| Published: 06.12.2007
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We must end horse slaughter Re: the June 3 news brief "Horse slaughtering allowed to resume."
So now the last remaining foreign-owned horse-slaughter factory has won a restraining order to continue to slaughter our American horses for human consumption overseas, alleging that the state of
Illinois does not have the constitutional right to outlaw a moral offense. Where does get the authority to tell Americans we cannot make our own laws?
It's time for Congress to vote on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. My gratitude to Reps. Raúl Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords, and Sen. John McCain, who are co-sponsors of the bill. The slaughter of our American horses for the profits of foreign companies and the appetite of haughty Europeans is unpatriotic. Julianne French, Tucson
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Tex-Mex Horse Meat
Horse slaughtering has stopped in Texas, but the horses are still dying—now in Mexico
By Megan Feldman
Published: January 10, 2008
Because a year ago the courts shut down the last two slaughterhouses in Texas that turned horses into meat for human diners, most people think American equines are no longer being killed to satiate appetites in Europe and Asia. Yet thousands of horses are being exported to Mexico and killed by more brutal means than in the now closed U.S. plants, and animal welfare advocates are determined to halt the practice by stepping up pressure on Congress for an export ban.
The battle pits activists against those in the heartland who make a living hauling horses to slaughter. For several Dallas women determined to keep local horses off foreign dinner plates, the past year has brought conflict.
Paula Bacon, former mayor of Kaufman and a longtime horse lover, was at a Stephenville horse auction in October when something caught her eye. It appeared to be a double-decker trailer, a means of transport designed for cattle and banned for hauling horses to slaughter.
As Bacon and her friend Julie Carramonte watched from Bacon's pickup, they noticed a horse on the upper level and heard it whinny. Carramonte took out her camera and began snapping photos for Habitat for Horses, a horse rescue group, when the owner of the trailer appeared and approached the truck. Bacon didn't want to talk. She says she'd heard tell of local "killer buyers" dubbed "the horse slaughter mafia," rough men with criminal records and shady reputations who bought horses and drove them to the border for slaughter in Mexico.
Bacon stepped on the gas. The man, 22-year-old Trenton Saulters of Kaufman, shrieked insults and hurled rocks at her truck as they sped away, Bacon alleged in an October 10 police report. "He was in a fury," she says.
The women had gone to the Stephenville auction, which is among the largest in the state and takes place the first Friday of each month, to observe the conditions and see how many horses were bought for slaughter. According to Uta Sondergeld-Queen, a Grand Prairie horse advocate, more than 100 horses sold at the auction each month are taken to Mexico for slaughter.
"It's important to see how many are actually auctioned for slaughter so we can keep up with the numbers," says Sondergeld-Queen, a German-born model and nurse's assistant who owns eight horses and frequents auctions around the state. "I'm always ready to buy cheap horses that have been neglected and can still be turned around. Horses going to the meat market have usually been starved, abused, neglected."
In 2006, some 100,000 horses in the U.S. were sold in auctions and killed in one of the three remaining slaughter facilities, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Then last year, Illinois banned horse slaughter and a federal court upheld a 60-year-old law in Texas that prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption (it doesn't regulate the export of live horses, however). That meant the demise of the state's last two horse slaughterhouses—Dallas Crown in Kaufman, which former mayor Bacon worked to shut down, and the Beltex plant in Fort Worth.
The European companies that ran the Texas facilities have since moved their operations to Mexico, setting up holding lots in Texas and New Mexico and opening slaughterhouses for horses along the border and farther south in the Mexican interior. Contract "killer buyers" attend auctions like the one in Stephenville and haul horses south to meet their end.
The Humane Society of the United States and other advocacy groups, which are pushing for passage of legislation languishing in Congress that would ban not only slaughter nationwide but the export of horses for slaughter, have denounced the treatment of horses during transport and inside the slaughterhouses. Humane Society video footage shows horses hurt while being herded into crowded trailers, and one video shows an injured horse left to die along the border. Images recorded inside a facility in Juarez show workers using knives to slice the backs of horses' necks to paralyze them before slaughter.
