A minor fight President Trump soon may face is whether horses in the United States will be eligible for slaughter in-country.
Horse meat is a staple in many countries, and many American horses find their ways to Mexico, where they are processed and the meat is shipped to Asia and the Middle East. Previously, it went to Europe, until 2014 when claims of inhuman treatment of the animals in Mexico prompted the European Union to ban imports.
According to an Associated Press story, slaughtering horses in the U.S. isn’t illegal, but has been barred by a technicality, in that over the previous two presidential administrations no federal money was appropriated for USDA inspections of processing plants. Without oversight, the meat can’t be sold in the U.S.
Horse meat for pet food was outlawed here in the 1970s.
Not everyone has an aversion to eating horse meat. The estimate is that 4.7 million horses are slaughtered each year for such purpose.
Those who consume horse meat talk about it being sweet and tender, low in fat, and a good source of protein.
HORSES were key transportation and work animals well into the Industrial Revolution, until the internal combustion engine became cheap enough for Henry Ford to begin assembly line production. Others followed.
The horse remained a necessity for small farmers who couldn’t afford the newfangled tractors and larger machinery they accommodated.
In 1915, about 20 million horses were in the United States. By 1959, their numbers were down to 4.5 million. Now, about 10 million are owned, mainly for pleasure riding and as pets. Another 33,000 feral horses roam mostly federal land in Western states.
MISSOURI State Rep. Warren Love, Osceola Republican, who likes to wear his cowboy hat when being photographed, told the AP he welcomed legislation to reopen plants where horses could be slaughtered and processed.
The rancher’s rationale: “horses (are) livestock, … slaughter is a form of euthanasia and … the demise of slaughter severely damaged the horse industry.”
It is understandable that a horse lover would suffer thinking a noble, proud-looking beast was to be destined for consumption.
Horses have a certain personality. They have a historical significance in that they provide transportation and work in developing the country.
If Europeans, Asians and Africans, or anyone else, wants horse meat for dinner, let them find it somewhere other than here in the United States.
— Bob Johnson
