Horse in line on his way to slaughter in Texas. The plants were closed in 2007 but there is talk among State Senators to bring it back.
It has been a long time coming, with one US State after another vying to win the title of Horse Slaughter Capital of America, but Texas is now talking about returning it to their State.
The slaughter of horses for human consumption overseas ended on US soil in 2007 when the remaining three plants closed, two in Texas and the other one in Illinois.
A debate took place on horse slaughter in a recent Texas State Senate Committee meeting.
Common to this discussion are the typical fallacies the pro-horse slaughter movement trots out to support the idea of killing horses for their meat.
Among the false arguments made are (i) the negative economic impact on the horse industry and (ii) the increase of abandonment and abuse of horses since slaughter plants closed in the US. Predictably they also refer to slaughter as “processing” blandly stating that it is a perfectly fine way to end a horse’s life and not inhumane.
We say false arguments because the fact routinely ignored that destroys these claims is that as many American horses are killed across US borders in Mexico and Canada per year as when they were killed for their meat on US soil. In fact, the numbers of American horses slaughtered annually may now actually be higher depending on whose statistics you rely on.
Another myth horse slaughter supporters are trying to sell is that cutting down on the distance to slaughter will reduce the abuses and cruelties inherent to it. This of course is not only an invalid but phony argument.
Horses transported to slaughter within US borders in many instances would have to travel perhaps an hour or two less than if they were sent to Canada or Mexico. Notwithstanding that, it still would in no way lessen the heinous conditions these horses on their way to slaughter are subjected to.
Also, it does not take into account horrific tractor trailer accidents where slaughter horses are maimed and sometimes killed. Horses who are injured in these deadly crashes are forced to continue their journeys to slaughter anyway; the ones whose bodies are too damaged for slaughter are turned away by the plants and abandoned to die on their own. None of this includes the many slaughter horses who must endure time spent waiting to be slaughtered in the most brutal of conditions in feedlots.
Additionally, it ignores the important fact that horses will continue to be sent across US borders to be slaughtered just as they were when plants operated on American soil.
:: Read the article about the State Senate committee meeting discussing the return of horse slaughter to Texas here.
Exactly, horses were shipped to Mexico and Canada when the USA horse slaughter plants were open. There is no humane way to slaughter horses. You can change the word to processing but it’s the same ending and it;s slaughter. We don’t eat horsemeat in the USA. Why fund horse slaughter plants and USDA with American tax payers had earned money to make profits for foreign owned companies. The proponents have no empathy although they state over and over they are looking out for the horse industry. Sue Wallis, doesn’t even own one horse, but claims to know what’s best for them. To me it’s like the starfish story. For every horse saved from slaughter it does make a difference to that horse. Please contact your politicians and ask them to leave the Moran Amendment in the Ag Bill.
I don’t understand how anybody who pushes so many false statements and claims that they are facts can be in her position. Sue Wallis lies as easily as she breathes the air and when more people figure out the deceit she is using for her own cause, she is going to find herself in trouble. Meanwhile, she is making an ass out of a lot of people!
You know everyone who’s for horse slaughter but hasn’t personally witnessed it SHOULD go to Mexico OR Canada to see it first hand and the fight the horses put up trying to get away, see how many captive bolts it takes to put a horse down and then hear it scream in agony while it’s being skinned while it’s still ALIVE!!!! THEN maybe they’ll finally understand WHY horse slaughter IS NOT THE BLOODY ANSWER!!!
Christine, When I 1st became involved in anti-horse slaughter, I was even ready go to a slaughter plant. That was 7 years ago. The other day I got up the courage to watch the CHDC You Tube Channel. Horse slaughter videos from different Canadian plants.I shook but was glad I looked. All pro-slaughter or on-the-fence should get up the guts to watch. The videos do not show the slaughter but how the horses struggle, how the bolt does not work, how long it takes to get a horse so injured the killers are able to go ahead…and the serious, blatant abuse by the killers. Especially, shocking are the videos from Richeliieu and Bovary as one scans down the videos. I am not asking you to watch, but this is a very graphic, telling, TRUTH of horse slaughter. INHUMANE!! A good link to post in comments and/or send to Congressmen. It is Canada, but no different than USA. I am saying this as the argument has been horse slaughter is more humane in the U.S. No Way! http://www.youtube.com/user/defendhorsescanada?feature=results_main
According to Marjorie Hughes, Presidio TX Judges Office, TX has a 1949 statute which prohibits slaughter. Enforcement is another issue, of course. Dallas Crown shut down via the EPA in 2007 and Mayor Paula Bacon recounts this effort in Vickery Eckhoff’s Forbes Magazine series on slaughter.