Sondergeld-Queen, in her efforts to document abuse and rescue horses, has had a number of confrontations with Cheryl Moore, the co-owner of the Stephenville Cattle Co., which leases its barn for the monthly auction. It began a year ago, Sondergeld-Queen says, after an article in Texas Monthly described her observing the auction. Moore, she says, demanded to know what she was doing in this country, asked why she couldn't mind her own business and called her a terrorist. In a later exchange in November, following the incident between Bacon and the killer buyer, Sondergeld-Queen says, Moore told her that "people who can't mind their own business and want to fight for animal rights and get people out of work should be shot."
Moore denies calling the activist names or issuing threats, but she says she did question her motives and ask her to leave. "I don't remember calling her a terrorist," says Moore, 57, who grew up on a farm and runs the 32-year-old cattle company with her husband. "I called her an animal activist—I don't know if there's a difference between an activist and a terrorist."
To Moore, efforts to ban horse slaughter are just another misguided and irrational attempt to put people out of work. The sale price for horses has dropped, according to auctioneers and media reports, and Moore says she has lost between $10,000 and $20,000 in the past year because before the domestic slaughterhouses closed, the company hauled horses from around the country to the Beltex facility in Fort Worth.
"I heard last month the buyers were scared the market was gonna be nothing," she says. "These ladies give money to the Humane Society, and they're giving money to disrupt our economy. People in Dallas, they don't have any touch with rural America...Why would you slit fellow Americans' throats?" Not only is the slaughter ban economically disadvantageous, she says, it's an example of encroaching governmental regulations. "This is just the beginning," she says. "If they say you can't eat horse meat, next thing they'll say you can't eat goat. It's about the government telling you what you can and can't do."
It's not that she has anything personal against Sondergeld-Queen, she says, but her job is to make sure the auction goes smoothly. Plus, she doesn't like being directed by a foreigner. "What really burns me up is, you come over here from another country and tell me what to do?" Moore says. "Can you imagine me going to Germany and telling them what to do?"
As for claims that horses are subjected to brutal treatment during the auction and slaughter process, Moore, like most slaughter supporters, argues that banning the practice only results in a surplus of lame, neglected horses. Slaughter opponents maintain the animals can be absorbed by shelters and humanely put to death via veterinarian-assisted euthanasia.
"I love my animals, but I learned a long time ago that if a dog gets run over, I get me another one—there's lots of dogs that need love," Moore says. "If these activists in order to cook a meal had to go out and wring a chicken's neck, cut its head off, boil hot water, take its guts out, skin 'em and cook 'em for dinner, they wouldn't be running around disturbing everyone else's business."
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Below are comments which anyone can feel free to add to. Mine are at the bottom of the page (most recent).
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This article makes me hungary for some good ole horse fajitas. Seriously though, how long before we start banning cow, chicken and fish?
Comment by Jack — January 9, 2008 @ 03:23PM
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Yeah, it makes sense, with all the innocent children missing and being murdered in this country..we can't have some frenchy eating a horse steak. These women need to learn the difference between animals and people. Maybe go volunteer in a domestic abuse shelter and do some real good.
Comment by ET — January 9, 2008 @ 03:49PM
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i have been in the mental health field since the 70's and have seen and done my share. if you do not believe that there is a correlation between abusing animals and spousal and children abuse you do not know much. horse slaughter is animal abuse. mre than 70% of americans believe there shuld be no horse slaughter. some of us see horses as companions and friends. so it is ok to send fido and kittie to slaughter? they eat them in other countries.
Comment by moony — January 9, 2008 @ 06:12PM
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I guess no one told you folks that people who like to abuse and mistreat animals, also tend to abuse and mistreat humans. And how do you know what we do or what other causes we work for in our lives? Do you work at the battered woman's shelter? Do you know that many batterers started out by abusing animals?
And I love this comment from Cheryl Moore at the Stephenville auction:
"What really burns me up is, you come over here from another country and tell me what to do?" Moore says. "Can you imagine me going to Germany and telling them what to do?"
That is truly hilarious when both Texas and Illinois fought for years to make the Belgians respect our laws and get the heck out of the states where they weren't wanted! I guess she forgot about that?
LG
Comment by Lisa Griffith — January 9, 2008 @ 06:12PM
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I can't figure the logic in selectively opposing slaughtering and eating horses, say, but be just fine with slaughtering and eating cows and pigs. OK, you love horses and don't feel anything for cows and pigs. Obviously, there are others who don't feel anything special towards horses. At least PETA is consistent. They oppose all animal abuse. But I bet the horse lovers hate PETA. Go figure.
