How would you like your horse? Rare? Medium Rare?

[Dave]

Can't say I'd be overly excited about having horse meat.... other countries are weird with what they will eat sometimes.

 

WASHINGTON -- Congress has lifted a de facto ban on the slaughter of horses, a move hailed by Missouri farmers and state political leaders who say the prohibition had inadvertently caused more harm to the animals than good.

But some animal-rights activists decried the little-noticed provision, which sailed to passage earlier this month and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Nov. 18. And they vowed to keep the issue alive, pressing for an outright prohibition of horse slaughtering in the U.S.

At issue is a ban, first enacted in 2006, that prevented the U.S. Department of Agriculture from using federal funds to inspect any meat processing plants that slaughter horses. Plants that are not inspected by the USDA cannot ship meat across state lines, so the provision effectively ended domestic horse slaughter.

There is no U.S. market for the human consumption of horse meat. But it is seen as a delicacy overseas, especially in some European and Asian countries. In addition, horse meat has been used in the U.S. to feed zoo animals, because it's a good source of protein.

Farmers and some policymakers say the ban resulted in old horses being abandoned and neglected. In response, Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., successfully pushed for a provision requiring the non-partisan Government Accountability Office to study the impact of the ban. The GAO study, released in June, highlighted the concerns of Baucus and others.

The GAO report concluded that the slaughter of American horses didn't stop because of the ban, but simply shifted to Mexico and Canada. "From 2006 through 2010, U.S. horse exports for slaughter increased by 148 and 660 percent to Canada and Mexico, respectively," the GAO report states. "As a result, nearly the same number of U.S. horses was transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter in 2010 -- nearly 138,000 -- as was slaughtered before domestic slaughter ceased."

In addition, horse prices declined for those animals most likely to be bought for slaughter, the report concluded. The GAO said that comprehensive data was not available on abandonment and neglect, but that state and local governments, along with some animal welfare groups, reported an increase in investigations of such incidents since 2007. "State, local, tribal, and horse industry officials generally attributed these increases in neglect and abandonments to cessation of domestic slaughter and the economic downturn," the GAO stated.

The agency suggested that Congress should either reconsider restrictions on the use of federal funds to inspect horse slaughtering facilities or consider a permanent ban of horse slaughtering. Animal-rights groups have long pressed for the latter option -- and they hope they now have their opening.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, said he thinks that if horse slaughter plants reopen in the U.S. that will provide "juice" to the society's effort to pass a ban on the practice.

He said he agreed with GAO's conclusion that the federal USDA ban has not stopped horse slaughtering. But he questioned the contention that it has led to more abandonment or neglect of horses.

"It's largely fabrication," Pacelle said. He said that if about the same number of horses are being exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter as were killed in the U.S. before the ban, it doesn't add up that there is also a spike in abandonment.

The lawmakers who have embraced the GAO study are "slaughter proponents," he charged. "And that they are crying crocodile tears over abandonment is essentially a cynical and hypocritical line of argument. And it's a little too convenient."

But for critics of the USDA ban, the GAO study provided the evidence they needed to move forward with repeal.

As the 2012 agriculture appropriations bill moved through Congress this year, Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Georgia, moved to strip out the USDA funding ban. A spokesman for Kingston, who is chairman of the House agriculture spending subcommittee, said the provision was ineffective in stopping slaughter, but it did kill jobs.

"It's a $65 million industry in America -- it was before it was banned," said Chris Crawford, Kingston's spokesman.

The Humane Society and other groups say they think the repeal will prompt renewed interest in the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011, which would ban the interstate transport and live export of horses for slaughter for human consumption. The bill was introduced earlier this year by Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. There is companion legislation in the House.

The measure has been introduced in previous sessions, but could pass this time, Pacelle said, if there's fresh evidence of horse slaughter in the U.S.

"I think what will happen now is we will see cosponsoring of both bills accelerate as there's more talk of opening slaughter houses in the United States," he said.

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/story/2011-11-30/Horses-c...

[XLFD]

I love horses, but I see no problem with someone who breeds horses to process their horse and make money by selling the horsemeat if there's a market for it.  I do see a problem with some tenderfoots in Washington DC making it effectively illegal for someone to do so. 

[Lisa O'Brien]

I agree - why are horses getting a pass. Are cows, chicken and pigs  lives valued so much less? Personally I could never slaughter a horse or eat one but that is a personal choice.

[Dave]

I'm actually not all that opposed to the idea, just find it more an unusual topic as most of us are not use to hearing of horses as a delicacy.

[Lisa O'Brien]

Th United States is a culturally diverse country, I'm sure if it was available there would be some sort of demand for it. 

[XLFD]

Some people may be accused of cannibalism if they eat horsemeat coming from the flank of the horse.

[Lisa O'Brien]

lol

[masonco]

Where's the like button?

[XLFD]

Masonco, the Ningsters only allow you to 'like' photos, videos, and threads.  It does not allow you to 'like' individual posts.  This may be remedied in the future, however, if their brain trust decides to do so.

[Sweater Cows!]

Me & the kid are semi-vegans. I have not bought any muscle meat on a grocery shopping trip in over 10 years. But if someone else buys it or provides it prepared(buffet/potluck/dinner at there house etc..) then we will eat a couple specific items. Frozen processed chicken nuggets(not real breast nuggets) and pepperoni Jack's pizza) are the two things I will buy that have meat in them.

 

Adding horses to the murder list is awful. I think there was a restaurant up north a ways that used to serve horse meat. I remember my parents talking about the place getting in trouble for it(back in the 70's maybe).

 

 

[Lisa O'Brien]

I can not imagine a meal without meat. Unless it's cereal for breakfast, but I'd definitely rather have bacon/eggs.

[Willy]

I can understand the resistance to having horses slaughtered. After all they have been domesticated for their labor, and as pets, also for breeding, showing and racing for centuries.  They have been used for food but only if they were old and had no useful purpose. In my opinion they are among the most intelligent of animals and have been generally abused since they have been serving humans.

[XLFD]

Shruggy,

Remind me about the semi-veganism next time we decide to get some pizza together.  I could probably give up most meat, but I'd have a hard time giving up pig and chicken.

But I firmly believe that even though it may sound cruel to the beautiful horses, if there is a market for horsemeat, it will increase the number of horses in the USA and make horses more affordable for those who want to raise horses for non-food purposes.  Consider:

The American Buffalo was hunted almost to extinction by American Indians and frontiersmen competing.  It was used not only for the meat, but a variety of purposes.  Visionaries saw the problem and at the beginning of the 20th century, ranches began breeding these animals back to more healthy levels.  Nowadays, they are raised for meat (I think you can get this up in Oleson's Market still) and we have many more roaming the plains than during the waning days of the 20th century.  

Putting horsemeat on the market will create new generations of "horse-lovers" and insure a healthy supply of horses for the future.