On Friday the USDA gave its approval for New Mexico to begin operating a slaughterhouse for horses. The Valley Meat Company of Roswell, New Mexico submitted an application to the USDA asking that their cattle processing operation be converted into a horse meat plant. Not only did the USDA approve the Valley Meat Company's request, Associated Press reports they are looking to approve similar applications for meat processing plants in Iowa and Missouri next week.
Valley Meat Company is looking to export the horse meat, as human consumption of horse is illegal in the United States. For six-years Congress has nixed the horse slaughterhouse industry keeping them out of commission by not allowing federal funding for meat inspectors. In the US a meat plant cannot run without inspections from the USDA.
The Obama administration opposes the slaughter of horses and the Valley Meat Company used that as an excuse to sue the USDA saying they were unfairly delayed because of the Obama administration's feelings on the issue.
There is a large debate in the United States over whether or not horses should be used for food. There are countries in Europe that consume horses for food but in the US people have negative feelings toward eating an animal that has been domesticated as a pet. Others say horses are livestock, the same as cows and we should not make an issue out of consuming horses.
Horse owner Jessica Simonoff says she feels no ethical problem with consuming horse meat, after all China, Germany, Belgium and Scotland all eat horse, the way America eats cow. However as a horse mom Simonoff says,
"I can't imagine slaughtering and consuming horses for food given how human they are. In my heart I hope that Congress reinstates the ban on horse slaughter in the Unites States."
A spokeswoman for the USDA spoke with horsechannel.com saying, since Congress has yet to place a ban on horse slaughter in the United States, the USDA is "legally required to issue a grant of inspection today to Valley Meats in Roswell, New Mexico for equine slaughter."
"The administration has requested Congress to reinstate the ban on horse slaughter," USDA spokeswoman Courtney Rowe told horsechannel.com. "Until Congress acts the Department must continue to comply with the current law."
Fox News is saying that since the 2006 ban on slaughtering horses was put into effect the number of abused and abandoned equines has gone up considerably. They say that those who support a return to the slaughtering of horses believe that it is more humane to kill the animal than leave it alone to starve to death.
This brings up another issue as to how humane slaughterhouses actually are, not just for horses but other animals consumed for food as well.
Despite the fact that the USDA has approved the Valley Meat Company's application to begin slaughtering horses it may be a while before they can actually start killing the animal and exporting the horse meat.
The USDA has to send inspectors to the animal processing facility before any horses can be slaughter. Reports are saying that the USDA has not offered the New Mexico slaughterhouse a timeframe of when their inspection will take place.
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