Comment by Ed Cognoski — January 9, 2008 @ 06:26PM
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I am a horse lover, I own three, I grew up with horses my entire life and I am for horse slauther. It is good for the horse world. Right now there are around 200,000 unwanted and or dangerous horses out there. Are the people trying to stop this going to feed all of these horses, NO they are not. As a person that grew up around animals I understand that there is a food chain and we are at the top and all other animals are below us. Horses are graceful animals and are more intelligent than most people would ever know, but they are animal and not people. I have seen the damage first hand that the closing of these plants have done. I attend sales almost every week and since the plants have close I see more horses that are hungry and mistreated. I have seen more and more each week. The only next step is people are going to start just turning them out on the side of the road. Also as a horse and animal lover I do hate PETA and most other animal rights groups because they try to take away human rights.
Comment by lcdavidr — January 9, 2008 @ 07:45PM
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Horses are NOT food animals in the United States and the majority of the Country doesnt want US horses to be shipped out of the this Country to be eaten. The worst part about the whole dirty business is the way the animals are treated during their shipment and the manner in which they are killed. Animal abuse is all it amounts too. You say slaughter keeps down the old sick and lame horses. Well lets be honest...how many killer buyers want skinny sick lame horses to sell to the plants? They like the fat and healthy ones because they weigh more and the meat quality is better. Ever thought about whats in that meat? Wormers, Bute, joint supplements, vaccines, antibiotics. These things are not with held from the animal 30 days or more before slaughter like other food animals. This business stinks and its high time to get rid of it. Go find ANOTHER job. One you can be proud of.
Comment by M P — January 9, 2008 @ 08:15PM
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THANKS FOR YOUR ARTICLE MS. FELDMAN.
HAY MRS. MOORE I'M A TERRIORIST!!
I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT WOULDN'T HURT YOUR CHILD OR YOUR DOG, BUT TO YOU I'M A TERRIORIST, OR ONE OF THOSE ACTIVIST. I'M A VEGAN, ANIMAL ADVOCATE, HUMAN ADVOCATE, EARTH ADVOCATE, 20+YR FARRIER, 40 YRS. HORSE OWNER, TRAINER, AND INSTRUCTOR. I'VE WORKED WITH RANCHERS, AND OLYMPIC TRAINERS AND JUDGES.
MRS. MOORE YOU DON'T LIKE BEING DIRECTED BY FOREIGNERS? WHERE DID YOUR ANCESTORS COME FROM? YOUR BUSINESS WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED WITH BELTEX, FORT WORTH TX, BELGIAN OWNED, AND DALLAS CROWN KAUFMAN TX, WAS ALSO OWNED BY BELGIUM, CAVEL INTERNATIONAL, IL, WAS FRENCH OWNED. THEY PRETTY MUCH PUT THEMSELVES OUT OF BUSINESS, WE JUST HELPED THEM ALONG, I DON'T LIKE IT WHEN FOREIGNERS DICTATE TO ME THAT THEY'LL NOT PAY TAXES (UNLESS YOU CONSIDER $5.00 PAID TO THE IRS IN 05, FOR 5 MILLION IN PROFIT MADE BY DALLAS CROWN, KAUFMAN TX) PAYING TAXES, I BET YOU PAID MORE THAN THAT MRS. MOORE. THEY ALSO DIDN'T PAY TARIFFS, THEY DIDN'T PAY FINES FOR POLLUTING RIVERS AND CITY WATER SYSTEMS, THEY TIED UP OUR COURT SYSTEMS WITH THEIR HIGH POWERED AND PAID LAWYERS AND PHONY LOOPHOLES.
A RESIDENT IN KAUFMAN TOLD REPORTERS THAT SHE TRIED TO GIVE HER DAUGHTER A BATH AND TUB FILLED UP WITH BLOODY WATER WITH HORSE TISSUE IN IT. THESE SLAUGHTERHOUSES SLAUGHTERED STOLEN HORSES, FULL TERM MARES, BLIND HORSES, ONES THAT COULDN'T WALK, DRAG THEM IN, ALL ILLEGAL.
THERE'S A HUNDRED SLAUGHTER VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE, CHECK THEM OUT IF YOU WANT TO SEE HOW THE FOREIGN OWNED US SLAUGHTER HOUSES DID IT, ILLEGAL, ILLEGAL, ILLEGAL, PLUS THE USDA TURNED THEIR HEADS TO THE FACT THAT MUCH OF THE HORSE MEAT IS TAINTED WITH DRUGS IE., DE-WORMERS, ANTIBIOTICS, STERIODS, BUTE, ETC., ALL HARMFUL TO HUMANS.
