is allowed,You have to worry about fraud.
Keep up the great work Kathleen,The horses need you :ThmbUp:

[Caroline]

Pondman, it is NOT illegal to humanely euthanize a horse in California or to dispose of a euthanized horse in many ways, including for zoo/wild animal meat in the event that a horse is euthanized by gunshot rather than by injection. I really hope nobody reading here took that seriously. I live here, I own horses, I've humanely euthanized horses whose end of life is necessary for health reasons, and I rescue horses from slaughter. The law in CA is against buying, selling and exporting horses from the state for slaughter for human consumption, period. And for the record, it has NEVER been enforced with a prosecution. As a result, horses here sell to people who will ship them out of state for slaughter every day of every week of every year.

[DJofSD]

It used to be the zoos were able to use the carcasses.

[JustRalph]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-abandoned-horses-20111211,0,3791949.story

Germane to the thread.....page 2..........

[FenceBored]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-abandoned-horses-20111211,0,3791949.story

Germane to the thread.....page 2..........

A highlight from that article:
That combined with California farmland's drop in hay acreage — 12% to 14% over the last six years —
-- http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-abandoned-horses-20111211,0,3791949.storyA 12% to 14% drop in acreage devoted to hay just in California? I've also heard there's less winter wheat being planted in parts of Kentucky, which means less straw on the market next year. Oh boy, oh joy.

[nijinski]

FroPosted 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.

m USDA blog..

[FantasticDan]

Paul Moran article.. as a local Finger Lakes guy, it pisses me off that their so-called "no tolerance" policy is a giant heap of horse pucky.. :ThmbDown:

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/horse-racing/post/_/id/1204/1204

[Tom]

Unacceptable - time to boycott Finger Lakes.

Actually, anyone in the area interested in making a personal visit to FL to complain?

[classhandicapper]

Paul Moran article.. as a local Finger Lakes guy, it pisses me off that their so-called "no tolerance" policy is a giant heap of horse pucky.. :ThmbDown:

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/horse-racing/post/_/id/1204/1204

The article was a tad too long, but hopefully helpful.

[pam916]

You hear all of these horrific stories about the horrible conditions and cruelty that horses have to suffer during transportation to and at the slaughter houses. I don't understand why that is tolerated in this country in this century. We send football players to jail for fighting and mistreating pitballs, why should horses not be given the same protection under the law? If horse are being transported across the border to slaughter houses under inhumane conditions, then why is there not a law to prevent them from being transported out of this country for the purpose of slaughter. If we don't eat them in this country why should we allow them to be slaughtered so that other countries can. Horses are companion animals much like dogs. They are not bred on ranches with the intentions of being used for human consumption. Unwanted horses can be killed humanely and buried or cremated. This country was settled on the backs of horses and wagons that horses pulled, they pulled plows that tilled the ground for crops that fed our forefathers, personnally I think we at least owe them the same respect we would give a dog. I know they are expensive to take care of, I have three of them to feed and two of them are over 25 years old, they have been members of our family since they were born, I do sometimes complain about how much it cost to feed them, they eat $20 a bag senior diet and up to $20 for a large bale of coastal (Texas) and we are not rich people, but I would never ever dream of selling them to a slaughter house, if I didn't want them or could no longer take care of them then I would have them euthanized. What is wrong with people in this country? Its like if there is a buck to be made we want to make sure that someone makes that money no matter how badly our horses are treated or how bad it makes us look as a nation. That is just my two cents.