Source: Equine Welfare Alliance and Wild Horse Freedom Federation
Permit Processing
This is the second set of documents ( click <HERE> for first installment) we are releasing from the FOIA request for documents pertaining to the NM permit request.
Documents contained in this release are the actual permit applications from NM as well as the other permit requests. You will note that in both releases, de los Santos’ partner’s name has yet to be revealed.
The second document is an email exchange that outlines the jurisdiction of the USDA and FDA and has some interesting information. Of particular note is that it appears as though nothing has been submitted to the EU as of March 2013.
Back in October, we were informed by the EU that in order for the US to be added back to the import list, it would take a minimum of two years. That’s after a complete plan for residue testing, traceability and inspection was submitted. All signs are pointing to no exports to the EU – the largest market. Since the EU will require passports for all horses and US horse owners have not been notified they need to passport their horses, we suspect [if a plant should open] there won’t be any exports directly from the US to the EU anytime soon. We also received word from the EU last month, as well as back in October, that nothing had been submitted. Of course, we know how honest everyone is regarding the horse meat business but we thought we’d pass on what we have been told.
We, along with several advocates have found some very informative points from the first release. While we reviewed the documents for content, our deep dive review of the information is still underway. We are still expecting over 3,000 pages so we thought it best to release what we had since we are running on a short window with the NM plant.
We can always use more eyes so if you note anything of interest, please send us an email at ewa@equinewelfarealliance.org or info@wildhorsefreedomfederation.org
Click (HERE) for Summary and Links
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I love the work EWA does. I did not realize until I was talking to a congressional source yesterday how random drug testing will actually be. According to USDA, horses being slaughtered for human consumption will be tested on the same basis as “Show Animals” in other words on a sliding scale that amounts to about 4%. That and the fact that horse meat will be processed alongside other meats poses a huge threat to food safety. It also poses a huge threat to the cattle industry. Imagine what a scandal would do to the already faltering beef market. I wonder if the cattlemen are even considering that risk.
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No ranchers are totally for slaughter. Which is enough to boggle the mind if you stop to think about it. Not sure if Valley Meats is applying for more than one species to slaughter. If he has that would seem to me to be a sure fire way to have contamination whether by accident or other.
I guess after seeing what has transpired in Europe plants need to be super careful about contamination. One plant=one species. Two buildings, two ENTIRELY separate processing and packaging equipment–maybe.
Just feel that it would safer (food safety wise)to limit what you kill at your plant. It still doesn’t deal with meds and a whole plethora of issues…
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Thank you for exposing this. You do a wonderful job.Our group, Fighting for Neva da Wild Horse’s is having a large national rally Saturdu April 27th to protest all aspects of slaughter, animal abuse, roundups and to promote the SAFE Act. Would yo please announce this as we have 14 confirmed rallies listed on our fb page.
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OK, so diving into these documents you will notice two things=non-compliance throughout this and the lack of non-compliance means that these people will only do what is directly under a watchful eye and will not do any thing more. This is repulsive, I am a business owner, and I had to jump through an enormous amount of hoops to open a retail business, building codes, interior codes, design codes, then declaring what I am stocking and selling. I want to see where this guy has the pride in his business they fought for so hard for all this time. These documents just prove that we are fighting this cause to protect people worldwide whether they know, understand, or respect the work we are doing to stomp out horse slaughter. People would be repulsed to know that this is where their food source originates, not the beautiful flowing fields and highly sanitary butcher that they imagine, but a horrible, uncaring, and repulsive location instead comes into light. This is horse slaughter in the true light despicable, dirty, and deceitful. We need to fight for our food sanitation and protection, when these people spent the 75,000 supposedly to re-do this plant I was expecting something that looked like it was in good condition. But when you still have cattle shutes and you are banned from killing cattle, folks, that in itself is an alarm, this man is going to be using this shute. And they didn’t buy sanitation products, they don’t have anything brought into the conditions required by LAW! They painted, they have too small of horse shutes, that’s animal abuse all by itself and shows deception-even Canada and Mexico haven’t pulled that God-awful trick, you make a shute even smaller the tighter the quarters, the bigger more violent reactions. Talk about setting the horses adrenaline into motion, again ruining the meats. This man hasn’t complied intentionally, because they are NOT intending to. The horses necks are too long for the hanging-guess what because they are going to incorrect decapitate-if you look closely into their procedure for the dismemberment they have a speed plan in order, and they wont be worried about cleaning in between horses because quite frankly, that slows the process down, he has NEVER done this line of work so he thinks he going to get approved and do WHAT he wants. He even clearly indicates that he is so worried about being open for his cash flow that he will work whether the veterinarian is on staff or not. He won’t stop because he has to get the money flowing, so if he’s in violation he will work through it. That is the reason he has an attorney on payroll, which if he’s hiring family members to run the plant, and they have NO equine slaughter experience that is a strategic move to keep the people who work under them from speaking out about what they see. I am just mortified what will happen when they are certain no one is looking. I will read and re-read every word, because this is the type of things that made my grandpa so rebellious against the slaughter industry. If you notice at one point he talks to the inspector as though they are good old friends that understand we just need to keep this moving forward, however, we don’t need anymore good ole boy understandings when it comes to food, and horse slaughter, ya know? If you want to be treated like a good ole boy, my grandpa had a
saying he used frequently for them types of good ole boys who want an “understanding” that works “only” in their favor while they did sumthin’ wrong, he called them folks “No Count”! You my friend are a No Good, Don’t Account for Nuthing, and your idea stinks more than roadkill after 2 weeks in the hot sun, fryin on asphalt! You are a NoCount Son of a Gun! My grandpa rocked! Believe It or Not he was the world’s gentlest man til you messed with a horse. Get violent with one and he was like a badger, he suddenly looked much larger than he appeared. So I see the whole truth as to why when I see the non-compliance and the background information on this place in New Mexico. I get more and more in perspective.
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Word has it but i don’t know the source that de los santos has orders from Asia and Japan buy i rather doubt that it’s true because the Japanese import live foals from Canada and slaughter them themselves. Russia has already banned American horses so who does that leave?
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China? Or they could just ship it around the world 2 or 3 times to try to hide where it came from, and sell it as beef. I’d like to know who his silent partner is. I don’t believe they spent any money on that plant, and I don’t believe any of them are honest. I’ll bet he rehires Sappington too, if he gets the okay to re-open.
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I’m just starting this very long document. Am I understanding this correctly (around page 25)that a slaughter plant can slaughter more than one species?
No wonder there was huge contamination in Europe!
This has some vile repercussions. Not just for horses but for Jewish and Muslims who don’t eat pork. If people aren’t told where the source of their is from how can they be assured of its purity?
I don’t believe this is limited to VM, but to the whole industry.
Veggie person here! And proud of it!
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