In Favor of Lifting Ban on Horse Slaughter in U.S.? Yes.

No one loves horses more than I do, so it may come as a surprise that I am in favor of the horse slaughter bill recently signed into law by Congress. As a matter of fact, I think all animal lovers should see the law as a pro animal bill. It’s more complex than it first appears so let me explain.

The new law would lift the ban on horse slaughtering that has been in place for the last five years. Let me say right up front: there is no way I could personally witness cows or pigs or chickens being slaughtered without throwing up. Seriously, I could not witness what happens every single day in the U.S. to feed our meat addictions. I live in the city where my meat comes from the grocery store in neatly packaged hotdogs, burgers and bacon. But as an animal lover, I must think about how these animals are treated before they land on my table.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has regulations that attempt to make sure these animals are handled as humanely as possible as they are transported from the farm to the slaughter houses. For example, they cannot travel more than 100 miles, they must be given water to drink, there is a limit on how many animals may be transported in one truck at a time and dead or down animals may not travel with live animals. Horses transported for slaughter were protected by these same laws. It is not a perfect system, and there will always be those who do not comply when large amounts of money are at stake.

In 2007, in response to public outcry Congress passed a bill that banned the slaughtering of horses for human consumption within the U.S. At that time, there were three large slaughter houses in the U.S. that processed horses. Sick, old and unwanted horses were auctioned off to the highest bidder and then trucked to these facilities just like cows and pigs are trucked to slaughter houses all over the country.

There is no way I could eat a horse, and it is pretty unlikely we will start to see horsemeat on menus in the U.S. Horses hold such a special place in our hearts. They are our pets, our friends and our symbols of freedom and bravery. But there is a market for horsemeat in Asia and Europe. The reality is, when it became illegal to process horses in the U.S. horses were being shipped illegally to slaughter houses in Canada and Mexico for a hefty profit. Unscrupulous U.S. companies could then stuff their trucks, travel for days and not be required to provide water or humane conditions for their haul. The U.S. laws could no longer oversee minimum standards for shipping horses across the borders nor did they have any say about how these horses were killed before they were slaughtered. A quick internet search will bring up results showing horrifying conditions of Mexican slaughter houses.

Another unforeseen consequence also happened as a result of the ban to slaughter horses in the U.S. In 2007 the economy was starting to tank. It comes as no surprise that horse owners began to feel the pinch. With no money to be made from the selling of horses to slaughter houses the value of grade horses fell sharply, and the number of neglected and starving horses rose just as sharply. There is a story I heard from a Portage County animal officer about unwanted horses being abandoned in West Branch State Park. I guess in hopes that someone would find them and take them in. There are not enough rescue operations to handle the numbers of unwanted and mistreated horses. And to add to the problem, there are so many back yard breeders who give little thought to the bringing of another horse into the world. Horse babies are adorable. Full grown horses are expensive.  

It is also important to mention that the lift on the ban of horse slaughter in the U.S. will create jobs. I pray I never find myself in a position that I would have to work at a slaughter house or eat horse meat — but let’s think through this lifting of the ban. It is a complex issue. As animal lovers and admirers, we need to be careful our love of animals doesn’t cloud our logic.