10/25/05 LMA opposes horse slaughter ban

American Rancher October 25, 2005 An amendment that would deny funding to USDA inspectors at three U.S. plants that process horses for the export market was attached to the Senate Agricultural Appropriations bill. The Livestock Marketing Association is among those that oppose this horse slaughter ban and its vice president for government and industry affairs, Nancy Robinson, says no hearings were held on the issue. Robinson: "It started out as legislation to try to not allow horses to go to slaughter or even be transported to slaughter. The Agriculture Committees of the U.S. Congress were not in favor of that legislation and the proponents of it have had a difficult time getting it through the authorizing committee. So they used the Appropriations Committee to get the job done by removing these funds for inspections of these plants." While horse meat is not consumed in the United States, it is in many countries around the world including most Arab nations as well as France and Belgium. Robinson says banning slaughter in the U.S. isn't going keep U.S. horses from being processed in neighboring countries. Robinson: "Horse plants exist in Canada and Mexico and so while it will certainly hurt the horse market in the United States some of those horses will move on to those countries for processing there. And a lot of U.S. workers and markets and others will be adversely affected by something that is not gonna stop anyway." I'm Bob Hoff.