MOORE SAYS SHE "LOVES" "HER" ANIMALS, I'M THANKFUL I'M NOT ONE OF THEM.
HR503/S311 WHEN PASSED WILL STOP THE SUFFERING FOR THE HORSES, ONE OF OUR ICONS. PEOPLE FORGET THAT THIS IS THE ANIMAL THAT PUT US WHERE WE ARE.
THERE'S STILL HORSE SLAUGHTER IN THE US, FOR ZOO'S, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TAKE YOUR HORSE TO AN AUCTION OR HAVE A BUNCHER PICK THEM UP FROM YOUR BARN AND THEY WILL GO TO CANADA OR MEXICO, SO WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? WE HAVEN'T WON YET, YET YOU'RE ALL IN A TISSIE, ARE YOU THAT SCARED THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO GO BACK TO SELLING BEEF. OUR USDA HAS SCREWED UP THE BEEF MARKET SO BAD THAT'S WHY HORSES BECAME SO POPULAR, IT'S ABOUT SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOLKS, MONEY, NOT A SERVICE FOR THE OLD, LAME AND SKINNY, THE FOREIGNERS DON'T WANT THEM, THEY WANT THE YOUNG MEATY ONES.
IF IT'S ALL ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL HORSE OWNER DUMPING THEIR POOR HORSE FOR A PROFIT, THEN USE THEIR TORTUREOUS SERVICE AND QUIT YOUR BITCHIN.
IF THIS WAS ABOUT OWNER RIGHTS, THEN I WANT THE RIGHT TO SLAUGHTER DOGS I MIGHT DECIDE TO RAISE AND SELL THEIR MEAT TO THE ASIAN MARKET, AND I WANT TO FIGHT DOGS, AND I WANT TO FIGHT ROOSTERS, BEAT MY KIDS, DRIVE MY CAR INTO THE LAKE, ON AND ON, IT'S GOT TO STOP SOMEWHERE.
PROFITTING FROM AN ANIMAL'S SUFFERING IS NO MORE THAN NAZISM, AND THIS IS AN ANIMAL HOLOCAUST, WHAT WE'VE GOT GOING HERE IN THE OL'US, MEAT EATERS ARE DIEING OF HEART DISEASE, DIABETES, AND OBESITY, AND THEY DON'T CARE. THE REST OF THE WORLD IS STARVING WHILE WE HAVE OUR MCDONALD'S CRAPPY BURGERS, AND FEED THEM TO OUR KIDS. WE ALLOW OUR WATERS TO BE USED UP FOR CATTLE SO THAT WE CAN EAT THEM, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DON'T HAVE ANY WATER, NC? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE'S NO RAIN FOREST LEFT BECAUSE MCDONALDS, BURGER KING,AND TACO BELL NEEDED MORE SOY TO FEED THE SOUTH AMERICAN BEEF OWNED BY THEM, TO BE FEED TO AMERICANS WHO ARE ADDICTED AND BRAINWASHED INTO BELIEVING THAT THEY'RE BEING CARED FOR BY MCDONALD'S, FDA, AND THE USDA.
THE USDA HAS BEEN SUBSIDIZING WITH OUR TAX MONEY, RANCHERS TO RAISE HORSES FOR SLAUGHTER, AND PMU MARES AND FOALS FOR SLAUGHTER FOR OVER 50 YEARS, EVER SINCE PREMARIN CAME INTO EXISTANCE, IN 49. SO THEY DON'T WANT TO GIVE IT UP EASILY, IT'S A LOT OF MONEY FOR THEM AND THEIR PEEPS. BUT IT'S BECOMING POLITICALLY INCORRECT TO CAUSE THE SUFFERING OF ANIMALS FOR PROFIT, FACTORY FARMING, PUPPY MILLING, AND FOAL MILLING, AND THE TORTURING OF HUMANS TO OBTAIN USUALLY FALSE INFORMATION, OR THE DEATH PENALTY WITHOUT DNA.
