Source: Jo Singer of Petside.com
“by virtue of commission decision 2011/163/EU the US is not authorized to export horsemeat to the EU.”
“In the United States we don’t eat our Friends!” Moose with his buddy R.T. Fitch of Wild Horse Freedom Federation/Straight from the Horses Heart ~ photo by Terry Fitch
Just a week ago Petside featured an article about the high probability of horse slaughter facilities soon opening in the United States to produce meat for human consumption.
In 2006 Congress defunded USDA horse and horse meat inspection, closing the doors of the three remaining foreign-owned slaughter plants producing meat for human consumption which was exported to Europe and other countries outside the United States. However, in 2011, Congress stripped the defunding language for USDA horse and horse meat inspection, leaving the doors wide open for slaughter facilities in the United States to start killing horses for their meat for humans.
At the present, however, the sale of horse meat for human diners in the United States remains illegal. As a result should the horse meat slaughter facilities open to produce human-grade horse meat, they must export the meat to Europe and other countries that consider horse meat a delicacy.
But since racehorses, and those that compete in strenuous events in a wide variety of other sports are frequently injured, to alleviate their pain they are given powerful anti-inflammatory drugs such as Phenylbutazone (Bute) and flunixin meglumine (Banamine) which are highly toxic to humans. Horses regularly are administered wormers and other medications that are dangerous to humans. Additionally since horses have never been bred for food, often records of the drugs administered to them are scanty, or don’t accompany them when they go to sale. So how can we assure the safety of their meat?
We are more than aware of the frenzy caused by the recent discovery of horse meat contaminating many food products throughout Europe. What is even more alarming to Europeans were the traces of Bute that were found in some food products contaminated with horse meat.
As a result of the growing concern about the safety of U.S. horse meat, commercial establishments that are getting hungry to either retool their existing slaughterhouses, or start building slaughter horse facilities will not be able to sell horse meat to EU; the primary market for U.S. horse meat.
According to Straight from the Horse’s Heart the Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) has received confirmation from EU authorities that “by virtue of commission decision 2011/163/EU the US is not authorized to export horsemeat to the EU.”
Making matters even more alarming, according to USA Today, in an interview with Reuters, Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture said that the sequestration with its concomitant meat inspector furloughs might result in sporadic food shortages if inspectors are not available to examine poultry, egg products and meat. Having to provide horse meat inspectors would further amplify the necessity of protecting US consumers. Secretary Vilsack said he hoped the Government could find an alternative to horse slaughter; a statement that was rather shocking to many folks.
But even though the confirmation received by EWA may be shine a ray of light for the 80 percent of people in the our country who abhor American horse slaughter; now is the time that we must keep up pressure on Congress for them to restore the defunding language which will effectively ban USDA horse meat inspection…(CONTINUED)
Click (HERE) to read the story in it’s entirety and please Comment
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
This is a blessing from God-to give us a moment. I want to let you know I know firsthand that the rocket scientists behind this are observing our sites to gleam information to know what to do to cause the most harm next. They are writing on their sites that they are gathering everyone within striking distance to help make their case for their money making scheme to go through. So keeping this in mind… the EU and many others have been helping to save the horses but with the crazing striking distance loons lurking behind their computers, calling people radical’s they are reading every comment to see how to counteract what we are doing to save the ones we love. That’s
what crazy people do when they don’t have the truth on their side. They gleam it from the ones who do and cause much damage. So I think this EU thing is definitely a miracle from God. I think that there are other miracles taking place while we wait. Another miracle is Tim Sappington has exposed the industries dark side of sadistic, angry, perversion that takes pleasure in the innocents life lost. So I hope this puts a damper on their recruit new members programs. I also want to comment on the fact that if the EU sees potentially harmful drug residues that they may now raise an eyebrow to the real comments coming out of Oklahoma’s capitol regarding lack of concern for public health and safety because its going out of the country. I hope that everyone sees we r not just in this to protect horses but to protect all of us no matter where we are located…As for the reason why we are all so involved in this issue its because these people are looking to steal the lives of many to make themselves some money. Which is the motivator behind the BLM decisions as well, no doubt Walrus is behind that as well. They don’t seem to be satisfied just meddling a little bit, but going all the way…however, it is starting to opening show publicly to the horse people and the non-horse people that they seem to hate equally that they have little actual concern for human life no matter where they are located, nor for animal life, nor for the plant life that they appear to be. I am a trainer, I couldn’t picture myself in the hands of these people, I normally have a horse like ability to smell trouble, fear, and scourge so I don’t know if I would turn tail and run or stand and fight, good thing I am not a horse in their hands-I am inclined to put up a fight!
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R.T. I shared with you a detailed vet bill for a colt, just prior to the KY Derby. The colt was LOADED with drugs, and he was in training, not in a hospital. Three weeks ago, at least seven of these colts were auctioned at a livestock sale in CA, in the town known for illegal racing. All were tattooed, and three were wearing racing plates. They sold to a kill-buyer for $50-$100 apiece! Great effort was successfully made to save a couple of them from slaughter after the sale, but the rest will soon be on someones dinner plate..Loaded with racing drugs, both legal and illegal.
