On Again Off Again

I know, I know I just said that on Friday a U.S. District judge 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. Well guess what, in the time it took me to write that report, horse slaughter in the United States is off again. A report from Reuters states that on Monday a federal appeals court in Denver granted an emergency request by animal rights groups to temporarily stop the USDA from providing horse meat inspection services to the two companies that had planned on beginning operations again this week to export horse meat for animal or human consumption. Animal rights groups were able to convince a two judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver that an emergency injunction was necessary to prevent environmental harm and the violation of federal environmental laws while their appeal of the dismissed lawsuit over horse slaughter is pending. Representatives for both Rains Natural Meats and the Valley Meat Company remain confident that the temporary order will be lifted once the case in it’s entirety is presented to the judges.