PEOPLE THAT WORK IN THESE SLAUGHTERHOUSES, THE TRUCKERS, THE OWNERS BECOME CALLUS, MANY TIMES TAKING THEIR ABUSE HOME WITH THEM, BEING CRUEL TO THEIR FAMILIES. IT'S BEEN PROVEN THAT SERIAL KILLERS START OUT TORTURING ANIMALS. YOUR MIND BECOMES WARPED.
MANY ARE ILLEGAL ALIENS, PROTECTED BY THEIR BOSSES BECAUSE THEY CAN'T GET WHITE PEOPLE TO WORK IN THEIR TORTURE BUILDINGS.
"AUSCHWITZ BEGINS WHENEVER SOMEONE LOOKS AT A SLAUGHTERHOUSE AND THINKS, "THEY'RE JUST ANIMALS", - JEWISH PHILOSOPHER THEODOR ADORNO, A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR".
HELP OUR NATION, OUR CHILDREN, OURSELVES, GOVEG, AND HELP OUR HORSES BY CALLING YOUR CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS URGING THEM TO C0-SPONSOR HR503/S311, THE AMERICAN HORSE SLAUGHTER PREVENTION ACT. CALL 1-800-614-2803. WE'RE NOT GOING AWAY UNTIL THE LAST HORSE IS SAFE.
IT'S TIME TO STOP PROTECTING THE CRIMINALS, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MEAT MAFIA,(BIG AG), IT'S TIME TO PUT THEM OUT OF BUSINESS, HORSES, PIGS, CHICKENS, IT'S ALL CRUEL AND CAUSES GREAT SUFFERING, GOD DIDN'T WANT US TO MAKE THE ANIMALS SUFFER.
HR503/S311 WHEN PASSED WILL STOP THE SUFFERING FOR THE HORSES, ONE OF OUR ICONS. PEOPLE FORGET THAT THIS IS THE ANIMAL THAT PUT US WHERE WE ARE. AND RELIGIOUS PRO'S SHOULD REMEMBER THE BURRO THAT CARRIED MARY, AND THAT THE BIBLE SAY'S NOT TO EAT THE SOLID HOOVED ANIMAL, THE HORSE.
THERE'S STILL HORSE SLAUGHTER IN THE US, FOR ZOO'S, SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? IF IT'S ALL ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL HORSE OWNER DUMPING THEIR POOR HORSE FOR A PROFIT, THEN USE THEIR TORTUREOUS SERVICE AND QUIT YOUR BITCHIN. (FORT WORTH, TX, BELTEX (BELGIUM OWNED)(THEY DON'T PAY TAXES, TARIFFS, AND USE OUR TAXES TO OPERATE).
IF THIS WAS ABOUT OWNER RIGHTS, THEN I WANT THE RIGHT TO SLAUGHTER DOGS I'M RAISING FOR MEAT TO ASIA, AND I WANT TO FIGHT DOGS, AND I WANT TO FIGHT ROOSTERS, AND ON AND ON, IT'S GOT TO STOP SOMEWHERE. HUMANE SLAUGHTER IS AN OXYMORON!
PROFITTING FROM AN ANIMAL'S SUFFERING IS NO MORE THAN NAZISM, AND THIS IS AN ANIMAL HOLOCAUST, WHAT WE'VE GOT GOING HERE IN THE OL'US, MEAT EATERS ARE DIEING OF HEART DISEASE, DIABETES, AND OBESITY, AND THEY DON'T CARE. THE REST OF THE WORLD IS STARVING WHILE WE HAVE OUR MCDONALD'S CRAPPY BURGERS, AND FEED THEM TO OUR KIDS. WE ALLOW OUR WATERS TO BE USED UP FOR CATTLE SO THAT WE CAN EAT THEM, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DON'T HAVE ANY WATER, NC? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE'S NO RAIN FOREST LEFT BECAUSE MCDONALDS, BURGER KING,AND TACO BELL NEEDED MORE SOY TO FEED THE SOUTH AMERICAN BEEF OWNED BY THEM, TO BE FEED TO AMERICANS WHO ARE ADDICTED AND BRAINWASHED INTO BELIEVING THAT THEY'RE BEING CARED FOR BY MCDONALD'S, FDA, AND THE USDA.