Agreed. My continuing “arguments” anti-slaughter: 1) Similar transport time to slaughter as when in U.S. 2) Same # horses now slaughtered over our borders as were slaughtered when U.S. plants were opened…in addition to Mexico & Canada ALWAYS slaughtered horses and even asked for American live horses to be brought to Canada for slaughter to fill quota. To put succinctly: Horse slaughter is for supply & demand…Greed…by foreign owned billionaire, non-taxpaying corporations. And for irresponsible horse ownership….horses are ‘disposable” for lame, selfish reasons. This was an important hearing. Does the Senate NOT review the *facts, statistics, research, before a hearing?? It appears, again, they only “hear” and rely on anecdotal, manipulative “spin.” I am anti-slaughter but do try to be objective hearing the debate. And what I heard and saw viewing the TX Senate was a sham. The majority of speakers *against resuming TX horse slaughter far outnumbered the opposition! They were intelligent, well-informed, well-spoken, very impressive speakers, “titled” too …and with the FACTS to back up!!! If truly “heard” by the Senate, there is no way TX would consider a horse slaughter house. This committee meeting reminded me of BLM Advisory Board meetings. A “democratic” have-to, but a farce. A cat & mouse play. The decision already made BEFORE the meeting/hearing to do what the BLM wanted. And here we saw the same with the TX Senate. To reopen horse slaughter when it defies logic! However, reopening TX horse slaughter keeps TX breeding in operation and the horse/foal “rejects” easily disposable. Is a solution to the Mexican horse rejects at the border…”what to do with them?” SLAUGHTER! Controls disease as the vets stated? Well, the logical answer is to ban horse slaughter in TX and join the progressive, enlightened states that have done the same. All leading to a federal ban on horse slaughter which will remedy all the above. Lastly, one woman’s testimony that horse slaughter was EVIL and horse meat TOXIC was so unjustly lambasted by the Chairman. She was amongst many who commented on “Evil” & chemical horse meat unfit for human consumption, with the EU imposing stringent standards significantly affecting shipping horse meat overseas!! . But she was singled out. Horse laughter IS evil. The whole horse slaughter pipeline is maximum cruelty (miles travel w/o food, water, rest) with much cruelty purposefully inflicted. The norm is to torture for “control” and worker’s “fun.” And if the TX Senate had read the scientific papers on the *toxicity of horse meat, the debate would be over. Yes, I am angry. However, anger strengthens. We are a mass of Warriors who will fight this battle, step-by-step. Tit-for-tat. Up the ante and we respond. We will never stop: For The Horses. Thank You.
Ronnie…Thank you for your powerful comments and bold statements ….I read your comments and I can tell you chills came across me thinking about how these animals are treated from beginning to end…..You are so very right there are NO disposable horses…..You said it the whole pipeline from irresponsible horse owners,to the auctions that accommodate the sales for the kill buyers to purchase horses to the transporters, to the people that turn their heads to this horrific cruel process then the people that slaughter these innocent animals, the the damn foreigners that eat these companion animals, to the idiots like Sue Wallis that has nothing better to do with herself than push these states into considering horse slaughter to pad her pocketbook to feed her fat ass….We all need to take a stand and keep this from happening we need to protect our horses that don’t have a voice or a choice….Let’s protect the innocent and stop this horrific plan that pads peoples pocketbooks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have my doubts that Texas will ever actually bring slaughter back. There was a meeting with Ag Committee last week. I couldn’t go, but as a Texan who lived there when the plants were open, I faxed my opinion in.
Those who did attend said Chairman was very interested and listened closely as both sides gave arguments. Citizens that attended were overwhelmingly ANTI – after Duquette told the Committee that they would see that Texans wanted their slaughter back! Wrong again, Davie.
Read Jerry Finch’s comments and follow up post: http://habitatforhorses.org/testimony-senate-committee/
Agree Suzanne. I don’t think Texans will ever allow it and we have beaten some very tough opposition.
Good to read that about Texas. Did Chris Christie sign the anti-slaughter bill passed in NJ?
Since the hearing was on the economic impact of closing the plants I testified about the inherent dishonesty and poor business model of slaughtering American horses for food:
“I have come here to oppose the re-opening of slaughter plants for horses in Texas. As far as the economy is concerned, a live horse is worth far more than a dead horse. When you speak of investment you have to consider the long term outcome and return for your investment.
When someone produces a foal and spends thousands of dollars just to get that foal to an age of trainability for some sort of job, it only makes sense to maintain that horse in the best condition for the rest of its life so it can continue to function. Even older horses that can no longer be ridden or work can serve as a companion horse. Also consider the thousands that are spent keeping the feed store, tack sellers, farrier and veterinarian in business all those years?
It doesn’t make sense to put all the effort and money and training on a horse and then go slaughter it for a couple of hundred dollars when it is no longer at the top of its game. Horses have uses for people at every stage of their lives, including when it comes time to put a horse to sleep. The experience teaches the lessons of life and death.
I have had 12 horses in my possession over the last 15 years. Some I bought, some I rescued. The ones I didn’t keep I found homes for. These horses come to mind when I hear ridiculous phrases like “Unwanted Horses”. There are no unwanted horses. Their owners just haven’t taken much time to market them to the right potential owners. If you were selling a used car you would put out flyers and take an ad in a local publication or the internet, right? So why don’t people do that with horses? They could probably get a lot more money by doing that than dropping it off at the livestock auction.
What kind of Business Model is it to take what someone would consider discards, that is throwaway horses, and try to market them as a delicacy? Even worse are all the young healthy horses off the track and from performance disciplines that are loaded up daily and directly onto the kill buyers truck, without even a finger lifted to try sell or market them for another use. They might be considered even more of a delicacy except for the substances they have ingested which are banned from meat for human consumption.
Horse slaughter is a sham…
It is not an industry or a business…
It is ALCHEMY!
It is a slight of hand con game that works until people find out what is really going on. If you need to find an example of a similar industry which tried to pass off waste as a valuable protein disguised in other foods, just ask the people who produce PINK SLIME…
Or they USED TO produce it… they are out of business now, and for good reason!” ~