Horse Slaughter To Resume

On Friday a U.S. district judge in Albuquerque dismissed a lawsuit by animal welfare groups that sought to prevent the processing of horses, thereby clearing the way for horse slaughter to resume here in the states. The Valley Meat Company in New Mexico and Rain Natural Meats in Missouri say they plan to start operations again, perhaps as early as this week. Both companies plan to export the horse meat for animal or human consumption. Of course the HSUS is not happy and has promised to appeal the ruling, touting it was just the latest legal battle over the treatment of horses in the American West. The debate over reinstating horse slaughter here in the U.S. has been an emotional one to say the least, focusing mainly on peoples’ perception of horses as companion animals instead of livestock, and not focusing on what should be done about the country’s overpopulation of horses, many neglected and starving, especially in drought stricken parts of the West and Southwest. Supporters of horse slaughter stress that it’s far better to slaughter unwanted horses humanely in regulated stateside plants than to ship them to often inhumane slaughter plants in Mexico.