THE USDA HAS BEEN SUBSIDIZING WITH OUR TAX MONEY, RANCHERS TO RAISE HORSES FOR SLAUGHTER, AND PMU MARES AND FOALS FOR SLAUGHTER FOR OVER 50 YEARS, EVER SINCE PREMARIN CAME INTO EXISTANCE, IN 49. SO THEY DON'T WANT TO GIVE IT UP EASILY, IT'S A LOT OF MONEY FOR THEM AND THEIR PEEPS. BUT IT'S BECOMING POLITICALLY INCORRECT TO CAUSE THE SUFFERING OF ANIMALS FOR PROFIT, IE. FACTORY FARMING, PUPPY MILLING, AND FOAL MILLING, AND THE TORTURING OF HUMANS TO OBTAIN USUALLY FALSE INFORMATION, OR THE DEATH PENALTY. PEOPLE THAT WORK IN THESE SLAUGHTERHOUSES, THE TRUCKERS, THE OWNERS BECOME CALLUS, MOST TAKING THEIR ABUSE HOME WITH THEM AND BEING CRUEL TO THEIR FAMILIES. SERIAL KILLERS START OUT WITH ANIMALS. YOUR MIND BECOMES WARPED. MANY ARE ILLEGAL ALIENS, PROTECTED BY THEIR BOSSES BECAUSE THEY CAN'T GET WHITE PEOPLE TO WORK IN THEIR TORTURE BUILDINGS.
"AUSCHWITZ BEGINS WHENEVER SOMEONE LOOKS AT A SLAUGHTERHOUSE AND THINKS, "THEY'RE JUST ANIMALS", - JEWISH PHILOSOPHER THEODOR ADORNO, A HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR".
HELP OUR NATION, OUR CHILDREN, OURSELVES, GOVEG, AND HELP OUR HORSES BY CALLING YOUR CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS URGING THEM TO C0-SPONSOR HR503/S311, THE AMERICAN HORSE SLAUGHTER PREVENTION ACT. CALL 1-800-614-2803. WE'RE NOT GOING AWAY UNTIL THE LAST HORSE IS SAFE
Comment by Marilyn Wilson — January 9, 2008 @ 08:45PM
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Belgians own the horse slaughter industry so if you're working for the industry, you're working for Belgium. They take their profits, pay no federal income tax, and deposit the money in their overseas bank accounts.
The great majority of Americans, in every poll taken, want horse slaughter banned by federal law. The majority of Americans are not urban women who are animal rights activists. They are people from all regions and and professions who are intelligent enough to see the truth, analyze the facts, and make a considered decision. They have overwhelmingly decided that horse slaughter should be banned.
They know that, according to the Dept. of Agriculture's records, the majority of slaughtered horses are 7-11 years old, healthy, and not lame. They know that horses are NOT classified as food animals like cattle, pigs, chickens etc. They know that horse slaughter is not a public service for America but an industry run by Belgian butchers who only want profits for themselves.
Comment by Mrs. Terrebonne — January 9, 2008 @ 08:47PM
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Cheryl Moore is far scarier than any animal rights activist. Strange that she says only abused and neglected horses come through her auction barn, yet she makes no mention of the laws those owners broke by abusing their animals.
Moore than goes on to say she would never dream of going to Germany and telling them what they can eat, yet she has no problem with the European market dictating to Americans that we need to slaughter our horses to send the meat to them! Moore might also be interested to know that the foreign owned horse slaughter plants never paid one dime in export taxes to the United States. Sounds as if Moore would pledge allegiance to just about any country as long as she still got her blood money from horse slaughter.
Comment by Anne Russek — January 9, 2008 @ 09:12PM
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Mrs Moore needs to get her head out of her wallet!
Comment by JoAnne — January 10, 2008 @ 07:26AM
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Really though, whats the difference between horses and cattle? People should have a right to do as they please. Kind of like the guy in Colleyville with the Emus... the guy HAD to club them. Have you ever shot an emu? It takes more than one shot to take one down because their brains and necks are so small. Anyway, I've lived in horse country all my life and I swear horse lovers' brains are the same size of the horses.
Comment by Rusty Shackleford — January 10, 2008 @ 08:52AM
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If you are looking for some quality horse meat, check out Palomino's Buffet on 75 & Beltline. They have a horse head on their sign next to the highway! So appetizing! ; )
Comment by Drewbanger — January 10, 2008 @ 11:49AM
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For the adults who can very easily tell the difference between horses and cattle, it is not surprising that the majority of Americans want horse slaughter banned. If upscale diners in Europe and Japan want to pay high prices for horse meat, then they can get that meat from some other country. Our horses aren't even being butchered by an American company but by a Belgian owned company. They take all of their product (the meat of our horses) and most of their profits (they pay no federal income tax like you do)and send it overseas. They are laughing all the way to the bank. 75% to over 90% of Americans want a law banning horse slaughter. If you are one of that majority, please call your Senators to vote for S 311 and your Representative to vote for the identical bill in the House, HR 503.
