Source: By Joey Peters of the Santa Fe Reporter
The inner workings of NM’s proposed equine slaughterhouse
Please call the Secretary of Agriculture‘s office, today, and politely request that this atrocity does not take place ~ (202) 720-3631” ~ R.T.
Ever since late 2011, when Valley Meat Company applied to the US Department of Agriculture to open a horse slaughterhouse in Roswell, animal rights activists around the country have been up in arms over the idea of killing horses for meat. This week, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said the plant—which, if approved, would be the country’s first since 2007—should open. “We’re basically waiting for one final signature,” A Blair Dunn, Valley Meat’s attorney, tells SFR. Here, a look at the controversy behind the plant.
Flylike Instincts
A horse goes through a series of problematic steps before it becomes a slice of meat. Horses are claustrophobic and tend to flee when they sense danger. After arriving at the slaughterhouse, they head to the stun box, where they’re bolted in the brain to knock them unconscious.
“That’s when they get jumpy,” says Bruce Wagman, an attorney for the nonprofit horse advocacy group Front Range Equine Rescue. Unlike cows, horses don’t have flat foreheads, and their brains are farther back, making it tough to knock them out. If the bolt doesn’t work, the horse may go from the stun room to the final kill semi-conscious.
Next, shackles are used to lift the horse by its rear legs, a process that can break bones along its hip area.
The final blow is a slit to the animal’s carotid artery, which pumps blood from the heart to the brain. Dunn notes that some Mexican slaughterhouses have high success rates with captive-bolting horses, adding that Valley Meat is considering an alternative—firearms.
Troubled History
In the mid-2000s, only three horse slaughterhouses remained in the US. All of the meat was shipped to other countries, but the plants also caused problems at home. Kaufman, Texas’ Dallas Crown, for instance, kept a rotting pile of bones and a 600-gallon container of horse limbs and innards in front of the slaughterhouse, attracting flies and maggots. In 2010, the USDA also filed a formal complaint against Valley Meat for improperly disposing of cattle remains in piles up to 15 feet high that had enough maggots to move the piles themselves. (Dunn says the pile was a composting site, and that the new plant will dump remains in a landfill.)
Drugged Up
Unlike livestock raised for human consumption, horses are usually raised for sport or leisure activity.
“These animals are not raised for food in the way other animals, such as cows, pigs and chickens are,” reads Front Range’s 2012 petition to the USDA opposing horse slaughterhouses. Horses are sometimes given drugs that are banned in animals meant for meat consumption—but Dunn argues that people would have to consume unusual amounts of horsemeat to incur any harm.
“It really comes down to fear-mongering and doesn’t have a basis in science,” he says.
Where Do the Parts Go?
Valley Meat has stated that its Roswell slaughterhouse would only produce meat for human consumption.
After a horse is butchered, plants get rid of the offal, or the remains. Though the offal could be sent to a rendering plant to be turned into products like dog food, Wagman says the last three horse slaughterhouses just threw the parts out—just as Valley Meat once did for cattle.
“We do know that when Valley Meat was running a beef operation, they were just piling dead animals on their property,” he says.
Who Eats Horses, Anyway?
The European Union consumes more than 80,000 metric tons of horsemeat each year—especially Italy, where it’s made into sausages and stews. Horsemeat is also popular in South Korea and Japan, where it’s served raw. Valley Meat maintains it would ship all of its horsemeat abroad.
“Things live and die,” Dunn says. “That’s the way things work.”
Please click (HERE) to comment on Dunn’s outrageous statements
Related Articles
- A look inside a proposed horse slaughterhouse (KOB.com)
- Horse Meat Debate Centers on U.S. Slaughterhouse (theepochtimes.com)
- Valley Meat USDA Walk-Through, Only (rtfitchauthor.com)
Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
No Way, in the USA!!!!!
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When they hear what you’re calling about they will transfer you to a Ms. Simms(?) who apparently is not in the office yet this A.M. but has been given the assignment of fielding these calls. I left a short message BUT I will call back a little later this morning.
I hope we jam the phone lines and I won’t be able to get through 😉
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Roger that, I did the same…will call back and ask for her directly but did leave a detailed message.
>________________________________
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With the meat scandal in Europe, and spreading elsewhere, and drop in meat sales, and ban on export of horsemeat from America, where is this horse meat going? Why would they pursue this with no market…other than a black market or other fraudulent scheme as foreign investigations have revealed? That puts our own meat markets in jeopardy, and with many cattlemen pushing for this, if slaughter actually starts up, I hope it happens. It will stop so many from eating beef the market will suffer enough financial loss they will be shooting their cattle because no one will buy them.
I envision tons of processed meat, both horse and cattle, stacking up and rotting. Even if refrigerated too long it’s no good. What a waste of a once living creature whose soul will witness against those who wish them this dreadful end.
