Friday, August 01, 2014

Plan for Roswell horse slaughterhouse may be over

A company’s plan to open a horse slaughterhouse in Roswell may be over. The lawyer for Valley Meat Co. submitted a letter Thursday to the New Mexico Environmental Department withdrawing the plant’s application for a permit to operate a wastewater discharge lagoon. A permit from state regulators is needed to discharge blood and other slaughtering wastes into tanks and lagoons on the company’s property. Attorney Blair Dunn wrote that Valley Meat was withdrawing its application “and any plans for operating a livestock processing facility at this location at this time.” Dunn also noted “predatory litigation” by state Attorney General Gary King, who filed a lawsuit seeking a permanent order blocking horse slaughter in New Mexico. The last domestic horse slaughterhouses closed in 2007, a year after Congress withheld inspection funding.  AP

Look at the tentacles of government here:  State requires permits, USDA requires inspection, animal rightists sue on NEPA and ESA grounds.  Add to that the outspoken opposition to this small busines by Gov. Martinez and AG King and you witness the political power over industry. It appears Congress will defund the inspections this year anyway.

1 comment:

drjohn said...

New Mexico Senator Tom Udall on may 21 2014 fell in line with HUUS and the k street hooker mary landieu and voted not to fund meat inspectors at equine processing plants. Slaughtering the 50,000 feral BLM horses that are in LTHF could supply 16 million meals and stop the death of a child very five seconds