Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Equine Slaughter Houses Back? Opinions?

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/story/2011-11-30/Horses-could-soon-be-slaughtered-for-meat-in-US/51495306/1

3 comments:

  1. I may get bashed for saying this - but I'd rather see slaughter houses open in the US with strict regulations and rules over the care, welfare, and uses of the horses - as opposed to being shipped off to other countries where we do not have control over the options for our horses.

    I think the US could do a much better job of taking care of the animals then mexico can. I'm not sure how the canadian houses work, but we need to learn to clean up our own messes.

    I also think, in conjunction with opening the slaughter houses, there should be a law put into effect that anyone who breeds, say 5 or more foals a year, has to be certified and taxed yearly with those taxes going to directly support the slaughter houses - and if someone is caught breeding more than 5 foals a year without being certified, they should be fined a hefty fine - with the fine, of course, going to directly support the humane treatment of horses headed to slaughter. (AKA: help to pay for people that will ensure the welfare and treatment of the animals at the plant)

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  2. It is very difficult to slaughter horses due to their nervous prey habits. The "airguns" that are used to slaughter cattle do nothing but stunn the horses temporarily, leaving them able to feel the pain of being slaughtered. Since these horses will be used to feed humans they can not be euthanized using drugs as that would make the meat inedible.
    We should euthanize horses rather than slaughter them. Just my two cents.....

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  3. I went many years without eating meat out of protest against the treatment of animals for slaughter. I still hate the idea and am endeavoring to get back to a vegetarian diet.

    It is way too easy for people to ignore where their food comes from and the suffering of animals. I have a friend with a farm and she raises a few pigs for meat every year. Their children take care of the pigs, provide a good life, and the animals are slaughtered humanly.

    I hate the idea of horses being raised for meat, but I also hate the idea of eating cows, pigs, and chickens or even drinking dairy from those poor milk cows. So while I struggle with my own conscience, I would prefer not to see even more animals added to the pool of food animals. But I agree with HammersArk that there is at least hope in the US for some semblance of humane treatment.

    Mango Momma

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