Comment by Mrs. Terrebonne — January 10, 2008 @ 01:42PM
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In my opinion, people like Trenton Saulters ought to look for other sources of employment. Many people in the high-tech field have been forced to do this.
As to Cheryl Moore, she should stick to the cattle business. One of Ms. Moore's comments which stands out to me is the following:
"What really burns me up is, you come over here from another country and tell me what to do?" Moore says. "Can you imagine me going to Germany and telling them what to do?"
Guess what really burns me up; having companies owned by French and Belgian nationals telling us what to do and imposing their culture of horsemeat consumption upon us. I also don't like having OUR taxpayer dollars covering the expense to have a USDA inspector on site in their plant (these inspectors would better serve our country by inspecting OUR food sources).
Here's another comment of Ms. Moore's that is easily countered: "People in Dallas, they don't have any touch with rural America...Why would you slit fellow Americans' throats?" Not only is the slaughter ban economically disadvantageous, she says, it's an example of encroaching governmental regulations. "This is just the beginning," she says. "If they say you can't eat horse meat, next thing they'll say you can't eat goat. It's about the government telling you what you can and can't do."
Hmm. I'm against horse slaughter mainly because it's not part of our culture. However I do eat beef, pork and chicken; those foods are part of America's cultural norm. I also know a farmer in Virginia who is against horse slaughter, but he RAISES BOER MEAT GOATS for slaughter as well as raising beef cattle.
California banned the horse meat trade in 1998 and I can still go down to my local butcher and buy hamburger, pork sausage and chicken. This argument about the horse slaughter ban leading to a ban on beef, chicken and pork processing is RUBBISH!
I'll say in closing that the people who claim horse slaughter is a "valuable part of the economy" should know that most of the profits made by these businesses is siphoned overseas. They do nothing for our economy. Economy in rural communities is FAR BETTER SERVED by the traditional cattle, pork and chicken farmers who feed OUR nation (and who SHOULD look to ways to market their wares overseas).
Comment by Duane B. — January 10, 2008 @ 02:27PM
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On the comment about unwanted horses by "lcdavidr". The facts do not match your rhetoric.
I recall seeing some news stories claiming that there were "200,000 unwanted horses" running around. One such article in the Oregonian quotes a local law enforcement officer regarding nine new cases of abandonment, however when the group Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW) contacted the officer he denied any knowledge of the claims.
A similar story in Kentucky which appeared in Spring of 2007 was also exposed as a hoax.
Since the pro-slaughter apologists have to fabricate their stories rather than basing them on fact, they have no credibility. In other words, I do not believe them.
Consider these facts:
Fact: In the 1990's there was a sharp decline in the number is U.S. horses slaughtered. According to USDA records; 345,700 horses were slaughtered for export in 1990; ten years later in 2000 that number was 50,400. During this timeframe the number of horses slaughtered per year dropped by as many as 79,000, and was no rash of "unwanted horses." The reason the decline happened was due to slackening demand in Europe & Asia for horsemeat during that time.
Fact: According to USDA records 7,100 horses were imported from Canada for slaughter in the U.S. in 2005. In 2006 the horse slaughterhouses imported a similar number of horses. How can there be an "unwanted horse problem" if the slaughterhouses have to import them??
The facts show that horse slaughter industry exists in the U.S. for one reason, to make a large profit satisfying Europe's voracious appetite for American horsemeat. It has nothing to do with saving "unwanted horses" from neglect, and everything to do with supply and demand.
Comment by Duane B. — January 10, 2008 @ 05:23PM
September 21, 2005 - Wall Street Journal
Why Belgians Shoot Horses in Texas for Dining in Europe
The Truth About Slaughter
Currently there are two foreign owned slaughter plants in Texas (Bel-Tex and Crown), and a third recently re-opened in Illinois, (Cavel International). According to the Department of Agriculture, over 100,000 horses are slaughtered a year alone in the U.S. and Canada, and with the re-opening of Cavel International more will be slaughtered this year. In addition, thousands of horses are inhumanely transported from the U.S. to Mexico, dramatically increasing the numbers of American horses killed for human consumption.
