3531 Horses slaughtered for human consumption
When I was working in the veterinary medicine library in the 90s, I often read the trade newspapers for horse owners. The op-ed and health articles often cautioned readers/owners about selling their "retired" horse to someone they didn't know, because chances were good they would be slaughtered for meat to be sent to Asia and Europe. Over 100,000 American horses were killed in 2006 in the three remaining foreign-owned US slaughterhouses and shipped abroad to Europe and Japan for human consumption. He might come along with a story that he wanted a gentle, older horse for his granddaughter, but that wasn't the fate that awaited the pet of a gullible owner. Amy's story about rescuing Beau and my memory of the efforts being made by horse owners well over 10 years ago to stop this practice caused me to stop at this House Bill, H.R. 503 (report 109-642), to amend the Horse Protection Act, passed last September to "TO PROHIBIT THE SHIPPING, TRANSPORTING, MOVING, DELIVERING, RECEIVING, POSSESSING, PURCHASING, SELLING, OR DONATION OF HORSES AND OTHER EQUINES TO BE SLAUGHTERED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES." Scroll down to read the amendments, which apparently were defeated, including the one that allowed Native Americans to do what other Americans could not. If I read this correctly, it would be against the law for an owner to sell or donate his horse for this purpose. This is now being reintroduced to the new Congress. (I'll get out of the saddle here because I don't understand how bills work their way through Congress to become law. Wrong version of the bill sent to the Senate.)According to this website, Illinois is one of the few states where horse slaughter for human consumption is still done.
As much as I hate to see horse slaughter for human consumption, I would hate to see the laws become so restrictive, that disposing of an animal became difficult, and therefore would lead to abuse such as poor health care, food, or being sold to bad people just to get if off your hands. Also, if species-specific legislation outlawing slaughter for human consumption works with horses, you can bet pigs, cattle and chicken supporters will be watching very closely. How to compost a horse.
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3 comments:
Most Americans don't realize that horse is eaten in much of the world like we eat beef. I found out in a strange way in the 1980s. I wrote a post about it a few months ago, if you care to read it.
The times that I have eaten horsemeat are not all pleasant memories. That said, I have yet to figure out where the moral imperative is that makes horses more protectible (and less edible) than cows. Maybe the Kosher rule on cleft hooves and cuds could have been an original source, but many of us don't try to eat kosher. I have eaten moose meat, bear meat (yuck), puppy dog (see one of my early blogs, it was not intentional), deer meat (yum), and even made a semi-honest attempt on a raccon. I prefer beef, chicken, pork, rabbit (omigosh, rodents, and the occasional turkey or duck.
What makes horses so special? (Now jackasses I could understand, I sometime feel a real kinship for them.)
I just read the story of Beau down below, and realize how much trouble I am in. OUch .
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