Source: by Gary Gerew of the Albuquerque Business First
“Secretary Vilsack made it clear to me that he opposes horse slaughter…”
Former Gov. Bill Richardson Thursday met in Washington D.C with meet with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and urge him to stop the reopening of horse slaughterhouses, but didn’t come back with the response he hoped to hear.
“I appreciate Secretary Vilsack’s willingness to meet with me and listen to the concerns of our foundation and those of others who adamantly oppose horse slaughter,” Richardson said in a news release. “Secretary Vilsack made it clear to me that he opposes horse slaughter, but said he has to follow federal rules.”
Richardson suggested that the USDA immediately conduct a complete review of its rule making procedures regarding horse slaughter and that it block any horse slaughterhouse from reopening until that review is completed.
The meeting was part of an effort made to prevent the opening of a horse slaughterhouse near Roswell.
Richardson’s trip was on behalf of The Foundation to Protect New Mexico Wildlife, an animal protection foundation he recently founded with actor Robert Redford.
Earlier in the week the Foundation announced its first action was joining a federal lawsuit against the USDA that seeks to block horse slaughter.
Click (HERE) to comment at Albuquerque Business First
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Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Gov Richardson made a good start, RECONCILE THE USDA RULES!
Secretary Vilsack can start by working with FDA and reconciling the the equine’s functional nomenclature and medication protocols as a nonfood animal, especially banned substances.
Until it is resolved, all (exports too) shipments STOP.
I never understood how 2 important public health departments could have completely different standards, in fact standards in conflict.
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Thank God for former Gov. Richardson – I wish he was still the Governor – New Mexico would be in much better shape & this controversy wouldn’t have made it this far if he was still in charge. THANK YOU GOV. RICHARDSON!!
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Absolutely, Denise. Another thing – if there wasn’t enough wrong at Valley Meats to deny a permit, what the H*#@L would it TAKE? That doesn’t make any sense either. In fact, none of this makes any sense. We know our horses are unfit for human consumption – the EU knows it, the USDA/FSIS knows it, the FDA knows it, and Congress MUST know it too. 80% – at least! – of Americans are strongly opposed to this, yet NONE of all this seems to matter.
What is everyone so afraid of? There’s the money of course, but I’m beginning to wonder if there is more than money involved here. WHAT I haven’t a clue.
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I honestly can’t figure out WHAT is going on?? Cause there is something more to ALL this crap???
And Denise I totally agree with you, you have TWO gov. agency’s that have totally different views and rules for horses, makes NO SENSE never has??? I hope Vilsake will listen to Mr. Richardson here is another reason he has to be able to stop this legitimately, but I am not holding my breath…..
Someone posted on another site that they believe waste water tanks at Valley Meat are all set and ready to go, now I don’t know if this is true, but boy they really think they are going to win this in court if this is true?? Oh my goodness, this is all SOOOO unbelievable it has gotten this far??
I keep going back to the Wild Horses, I can’t help but think this is there agenda and once that is solved for them the defunding will be law, so that is why I have been feeling Vilsake has been playing both sides …….. WHO KNOWS, no one in our Gov. tells the truth…. MY HOPE is truth and justice WILL prevail, might be naïve on my part ?????
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I have come to believe that the MAJOR discrepancy between FDA and USDA, to include the lack of USDA updates on regs regarding equines as meat and the current AVMA/AAEP prescribed management meds and protocols for US equines plus the fact they aren’t born as meat animals or managed as same…………………..IS/ARE MAJOR LITIGATION POINTS TO STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have never understood why HSUS has never sued on that/those basis(ses).
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Yeah, seems logical. The HSUS did petition the USDA and FDA not to permit horses that hadn’t been raised as food animals to be declared unfit for humans to eat. I don’t know about the FDA, but the answer from the USDA was hostile, condescending, and very unprofessional and showing a complete lack of knowledge about how horses differ from cattle.
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I have to give our past Governor credit on this one at least he is trying. have hope that there is light at the end of this tunnel for the wild horses and the slaughter plant will burn in hell one day soon. I am ranting “yes” because I believe in a much high kingdom.
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Federal rules list several banned medications that horses routinely receive. How about those federal rules?
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I think Richardson too, is wondering what the public will think about his state allowing a horse slaughter plant to open up. He’s got a lot more clout with these officials in DC than someone would think. In the past few years he has held a number of high ranking positions in DC. You will notice how fast he was invited to Vilsack’s office. If anyone can get the rules changed he will. We will have to give him a little time.
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Reblogged this on angelfarm.
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Sue wallis has a connection inside FSIS and im sure Toms been threatened multiple times. Pro slaughter advocates were attempting to cause problems for one of our stores, however, when they contacted customers to stop coming in and said i dont care about animal health and welfare and they shouldnt purchase from our store, the person they contacted waz my sister, who owns the other store with me so she immediately told me while they were on hold. I got on the phone and played like someone else, they told me i wasnt for animal welfare and the business owner me should be shut down did i have any dirt they could use. I asked who they were and they said they were the pro slaughter professionals looking to make the horse industry better for all and that the owner me was preventing that. My response was simple, i used my cell to record their rant then informed them i was contacting my attorneys, then informed the i was the owner of both businesses, and before they hung up, reminded them only activists call to make threats. These people threatened to drop off all the horses on my property, yold thdm they would be arrested, said they would boycott my store, informed my step brother is cheif of police, then they simply hung up. I have a phone number, a recording, and a new attitude about pro slaughters greed. My attorney is tracking down the number, it was out western states. The voice on the recording was a woman. What a bunch of loons. So i would not be surprised if they threatened his job security. They tried to threaten mine. How pathetic.
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Excellent Cynthia!! I would be willing to be the voice on the phone was one of SSue’s minions. She is determined she is going to slaughter horses, and is so filled hate in her dark and evil soul, I am convinced she incapable of accepting anything resembling facts. We all know that she hired professional marketing people to call members of Congress crying their businesses and livelihoods were being threatened. That’s how we lost the battle in 2011.
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