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Here is a more direct phone number which I finally reached after being transferred 4 times…
202-799-7000…or they may transfer you to the congressional and public affairs number 202-720-9113…the lines are jammed but just keep calling and please do not rely on a machine to get your message across…
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i already stopped eating beef, just at the thought of horsemeat.
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Judith I have that SAME question, WHO , WHERE is the meat going to go??? HOW can our GOV let this meat go any where knowing it is filled with meds??? I have called Vilsack and I will continue all day long,, Where the H-LL is the Bill HR 1094 right now???? Will it get voted on, god please don’t let this happen……
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It has been in committee and on FB we have a little info about the players to contact and get it moving out to the house. Check The Cloud Foundation FB page and go down about a week. I will try to get this here if I have time.
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Asinine. Thats what it is!
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After all that De Los Santos did causing extreme violations and unpaid fines from his last slaughter business, how in the hell can they let him operate another one! I also don’t understand how and where they are going to ship this product? I also understand that if they sell horsemeat for human consumption, it is in violation of the food product safety laws of New Mexico. I’ll tell you what really angers me is Gov. Martinez. Why didn’t she create and sign an executive order to ban this. We already know that answer now, don’t we! If you can’t take a stand and do what’s right for your constituents and govern like you were voted to do, then I can assume that you will also be looking for a new job after the next elections. And did I hear you say that you were thinking about running for President? Not any more!!
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Remember this when election time comes. That’s where you can hurt them..
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Call, call all. It appears that everyone in the decision making process are nothing more than Whimps! They all are afraid of their own shadow. Its truly disgusting that we elect people who we believe will be making critical decisions on issues and all they do is take a backseat. I think the litigation could take some time. However, the expense incurred could and would have made a difference in the lives of the horses that could end up here. I hope that these House of Horrors never again open in this country. I think that there has been so much out cry about the Approprations bill that the Obama Administration had to fix the bill. I think that the USDA got caught in the middle and had no choice. They had to follow the curent decision. Its all moving though in the right direction. This all takes time and patience for this to happen. Like Illinois, we had our ups and downs, but we prevailed in the end,l
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Scum bags!
Vilsack speaks w forked tongue!
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Since this is to be the ONLY horse slaughter plant in the USA, as a resident of New Mexico it must not open. The meat I understand will be shipped to MEXICO, which is just across the border. Please Call the number given and remember N.M. is in Mountain Time. WE ALL need to try and get this stopped, I can not believe our precious horses here that I see in the wild in N.M. will be killed, as I drive by our highway they are just beautiful grazing. May God answer our prayers to stop this evil person, in Roswell, N.M. I have had email response’s from our state legislators in Santa Fe. against this.
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Judy would you rather they be hauled to Mexico and killed with a knife in the back of the neck than go in a box because that is what is happening now and will continue to happen if we don’t open plants here the Gov. cant stop them for crossing into Mexico no mater what they do AND THEY KNOW IT
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I called again this morning and got someone this time went through two people then put on hold twice the third person took my statement name and telephone no. I asked if she has been getting a lot of calls and she snickered a bit and said YES A LOT, so please everyone keep calling!!
Yeah, I don’t understand HOW they can sell this meat either HOW??? Knowing they have drugs in them and to WHO??? I can not understand any of it, it is all so not legal all of it, NO ONE HEARS US????????????/
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Will be calling every time I get a chance~~~~~~~~~~here is our theme for the dayhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEVsRLhet2k
keep the faith and keep up the hard work
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I’ll see if I can get it to highlight, if not you may have to do it yourselfhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEVsRLhet2k
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try it from my other computer sorry if it doen’t work this time-it is the underdog themehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEVsRLhet2k
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I just called and left a message. I was transferred 3 times because they have a special office set up to take calls for slaughter horse issue. The woman that answered the phone said that they were very busy with phone calls coming in on this horse slaughter issue. Just keep on calling and let them know “the American People are completely against horse slaughter”. I really pray that the Government does not allow this horse slaughter house to open in New Mexico.
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Just called 202 720-9113 where they took my name number and state I called from— my response was NO NO AND NO — to horse slaughter anywhere!
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Mrs. Smith I also just called the number you posted thanks. My response was these horses are being transported across them borders and some flown over seas these trips taking days with no feed water or rest to reach the same fate they could right here in USDA regulated plants under more humane conditions. Also before 2007 around $42,000,000 worth of horse meat was being exported out of the US plus creating thousands of JOBS that have all been sent across the borders along with the money. Not only are the government(obama) letting the illegals come up here and take our jobs they are sending them our jobs. Her response was WOW that is very interesting.