It is a wise decision that the EU made, and I pray Japan will follow suit.
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The problem I see is that horse meat is not coming from the US but from Canada and Mexico. Since our American horses are being transported to Canada and Mexico, is EU going to stop receiving horsemeat from those countries? What’s to stop those countries from saying, “Oh no, these horses came from our country”
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Felecia:
You are correct, the EU has not said they will NOT accept Mexican and Canadian horsemeat. And we all know where much of their meat is sourced from.
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Will this stop horses from being trucked across the border? And what about the asian markets?
And as far as the pro-slaughter perverts (you won’t believe this one–http://shedrowconfessions.wordpress.com/2013/03/22/this-just-in-horse-meat-makes-you-horny/) watching our sites, let them. I doubt that they have the intelligence to process the information. Notice how all of their sites are “private.” And when they do come out in public to make a statement, it involves things like shooting a colt on camera, claiming horsemeat is an aphrodisiac (would someone explain that word to Suey?) or supporting soring at TW horse shows. My only interest is to get a bill passed that prohibits horse slaughter, and to stop our horses from being shipped to Canada and Mexico. After that Suey and DD and this Sappington guy can go back to their private party.
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redhorse:
Yep! $$ is now saying horsemeat is like Viagra….she conveniently leaves out immune suppression effects because of equine drugs.
Supposedly US Equines will continue to ship/export, but EU banning of US Equine flesh is a function of the USDA not keeping their papers up with the EU and it’s a start.
I understand exports to Canada are on the wain, but Mexico is up.
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Probably being touted as an aphrodisiac to oriental men. They’re forever in search of something to boost their potency. I often wonder if they feel inadequate when compared to the huge “members” of their ancient erotic art.
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Hmmm, Linda, or maybe it could be “member” envy over American males; tongue-in-cheek B->
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RT you quack me up!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The Safeguard American Food Exports Act will stop the transporting and the slaughtering. Call you congressional reps and demand they cosponsor this bill.
It ain’t over ’til Sue Wallis sings!
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Since EU is the buyer market, I thought the same thing as Felicia. The slaughterers will find a way around saying that the horsemeat came from CN & MX ..not via the US. I believe the final answer is to have the SAFE act passed. We must continue our petitions & calls to our legislators. Can we send the latest video from Russia to our legislators? maybe that would get their better attention. thank you RT for all you do to keep us informed!
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There are other markets outside of the EU.
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Reblogged this on Serenity's Musings.
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Thanks for sharing this. Voted in the PopVox poll, and it is now up to 83% against. Commented on the article. I also think the report from Animals Angels indicating the fake inspections at the border of our horses are very important. We shouldn’t even be allowed to ship to CA and MX because of that! This should force action by breeders in the US to monitor breeding. A person breeds a horse..x amount of money goes to a local city/county/state fund that is monitored to follow that horse. “X” money simply sits there and grows for humane euthanasia when the time comes…..but I digress….
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Humane horse slaughter would be euthanasia, what is administered to our pets when there is no other option. Unfortunately, after horses do the job they do for us, they must be shot in the head, in order for them to be sold into a food chain. This country does not eat horses, but we cannot protect them from leaving this country, and becoming part of a food chain, for a small amount of the human population that considers the horse a livestock animal… It is even more disappointing when you recognize the human failure at protecting them, when we weigh their contribution to society, and people over centuries. No other animal can work with a people as close as a horse is capable of doing.. No other…
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One thing that perplexes me. Canadian numbers r down mexico are turning animals away. So if mcneil in oklahoma and duckfeathers and walrus were such horse advocates for welfare….then why r they not heading up the pack to stop that now if usa slaughter is enevitable? The answer to that lies in three humanitarians urgeing people to ship horses to mexico to prove they r correct about the need for slaughter. Sick games. Me thinks they should test run the humane treatment on them first.
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It’s more important now than ever to contact your representatives to co-sponsor the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE)Act (H.R. 1094/S 541 to protect our horses, the public and our food supply. The goal is to prevent the slaughter of America’s horses, not regulate it! Thank you R.T for always keeping us informed and up-dated on this critical issue that we all so strongly support. It was good news to hear that Secretary Vilsack acknowledges the many complications assoicated with meat inspections and that he hoped the Government could find an alternative to horse slaughter. That was certainly good to hear! (-: Now, let’s hope we can make it happen….SAFE Act will DO just that!
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Is there any way we can find out if the EU is also banning horses from the US sent to a second supplier which is Canada or Mexico before they are turned into hanging weight. The EU should know by now that the US supplies thousands of horses to both countries.
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This is all good but when it does it start? I thought it was dated back in 2011, which means that both Canada and Mexico have been complicit in accepting our horses. Aside from icky owners who just dump the horses.
As angry as that snuff video has made me I hope, I hope it sincerely bites the PSA/s in their preverbial backsides–and once and for all stops this insane argument.
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