Source: The Toledo Chronicle
“The horse slaughter industry is a predatory, inhumane enterprise…”
Frozen foam could be seen overflowing a water-holding tank at Cavel International, a horse-slaughtering plant in DeKalb, before they were shut down. Chronicle file photo CURTIS CLEGG
Iowa has become ground zero in the national debate on horse slaughter, now that the USDA has cleared a horse slaughter plant to begin butchering horses here. Not only will our state earn the disdain of 80 percent of Americans who disapprove of horse slaughter, but Iowans will have a front-row seat to animal suffering and environmental degradation.
It happened in Kaufman, Texas, where horses were slaughtered until 2007. The plant flooded the local water supply with blood, the stench of dead horses permeated the air, and economies suffered. Slaughtering horses in Iowa could also tarnish our agricultural reputation-we would be contributing tainted meat to the food supply and risking the co-mingling of horsemeat in beef products, which happened in Europe. As animals raised for work and show, but not food, horses are given a variety of drugs that makes their meat unfit for human consumption.
The horse slaughter industry is a predatory, inhumane enterprise. It doesn’t ‘euthanize’ old and sick horses, but snatches up those that bring the best price per pound. It’s bad for horses, bad for communities and bad for human health. It should be outlawed, and Congress is considering legislation to do just that. Urge your legislators to support the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, S. 541/H.R. 1094.
Carol Griglione, Iowa state director for The Humane Society of the United States
Click (HERE) to Comment at the Toledo Chronicle
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Categories: Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
How could the USDA approve a slaughtering plant when over 80% of the people are against it ? Is there any way that we can have this slaughtering plant closed down before they could open its’ doors ? The ones that approve this should have to be the ones to run the horses and burros up the ramps and then also have to be involved in the killing and butchering! What has this world come to ?
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They continue to go against the will of the people, on many issues, don’t they?! What has the world come to, is right! If they want to approve horse slaughter in this country again, I say that everyone involved with it’s approval (and I mean everyone) should be made to witness the slaughter of these beautiful and innocent animals from the beginnng to the end of it’s process!!! To jeopardize too the environment and the toxic food supply is totally irresponsible.
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It is all about the money. USDA does not give a darn about the will of the people. Nor does our government give a darn.
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I really don’t think our government gives a Damn about our food supply-one of the girls on here just posted about wanting to take country of origin from our meat lables. Monsanto has been givin a green light to poison us all-as we all know-and then another monsanto travisty.
http://now.msn.com/monsanto-can-raise-glyphosate-levels-on-says-epa
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So right on Geri!!……Monsanto has permeated our food supply with the poisoned genetically modified seed crops…very sick!!…They do not know the longevity of
eating the engineered product. But do predict long term use will have adverse health affects.
When the US no longer cares about our food supply.
Wants horse Slaughter back into our Country and fighting dirty and hard to have it.
Corrupted “Monsanto” Genetically Modified corn, soy, wheat run amuck……..
The BLM attempt at “Wild Horse Extinction”………..
Were so up a “Sh@t Creek without a Paddle”………But we do have Warriors out there
making head way ending Slaughter but a long way to go…………..
We need headway at the Roundups to STOP this outdated practice Period!
.
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Robyn
I have been checking into the Little Bootcliff wild horses – WOW – you are way over on the western slope (I’m in the part of Centennial that the next step is Kansas Dorthy) just a little to far for me to come for a couple hour rally-you will need to get people from there to help, most of the people that go out to round ups are
photographers or make videos or are 501Cs, I’m just a working person-my donations along with a lot of others keep them able to do what the rest of us can not. Just like with Heather we need rallys at all capitals – but because it is on a Friday(and to get the best bang for the buck it needs to be on a weekday – I understand, I will not be able to make it an all day thing , I’m going to take lunch and breaks together and try to get in a half hour or so but if traffic and parking make that impossible I may just have time to drive around the capital a couple of times and honk in support. That is why there needs to so many of us – to get what seems to be so little done. If I can help in some way let me know.
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Geri I lived 5 minutes from them some years back….Today that drive is 4hours
from me being an hour south-east of Denver in the country…..
So for me to do the Western Slope is a long drive but a marvelous one.
I understand what your saying and you’re right our donations do help this.
We’ll see what Heather comes up with?
I saw the recent rally with Jetara Sehart made the media in Nevada recently.
I know this state has a lot of Pro horse slaughter at the Capital due to the
support of the professional horse people and cattlemen which are on the
western slope. They need to see how many taxpayers here are against this practice.
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You folks in Iowa first of all have to rid yourselves of Steve King. He is pond scum and needs to be selling pencils on the street corner. His middle name is Arnold so I wonder if he’s related to Benedict or the Ziffels.
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Krazya$$ King apparently got on the House floor yesterday and went batsh*t krazy insulting ethnic and immigrant groups.
It was so bad, Speaker Boehner called it “hate speech”. This guy is nuttier than a Christmas fruitcake, but still DANGEROUS! Who are the people that vote for this dangerous loon?!?!????.
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Like the old saying goes, ” give ’em enough rope….”
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Citizenns of Iowa need to make it clear they don’t want this to happen. And don’t want tto kibbitz – but it is 65-80 percent of Americans in every poll asking for an opinion. Otherwise, this is a short, precise statement and I appreciate it for the genuine tone.
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This should be a non-issue in this country. We do not raise horses for food and it appears that the majority of Americans want it to stay that way. If the FDA classifies horses as companion animals, which they are, not “livestock”, which they aren’t, then it would logically indicate that one cannot be the other and the majority of Americans have spoken, period. We don’t classify our dogs as “pets” because they live in people’s homes as companions and then classify them differently if they are working dogs in other facets. The fact remains that horses are not like cows and pigs. Horses are indeed our companions and always have been. The horse industry itself employs millions of people who provide services and products in all aspects of the care and management of horses. Horse slaughter provides nothing but corruption, greed, and degradation. We don’t want horse slaughter in this country now or ever!
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Excellent letter ! Thanks Carol Griglione
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We are not a democracy we are a republic, as such our elected officials decide what is best for us. In each and every case the public officials protect capital, not us because capital is gets them re-elected. The will of the people is moot by comparison to the grease of the shareholders.
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Yes. Subsidizing horse slaughter cruelty will divert precious financial resources away from American products and food safety. The authority to fund horse slaughter inspections was restored last year, and the USDA has been asked to process horse slaughter applications to provide inspection of horse slaughter facilities. The many millions of tax dollars necessary to conduct horse slaughter inspections would be diverted away from food safety programs in place to protect Americans, to enable a practice that 80% of the American public opposes. The EU is on the verge of tightening requirements for lifetime regulation of horses sent to slaughter, due to overwhelming evidence that drugs administered to American horses are dangerous to humans. The EU food safety regulations would require onerous and ever-evolving USDA oversight – at additional taxpayer expense – to ensure compliance. At a time when funding for many vital programs for Americans is being cut, it is outrageous that Congress would spend tax dollars on horse slaughter.
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