Thursday, May 14, 2009
Despite good intentions, activists do horses a disservice
There is nothing like an economic slump to demonstrate that the proverbial manure indeed runs downhill. Faced with the increasing need for frugality, people are forced to cut unnecessary expenses, and often, one of those expenses is that of keeping animals - especially horses, since the cost of a single equine's annual feed and care easily tops a thousand dollars. Prior to 2007, owners needing to get rid of a horse had a number of options, one of which was slaughter. Through well-meaning but sadly misguided lobbying, activists succeeded in closing three operational U.S. horse processing plants, forcing slaughter-bound horses across the borders into Canada or Mexico. The ethnocentric "reasoning" behind the campaign to end horse slaughter is purely emotional - the captive bolt gun method of slaughter used in U.S. plants has been deemed humane for equines by the American Veterinary Medical Association, as well as by the American Association of Equine Practitioners. The flooded horse market, coupled with tough economic times, means that unwanted horses have virtually no value, making it impractical to send a horse to slaughter across the border, since the meager profit doesn't come close to covering the cost of transportation...Idaho Statesman
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8 comments:
Headed up by Sue Wallis a group of sensible citizens is being activated to counter act the governments involvement in the destruction of the horse industry. Man facets are being put forward but an interesting one that is being suggested is violation of the Sherman Anti Trust Act which in effect is restraint of trade.For feral horses the group has the intention of forcing the BLM to do what the Wild Horse and Burro act authorizes them to do among other items.
The pro slaughter are destroying the horse industry. Wallis is a joke. She wouldn’t know the truth if it hit her in the face. Nice try dr. john, but the plants already tried to sue on the commerce issue and lost in both lower courts. The Supreme Court refused to hear their arguments.
By all means, force the BLM to do what they’re supposed to do – protect the wild horses. Get the private owned cattle off the federal land and the wild mustang problem is solved. Mustangs have decreased from over 2 million down to 15,000 while the cattle have increased from 0 to over 6 million. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the cattle are damaging the land, not the horses.
The equine welfare advocates (not activists) arguments are not emotional. Horses are not food animals. They are not raised or bred for food. Horses bring over $140 billion in revenue to the horse industry and deserve a humane end of life. The AVMA classifies horses as companion animals. Every one of their brochures to customers say the only way to end a horse’s life is by humane euthanasia administered by a vet. It’s only in front of Congress that they tout the bolt.
Try doing some research. Read the FIOAs and investigations and then come back here and say it’s humane. Quit overbreeding and take responsibility for horses that you buy or breed and slaughter is a moot issue.
www.vickitobin.com
Excuse me, but horses have been eaten for millenia. We in the United States currently do not eat horse meat. But that was not always the case. Native Americans ate horse meat. Horse meat could be found in the meat case until the 1960s. Horse meat is popular in south Florida. This popularity has lead to a black market in horse meat. Individuals are killing horses for retail sale.
The anti-slaughter argument is emtionally driven. If Roy Rogers et.al. had ridden off into the sun set on a cow we would be having this discussion about cows. The arguments against horse slaughter could be used for any other animal.
I find it incrediably arrogant for one group of people to dictate to another what they can and can not eat. If you want the long list of what is ediable, visit a chinese market in China.
But all this caterwauling does not answer the question; If there is no horse slaughter, what do we do with the surplus horses? The anti-slaughter people have yet to put forth a solution. People, it's time to ante up and put your money where your mouth is.
Julie, you need to change your script. We are not telling anyone what they can or cannot eat. If the Europeans want to eat horses, they can butcher their own. In all the years the slaughter houses have been in existence, the horse meat has been shipped overseas because that is where the market is. Nothing emotional about that. It is FACT. You bring up China. Do you propose that we start slaughtering our cats and dogs to supply their markets? In our culture, we do not eat cats, dogs and horses. We slaughter animals that WE consume. Horses are not a food animal in our culture. In our culture they are service animals – sport, work, therapy, service and companion. They are bred and reaised as a non-food animal. Horses are not classified by the USDA as food animals and are classified by the FDA as companion animals. That means NO production records and NO drug protocols.
Ask the breeders when they are going to cut back on producing excess horses. The AQHA alone registered 140,000 foals last year (almost quadruple the next highest registered breed count) and have the leading breed going to slaughter. Ask them what they propose to do. Slaughter does not control the horse population, it promotes irresponsible breeding and ownership. If it was the solution, we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
Vicki, your response to my comments just proved horse slaughter is an "emotional" issue.
I have yet to hear what anti-slaughter crowd is going to DO with the 100,000 surplus horses. As a taxpayer, more government is not the answer. You and yours need to come up with a solition. The market will take care of the future. What are you going to do with the 100,000 horses that are on the ground today??
Jule, stating a fact that horses are not food animals, the services they perform in our society and how they are viewed by the government is not emotional. Stating that the QHs are the leading breed going to slaughter and the fact that they registered almost quadruple the next highest breed is not emotional. Facts are not emotional. The pro folks always say we’re emotional as way to avoid addressing the issues. Not one peep out of you on the overbreeding or the fact that horses are not food animals.
Why are you so quick to dismiss owner responsibility? They chose to own or breed the horse(s). It is their responsibility to provide a humane death. What about supply and demand? Don’t produce more horses than there is a market for. We did not create any surplus that exists.
Why does humane euthanasia never cross a pro slaughter person’s lips? What about renderers? Therapy centers? Riding centers? There are many alternate solutions for horses that cannot be cared for or the owner wants to dump. As an example, in IL, they are starting a program with prisons to train prisoners on grooming and farrier work with former race horses. There is no cost to the taxpayer. It gives the prisoners a trade and saves the horses from slaughter. Several other states have similar programs. We are working with tracks on adoption programs and funding for retired race horses. Many vet colleges and departments of agriculture offer low cost euthanasia programs and disposal. Many rescues offer the same.
It all comes down to irresponsibility and $$$. The reason that the pro folks don’t recognize any of the alternatives is because they have to pay instead of getting paid. If the horses are a business that means they are earning money for the owner. Take $300 of the earnings and set it aside to provide a humane death. If they don’t want to care for the horse when he can no longer earn, they can end his life humanely.
Why don’t you find out what happened to all the “excess” horses when the slaughter counts dropped from over 400,000 to under 100,000? There was no whining about unwanted horses. Over 300,000 less horses slaughtered every year. www.vickitobin.com
Julie:
Have you ever been to a slaughter facility? Or have you seen in on a video?
Until you have do not say horse slaughter is humane way to end a horses life. It is anything but humane.
Horses were not designed for assembly line slaughter. Their very nature and character makes it a form of death for the horse of suffering, cruel, inhumane and barbaric.
Those are fact words and they are the very discription of the suffering these horses go through from the day they leave the auction to the day they die.
Availability of horse slaughter does not prevent abuse; on the contrary, it hides, rewards and perpetuates it. Captive bolt was designed for cattle and is NOT a humane death for a horse: http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org.
It is the pro-slaughter forces who are doing a disservice to the horse, an animal which has been taught to trust and obey it's master. Horse slaughter is the ultimate betrayal of an animal which has served mankind for millenia. Not emotion, FACT.
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