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Now THAT is astoundingly ill-informed and misleading information.
The three plants employed a total of 185 personnel with 85% of the employees being illegal immigrants who disappeared instantly when the plants were shuttered, along with Kaufman, Texas’ crime rate. I guess that would boil down to about 25 U.S. jobs lost but then again, I am sure that those employees probably had the skills to be a greeter at WalMart.
Educate yourself on the facts before you publicly embarrasse yourself, again!
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Will call today!!!!! This is ridiculous…..how can they approve this unless of course money under the table??????
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My question to those of you that want it stopped, About 160,000 horses a year go to slaughter over the borders, what are you going to do with the surplus of unwanted horses? Give me a logical answer to this problem, you cant because there is not one. Most of the people that are pro slaughter are horsemen and women that are passionate about horses and know that this is more humane than them being trucked to Mexico, Canada some flown over seas these trips taking days with no food, water or rest to reach the same but more in humane fate they could on US soil. Closing the borders is CRAZY the Gov. cant stop them from crossing into Mexico and they now it, they cant stop the illegals from coming to the US an taking our jobs do you think they are going to stop the horses from crossing they (Gov.) doesn’t want and Mexico wants from crossing? I’m waiting for a logical answer to the problem. YOU CANT GIVE ME ONE!
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Lonnie, Thanks to the over the Border Slaughter Houses our WANTED HORSES are being stolen just to sell to slaughter houses.
How would you like it if someone stole your precious family member & you found out it went to slaughter to die a HORRID DEATH? A slaughter house near you?
Opening Slaughter Houses here would just encourage more theft than there already is.
By the way, it’s illegal to put horse meat into dog food or feed it to zoo animals because of the meds we give our horses.
Yes, times are hard but slaughter houses also DUMP more live, sick horses out than people who can no longer care for their beloved horses.
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It’s ironic that this disgusting place should be in the woo-woo capital of the nation, Roswell. I really don’t understand how our country can allow this when it’s already got so many red flags against it. We really are going downhill fast.
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I called the number listed, they gave me a different number 202-720-7025. I called that number and they transferred me to a person who took down my name and number and a short comment. Sure hope the politicians start listening to their constituants!
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Called
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“the offal could be sent to a rendering plant to be turned into products like dog food” is quite disturbing since horsemeat was banned in pet products decades ago. Ivermectin causes brain swelling in dogs.
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I called Gov. of Tenn’s office today and the woman I talked to told me the Gov has looked at every angle to stop this plant but her hands are tied I don’t know if I believe this but thought some folks would like to know, I just read an article where someone took a family’s horse in the night behind the barn and slaughtered it and took the meat, now it begins right so so sick feel so awful for that horse and family sick world we live in…. this was in Miami Dade county, then at the end of the report the reported said they have had 50 cases just like this????WHAT?????
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OMG Debbie,,,,this is horrible!! What is this world coming to???? I cannnot comprehend such
heinous actions to a horse you owned and rode…..How sick!
Miami Dade is scumville………….
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I hope we’ve all jammed up the voice mails and calls to them…Tom Vilsack is whooped!!..
Mr Sociopath”””””””De Los Santos”””””” makes me sick!!
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Maybe a call needs to go out to the FL Senator that spoke at the Equine Summit about what’s going on in Miami Dade county. Thought he was spearheading strict animal cruelty laws. Zero tolerance should be their stance with this crime based on the horrific nature alone, but also because it’s reported to be not an isolated incident.
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Haahaa!….Tom Vilsack’s voice mail is full… 2nd number is still taking messages…………
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I called. The number for Food Safety mailbox was full. The other number I left a message for Tom Vilsack.
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Did the man get his law degree out of a crackerjack box? Or perhaps he was a cellmate of de los Santos who got his law degree in prison. I’ve never heard such rubbish. I’d almost give my canine teeth to find out about Sappington’s history too. 🙂
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The term ‘idiot’ comes to mind when I read A Blair Dunn’s comments. I’m surprised he had the ability to get through law school. Then look at the type of client(s) he’s representing. Hmmm…disgusting…
~”Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein~
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Lonnie S. so I read from your statement that you support horse slaughter in the USA?? Because you think they will be shipped live to Mexico then killed. We do have border patrol for fruits, vegetables and they get inspected. What if you can name one is the answer, I do not see it as opening a slaughter plant for horses in Roswell. Let this guy be shut down as he cannot even do cattle, which by the way are raised for theyre meat. Our wild horses are not!
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R.T. Just wondering if you know what Rendering plants do with the horses they pick up.
“Darling” from Boise, Idaho picked up my dead horse when he gutted himself several yrs. ago in 1997. I know they still pick up horses today
I’ve always wondered what they did with meat they can’t use.
Thank you for your hard work
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