Ex-N.M. chief vows to halt horse slaughterhouse ruling

Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson vowed Saturday to fight a federal ruling that will allow U.S. horse slaughterhouses to operate for the first time since 2007. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo tossed a lawsuit by the Humane Society and animal protection groups seeking to block horse slaughter, contending that federal officials had failed to assess the environmental impacts of slaughterhouses. Her ruling could allow Roswell, N.M.-based Valley Meat, Responsible Transportation of Sigourney, Iowa, and Rains Natural Meats of Gallatin, Mo., to slaughter horses and ship meat to countries where it's consumed by humans or used as animal feed. Currently, most domestic horses destined for slaughter are shipped to Canadian and Mexico processing plants. The hot-button issue has split animal rights activists, ranchers and Indian tribes for years. Richardson and actor Robert Redford have been the animal rights groups' most visible supporters, saying the slaughter of an iconic animal is cruel and inhumane. Earlier this year, Richardson and Redford — unavailable for comment Saturday — launched the Foundation to Protect New Mexico Wildlife, eventually gathering support from the Navajo Nation, which had previously rounded up thousands of feral horses it said were causing ecological and property damage. "Our next course of action is to file an appeal, a full rush with Congress to see if we can pass a prohibition, and to concentrate on more state by state efforts to stop this," Richardson told USA TODAY. "The odds are not that good about stopping this, but it's not over."...more