Source: By Horsetalk.co.nz on Jul 11, 2013 in Focus
“The slaughter of American horses for human consumption presents unique and extensive dangers that have never been adequately considered by [the] defendants, despite their obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)…”
Pollution spewing from “state-of-the-art” Cavel Horse Slaughter plant prior to it’s shutdown
The US Department of Agriculture is embarking on a nationwide program of horse slaughter without regard to environmental or human health concerns, horse advocates claim in a lawsuit.
Front Range Equine Rescue, the Humane Society of the United States and others have filed an action against Secretary for Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Under Secretary for Food Elizabeth Hagen and the administrator for the Food Safety and Inspection Service Alfred Almanza.
The action, in the United States District Court, Northern District of California, centers on the decision by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow federal inspections of horse slaughter plants, which brings the reopening of such plants on US soil a step closer.
The USDA has granted approval for two plants so far, saying it is bound by law to do so if all conditions are met.
The action by the plaintiffs seeks an injunction against the USDA in granting the plant approvals.
The complaint states: “Defendants are embarking on a nationwide program of horse slaughter that presents clear threats to the environment without complying with Congressionally mandated requirements intended to protect the public and our natural resources…(CONTINUED)
Click (HERE) to read the story in it’s entirety and to comment at Horse Talk
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I commented on the source. (my routine comment) As a retired OB nurse, I have been striving to educate the public about the effects of Bute (Phenylbutazoneon) on the fetus or newborn. At least 90% of horses raised in USA have been given Bute. There is evidence to indicate that exposure to Bute during pregnancy may cause birth defects in the fetus. Studies in animals have shown that these medicines, if taken late in pregnancy, may increase the length of pregnancy, prolong labor, or cause other problems during delivery, including still-births. Transference during breast feeding may cause heart disease in the newborn. It may be the innocent human newborns that will suffer. Lordy! Don’t we have enough childhood diseases! and risks for birth-defects, autism, etc. Do we even want to send this tainted flesh to other countries?
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I take ANY opportunity to educate. I DO love equines, but I am dedicated to saving human infants.
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Laurel,
Have seen your “routine” comment many places. Keep it up. We all need intelligent experienced people with the true information to put it out there. My horse would never have gone to slaughter for any reason – but I remember the wormer, bute, antibiotics & supplements – all the many things we do to care for our horses. And everyone at my barn did the same thing, plus more! This is not something people can ignore or pretend that it doesn’t exist – and that seems to be happening. Hard to believe anyone could be so stupid as to argue this point.
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Seems to me the government is preparing to rid itself of the expense of maintaining all the Mustangs they incarcerated. They will argue as wild horses they were not treated with medication therefore can be eaten.
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horsedrag, you are so correct or why else would they have approved the New Mexico horse slaughter plant. Something is just not right with this scenario. The FDA must think that we (horse lovers) are a bunch of fools.
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New Mexico is a het-bed of humanly caused horse breeding. It may be the worst state in the country according to a local horse owner/breeder who has horses bred in New Mexico. She has cut way back and brought some of her mares back & retired them to pasture, but she told me it was really bad. Breeding is a science, and now that scientists know more about DNA they understand better how their lack of understanding has caused traits of inbreeding to occur leading to the types of injuries that are catostrophic to horses and riders.
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I thought they were protected.
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Horses are about as protected as a canary being stalked by a cat.
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Mustang mares are given PZP, stallions are gelded before sending them to slaughter.
What are the medications given to them when these procedures are done, or are no medicines/anesthesia given to them which is horrific? This sounds and is terrible, as they should be on the range and not at the mercy of some government lackies. We have been able to keep a whole species out of the slaughterhouses on our soil. I am thankful that organizations are suing the USDA and others so that our equines remain safe on our soil and look forward to the SAFE Act further protecting them when it becomes law.
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It is our resposnsibility to the American public to make them fully aware that this is polution . People want to believe that it happens somewhere else and it won’t effect them and this is so far from the truth. They need to see that the water flows to every corner of the world and the air move the same way. Death and the distruction that comes with it are ravaging our world. And now they poisin animals with chemicals and then want to feed it to us! REALLY? Haven’t we done enough to Mother Earth . Must you kill everything for the all mighty buck?
