Baucus praises bill to end to horse slaughter ban

U.S. Sen. Max Baucus says Congress is moving closer to allowing U.S. horses to be slaughtered primarily for their meat with a move that allows inspections of the facilities. The Democratic senator has been backing an idea to allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture to again start inspecting horse slaughter plants. The ban on inspections dates back to 2006 and effectively resulted in a ban on domestic horse slaughter and the processing of horse meat, which is considered a delicacy in some overseas markets. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday passed an agricultural spending bill that would allow inspection of slaughtered horses, which is needed to ship meat and animal byproducts across state borders. Baucus said he is making sure that language stays intact as the appropriation process continues. A Government Accountability Office study found that the horse slaughter ban has resulted in a shift of the market to Canada and Mexico, Baucus noted. It also has resulted in lower horse prices and strained local animal welfare agencies that are now dealing with more cases of horse abandonment...more