Guest OpEd by Vicki Tobin ~ VP of Equine Welfare Alliance
“Skye McNiel wants to use the food chain to dispose of horses…”
Horse-Hater Skye Mcniel
Nothing is sweeter than having the darkside validate what we have been saying for years. I came across an article yesterday that was regarding the conflict of interest with Skye O’Niel in Oklahoma. The opening paragraph is something everyone should send to the USDA, your legislators and any contacts you have outside our borders to make sure the EU and consumers hear this loud and clear.
“Rep. Skye McNiel said that gain would be shared equally by all the state’s horse auctioneers and is not substantial compared to the financial gain to the state’s horse owners who are seeking an avenue to dispose of animals that have lost their use.”
Did you get that? Skye McNiel wants to use the food chain to dispose of horses. This statement is clear indication of how seriously slaughter supporters take food safety and the arrogant attitude toward foreign consumers.
While the epic horse meat scandal is raging in Europe, Skye McNiel and her buddies in the Oklahoma legislature rammed through legislation against the cries of outrage from their constituents. Skye McNeil is celebrating tonight and will have visions of dollar signs in her sleep. Not only will her family’s auction benefit financially but the legislation makes sure of it. No horses will be accepted that haven’t gone through an auction. Isn’t that special?
To add to the arrogance, the meat is still illegal to consume in Oklahoma! Another clear message that she doesn’t want the residents of Oklahoma eating toxic meat – just send it to the foreigners.
It gets better, folks. While Oklahoma was ram-rodding the legislation, Sue Wallis sent out one of her blue light specials. From the title to her close, it is the biggest pile of horse manure yet. Her prose came out of the other end of the horse – you know, the end where all her statistics originate. Here are a few highlights that I found entertaining.
Let’s start with the rally in Oklahoma. She states with pleasure that no anti-slaughter activists were there. Wrong again, Sue. We had many in attendance just to hear the horse manure, first hand. Here’s a hint, Sue. Don’t have the Farm Bureau bus people in that don’t have a clue about horse slaughter or at least give them one of your scripts so they don’t appear to be clueless. Oh, wait. You don’t have any facts to give them. Forgive my lapse.
For those of you that aren’t familiar with the Farm Bureau, they are a lobby firm that sells insurance. They lobby against anything remotely related to animal welfare and are responsible for most of the state legislation against animals, like Ag gag laws. They have a presence in virtually every state.
Here is but one example of Sue’s (as she calls them) “articulate supporters”. One of the anti-slaughter activists that wasn’t there asked two of her “articulate supporters” why they supported horse slaughter. They replied in unison “Because euthanasia is too expensive.” The one that wasn’t there replied “Really, how much does it cost in Oklahoma?” Sue’s “articulate supporters” looked at each other and then replied “I don’t know, do you? The other replied, No, but I bet the girls over there know.” So, either they don’t own horses or they don’t live in Oklahoma and they just weren’t sly enough to make up a number – something any Wallis graduate would know. Sue must have bused them in from New York City because as everyone knows, those city folk just don’t know about horses. We hope she bribed them with more than a free lunch and free bus ride on the Farm Bureau express.
We were hoping to hear from someone speaking with a French accent to espouse the virtues of cheval and how much they appreciate the free sides of Ivermectin and Clenbuterol with their buteburger (ICB). Doesn’t that negate any protein or nutrition? Hey, Sue, you could use those initials for the next organization you start. ICB, Inc., the conscience of the food safety industry. It has a nice ring to it.
A blue light special from Wallis wouldn’t be complete without a little Wallis math. Sue proclaimed there were 400 in attendance at the horse killer rally. This number is coming from someone that claimed 689,000 jobs were lost when the plants closed. A number clearly pulled out of the end previously mentioned. The plants employed a total of 200 workers, of which at least 85% were undocumented. That means a total of 30 American jobs were lost. Keep in mind, the kill buyers, the auctions and the haulers are all still in business so it was only the plant workers that lost their jobs. Only with Wallis math can 30 become 689,000 and 100 become over 400. So when Wallis says over 400 people attended, you can bet the farm that the number was significantly less as confirmed by the anti-slaughter activists that “weren’t there” as well as Skye O’Niel that reported 100.
Sue Wallis contemplating whether horse or donkey is on the menu for tonight
As expected, Wallis is attacking the recently introduced federal legislation, S 541, claiming it doesn’t provide solutions. Cutting off the supply of toxic meat is most certainly a solution. It ensures that the right of consumers to safe food is not compromised. She also can’t seem to get her agriculture industries straight. The meat industry produces meat. The horse industry requires live horses and does not produce meat. Horse slaughter has not provided any solutions for the horse industry and her lame excuses for needing it are moot. It has existed for decades and only provides more of the same. A solution cannot be formulated without addressing the root cause. If slaughter was the solution, why will there be more horses to kill this year? Didn’t all the excess, abandoned, old, sick, lame, dangerous and useless horses get killed last year and the year before and the year before…? What year will horse slaughter provide a solution?
The USDA stated that if horse slaughter plants open in the US, there is no way to guarantee that what is happening in Europe, won’t happen here. We learned on March 15, that two plants were shut down for falsified paperwork— something the US has turned into a science. The USDA also stated they support reinstating the ban on horse meat inspections.
I’ll bet Sue broke out in hives when she heard those statements from the USDA. Press coverage of Wallis has virtually disappeared because the media finally gets it. They are doing their homework before going to press and it’s difficult to use Wallis’ statistics and statements because they can never be verified, unless the wind is blowing in the right direction.
Wallis keeps regurgitating “humane and regulated” and yet, still defends the cruelty and abuse. She has yet to tell us how she will provide medical histories from birth for abandoned horses when she can’t find the owners. Where will she get medical histories on the stolen horses and horses that have had multiple owners? How exactly will they comply with EU regulations when the EU requires a passport system that we don’t have and horse owners don’t want? How will she fix a humane transport enforcement program that hasn’t really existed for decades?
The law is the law, humane methods of slaughter law, promise of cheval, facts and FAQs, blah, blah, blah. Since when has anyone in the slaughter business followed the law or Wallis every cited anything factual? It must have been an oversight that she didn’t quote anything from food safety laws.
How very sad Sue places the greed and corruption that is inherent in the horse slaughter business above the rights of consumers to safe food. Our right to safe food will also be compromised. We don’t have enough inspectors for our own food and if plants open, there will be even less available to safeguard our food supply.
No doubt, the horse industry is feeling the impacts of the economy but that has nothing to do with horse slaughter. Horse slaughter has continued uninterrupted and is still thriving. More horses were slaughtered in the 5 years since the plants closed than the 5 years prior so there is in-your-face proof that horse slaughter isn’t going to fix anything in the horse industry.
Face reality, Sue; horse slaughter is on life support and all that is needed is for Congress to pull the plug. That day is coming very soon.
Call your legislators and demand they support food safety by cosponsoring HR 1094 and S 541 and then visit Popvox and voice your support of HR 1094 and S 541.
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EWA (Chicago) – An estimated 30 horses died in a truck fire on I-81 in Lisle, NY, Monday night. According to police the truck was driven by Clarence Phelps of Watertown, but the owner of the horses was kill buyer Bruce Rotz. When contacted about the accident by Equine Welfare Alliance, Rotz indicated he would have no comment, saying only “if it burned it burned.”