Horses are treated inhumanely when shipped in double-decker cattle trucks, for hours, without food, water or rest. Upon arrival at the slaughter house, many too weak to stand, they are cattle prodded, dragged and whipped into the "kill box", only to wait for their inevitable fate. Although Federal law requires that horses must be rendered unconscious prior to having their throats slit, many horses endure repeated blows by the bolt pistols which drives a spike into their skulls. Many times the equipment is faulty, and the horses are conscious when having their throats slit.
Horse Slaughter is not just for Premarin Horses
Not only are Premarin mares, foals and stallions bound for slaughter, but it's estimated that one third of slaughter bound horses are bred for racing. Horses removed from the wild through the BLM program, rodeo horses, camp horses, show horses, "backyard" horses, rental horses and stolen horses are all targets fort he "killer buyers" who act as middlemen for the slaughter houses. Making cat or dog food is not the reason for killing horses, the European and Japanese palate is.
So Why are we killing American horses for the European and Japanese to enjoy?
As long as horse slaughter plants are operating, and horse slaughter is legal in certain states, it is easy for people to discard their healthy, young, old, injured and unwanted horses, and for a profit, since they are sold by the pound. It is also just as easy for "killer buyers" to obtain these horses and sell them to the slaughter house.
Reasons pro-slaughter forces use to justify supporting horse slaughter:
Myth – If horse slaughter becomes illegal, there would be too many horses in our country and not enough homes for them.
Truth – Of the 6,900,000 estimated horse population in the U.S. less than 1% of horses are slaughtered or “processed”. In addition, if horse slaughter is banned, horse theft will be almost eliminated, breeders will be more selective in how many horses are bred each year, PMU farms will reduce the number of mares bred, or individuals who have horses that can no longer be used for rodeos, horse racing, etc. would have to take responsibility in either finding another home, retire them to a sanctuary or responsibly euthanize them.
Myth – Their concerns are humanitarian, not financially driven.
Truth – Abuse happens every day, and more so in the horse industry. From the time the horse is in the feed lot, taken to auction, put on the double decker trucks (for 36 hours without food or water), to the time they are unloaded at the slaughterhouse, these horses endure a tremendous amount of suffering. Once in the slaughterhouse they see other horses being slaughtered, they smell the blood, they hear the screams and they see their friends being hoisted up by one leg, usually still conscious and alive and bled to death. Most horses are the by-product of the for profit horse industry, and slaughter is a quick and profitable way of discarding all unwanted horses.
To see the horrors behind the slaughterhouse doors click on www.sharkonline.org/horseslaughter.mv (please note the video footage is extremely graphic).
To view pictures of horses in the slaughter house click on www.kaufmanzoning.net/horsemeat/SlaughterPhotos.htm
Myth - The AVMA and USDA ensures the horses destined for slaughter are treated humanely and have experts who make professional recommendations enforcing the regulations.
Truth – The footage taken over the years proves this is not the case. Statements taken from slaughterhouse workers, police officers and many others comment that horses are severely dismembered, abused and tortured while still alive. There are not enough experts that can monitor the atrocities that happen in the slaughterhouse plants.
Myth – Many people can’t afford to humanely euthanize their horse.
Truth – The truth is that the average American horse owner would prefer to euthanize his/her horse rather than sending them to the slaughter. However, many individuals think their horse is going to a good home (through an auction or to an individual in the business to sell horses to slaughter) and without their knowledge are being sold to the slaughterhouses. It is documented that 78% of horses being slaughtered are healthy companion animals. Furthermore, most people who have horses have the financial means to pay a veterinarian to humanely euthanize their horse. Having horses is not a “hobby” for the poor.
Myth – If we don’t have horse slaughter plants in the U.S. old, sick and dying horses would have no where to go.
Truth – The truth is, that over 78% of horses slaughtered each year, are our healthy companion animals, foals and wild horses and burros removed from public lands by the BLM (estimated 90% of the wild horses and burros are sent to slaughter concedes Tom Pogacnick, Director of BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program).
Are we going to allow these myths to continue to fool the public as to the real reasons behind horse slaughter?
Help us end slaughter by donating. Your donations will got toward our campaign efforts to end slaughter in America.