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It seems that the powerrs to be – in this country are determined to contaminate our ground water-
remember the Old Native American proverb:
When the last tree is cut down,
The last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned,
You will realize you cannot eat money.
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Great proverb…..so wise
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All of this horse slaughter we all know is destructive every part of it from beginning to end.. USDA knows it everyone really knows this just some will lie just to get money in their pockets, you can bet your AS_ if there was no demand for this there would be NO PLANTS starting up….
We all have been calling the President and a lady there told me they have had so many calls they had to set up a special category just for horse slaughter, and yet NOTHING being done, gosh I don’t think any of us have a voice imagine that??
Listen there is a new petition just in case no one knows and it is on change.org/NoHorseMeat, and it is a young girl and her mom I think anyway they have 53,000 signature’s already and this is going to the Food Industry pushing them to NOT USE any horse meat in there products IKEA, BURGER KING and such to denounce the slaughter industry SOOO please everyone go and sign it, I have the link but not appropriate to put it on this site….. OK chin up everyone……
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They aren’t even asking your name, address and phone number when you call to complain at the 202-456-1111. It would seem they are just listening and blowing off our calls.
I just saw that petition yesterday and signed it………….
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And while we are on the subject of horse slaughter here is an article almost a year old:
Scientists Sign Declaration that animals have a conscousness the same as humans
http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/dvorsky201208251
It states in the article:
“But will this make us stop treating these animals in inhuman ways.”
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What do we have to do every single American against Horse Slaugther show up at the President’s door at the White House’s steps to protest this. Do you know how many people would be there? We could not even imagine the millions of people against this.
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Congress just said, “they were concerned about the Chinese taking over the Smithsfield Pig Farm. If the Chinese would fallow the health safety rules if they took over. why are’t they concerned over the killing of the horses and the contamination this will cause. Do they really think the health safety rules are going to be fallowed with horse slaughter, They are setting their own standards. As usual they don’t care, they are listening to the big organizations that breed the most who send the most to slaughter, not counting blm.
Heaven Help the USA. what does our government have in store for the country. It is not for the animals or the people.
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The chinese boil puppies alive and keep cats stacked in cages to eat, so why would congress be concerned? I mean kill buyers work in Congress as well, talking animal welfare. Imagine that animal welfare agents are the kill buyers, does anyone else notice the wool blanket on top the wolf at grandmas door?
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Does anyone know a signon name palleo huntress or susanmeansilly ? These two are propaganda pushers attempting to incite violence against horses, literally. Im curious if you have come across them in daily adventures commenting.
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I love the fact that they are finally fighting back.
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So true! And, Mustangs would actually NOT be any “safer” to eat, because by them not being treated with assorted chemicals , drugs or other products, they would have a LARGE internal parasite load, & potentially deadly diseases, which CAN be then transferred into whatever or whoever eats the tainted “meat”. There is NO reliable or safe, or ANY method out there to use to even test for such things ! I recently came across an article stating that in an alligator park, 250 alligators died after consuming horse “meat” infected with the West Nile Disease! They
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I saw on Fox news that the farm bill was passed without the food stamps being included in it. This is something that Obama wanted in the final bill which, from what I understand, he will veto the bill because its not included. I wonder how this will effect slaughter plants since both Senate and the House passed the none funding?
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The defunding language is not in the Farm Bill. It’s in the Budget. House and Senate Budgets both contain the defunding language. But, it probably won’t get passed before these plants open – or THINK they are going to open. I have my doubts about it, but that’s what THEY think.
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This is NOT what I’ve been waiting to here and I’m so throughly disgusted I hardly know what to say anymore! Oh, how convenient after rounding up our horses, storing them in government holding facitities, with probably this in mind, from the very beginning. The facts and truth don’t seem to mean a damn, and I’m afraid we are all going to pay the price in the end. You can’t rape the land of God’s creatures and not be affected in a negative way. It’s a sad day when you have the majority of Americans opposing such a brutal practice, with the greedy few having the final say!
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According to those who are pushing the removal of wild horse and burro herds, if you want to get rid of a species already culturally popularly, eating it will only make getting rid of it harder. So much of this has been done behind closed doors, it is hard to know who stands for what anymore.
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This is such a mess, please keep doing what you are doing as you are helping to educate people and education can cause a change. Tears for all the wild horses and burrows (donkeys), tears for the tax payer to pay the bill.
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