[Bacardi1]

Although I've never delved into this subject deeply, from what I've heard/read, the vast majority of horse meat consumed in Europe comes from farms where horses are specifically bred for that purpose rather than imported.

In fact, Gordon Ramsay had a segment on one of his "F Word" shows where British journalist Janet Street Porter visited a French horse-meat farm & the discussion wasn't cutesy or political, but pretty much went along the lines as if she were visiting any other meat-livestock farm. The horses bred were relatively small & somewhat drafty in type.

However, when she brought some of the meat back to England, cooked it up, & offered it to folks as they were about to enter a local racetrack, the sh*t hit the fan & her venue was closed down due to public outcry.

[FalseImpression]

and in France anyway, the horses have passports with info regarding the drugs they were given and when. AND the owner can also stipulate on the passport "Not for slaughter". The s/h will turn the animal away.

Remember all the horses that were stranded by the tides in the NL... those were meat horses, maybe they did not all go for meat after the outcry, but that's the way they raise them in NL, Belgium, etc.

[hundredacres]

Dave Duquette is not happy

http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/18560

“As many of you are already aware, there has been a major disruption today in the international trade of U.S. horses going to Canada and Mexico



Bear in mind that reestablishing humane horse processing in America is a viable solution needed more than ever with the news of this situation.

What's the point in opening up American plants for meat that EU won't buy from?

[hundredacres]

Although I've never delved into this subject deeply, from what I've heard/read, the vast majority of horse meat consumed in Europe comes from farms where horses are specifically bred for that purpose rather than imported.

In fact, Gordon Ramsay had a segment on one of his "F Word" shows where British journalist Janet Street Porter visited a French horse-meat farm & the discussion wasn't cutesy or political, but pretty much went along the lines as if she were visiting any other meat-livestock farm. The horses bred were relatively small & somewhat drafty in type.

However, when she brought some of the meat back to England, cooked it up, & offered it to folks as they were about to enter a local racetrack, the sh*t hit the fan & her venue was closed down due to public outcry.

My good friend lives in Belgium and she says a lot of horses are farmed like cattle - most are Brabant's, but her neighbor has a pony mare that he breeds each year for a foal to slaughter...and OMG you should see the adorable leopard spotted pony that it just foaled...it breaks my heart.

[luvmytbs]

What's the point in opening up American plants for meat that EU won't buy from?

You may want to pose that question to him or Sue Wallis.

[candyappy]

Why such a narrow path to wonder?
Think a bit larger, expand your mind past what you are comfortable with in your small word.

What we do thru slaughter is using the natural, renewable resource SOME horses are thru that process.
Why not? Why waste that resource and worse, waste it where it becomes a liability at our cost?

You see, slaughter basically is just a process to use the natural, renewable resources some animals are for us.

^^^^^
Why do some people not see that???

Can the carcass be burned after the horse is dead? That would be a lot more economical then having a hole dug?

[Daydream Believer]

Someone may have said it already, my ADHD is working overtime this AM and focusing is tough, but, if the slaughter doesn't want American horses, that's really gonna cut into their profits, isn't it?? The supply will be down quite a bit and, basically, nothing to kill to sell to eat.

No not really. They will just find other horses from elsewhere..my guess if they probably planned for this already...or they will raise their prices if the meat goes into short supply. They'll make their money one way or the other.

[Bacardi1]

My good friend lives in Belgium and she says a lot of horses are farmed like cattle - most are Brabant's, but her neighbor has a pony mare that he breeds each year for a foal to slaughter...and OMG you should see the adorable leopard spotted pony that it just foaled...it breaks my heart.

They may have been Brabants now that I think of it. Certainly looked the part.

But the point being that in certain areas over there, horse meat isn't considered much different than beef. Different culture.

[jetsmom]

^^^^^
Why do some people not see that???

Can the carcass be burned after the horse is dead? That would be a lot more economical then having a hole dug?

Yes, or composted.

[Fairfax]

Now I am hearing west coast sales have been cancelled due to the closure of the Quebec plants.

Don't they ever look at an ATLAS....It is about 2470 miles from Quebec to California. Whereas Alberta to California is 1194. Quebec is on the EAST COAST. When I asked WHY those sales would be cancelled, the "group" went quiet..

Oh Oh...now they are claiming it is just rumoured...not "yet" confirmed...

I think this was a big hoax started by the truck driver who was denied access..and may have also received a six month ban if he was a serial offended in over packing the numer of horses into a truck. Bet he invented the story to cover his butt

IF the story was true...it would be all over the news by now...

NADA...ZIPPO.....NOTHING>...

[Bluey]

^^^^^
Why do some people not see that???

Can the carcass be burned after the horse is dead? That would be a lot more economical then having a hole dug?

Incinerating is about 3 to 4 times more expensive and it causes air pollution, rather than ground and water contamination.

There is no action without reaction, there is no cause without effect.

Composting comes closest to consuming.
Composting comes with it's own intensive process that needs to attend to, to be successful.

We manage all the many more horses that are euthanized already thru different processes, at vets, at farms, older, sick, ill horses.
We are not talking that large a number when it comes to slaughter.
When you talk about disposing of those slaughter numbers, without slaughter making that one more use, then is when that becomes a mountain of waste, rather than some produce to sell.

Slaughter is how practically every other place in the world uses some suitable horses one last time, how we used them here for hundreds of years, because it is the sensible way to dispose of those horses.

Seems that animal rights extremists like to muddle that, making people think "their" horse, that is "special" will be slaughtered.
Nothing further from the truth.
It is those horses society doesn't has use for any more, those no one wants, for many reasons, that are slaughtered.

If everyone was prohibited of disposing of their horse any other way than thru slaughter, then yes, I would joint you saying that is wrong, it is my horse, I decide what to do with my horse and if I don't want to slaughter it, well, no one should demand that.
BUT, no one is demanding that, they are asking we let them do with THEIR horses what they want, for some, slaughter them.

Horse traders have always rather sold any horse to someone for their next horse, slaughter is the last resort and was for those slaughter bound horses the main reason they ended up in that trader's hands anyway.

Our vets were complaining that they didn't go to vet school to be killing people's healthy, sound horses no one wanted any more, that is what slaughter is for.
Since there is no open plants, guess who has to kill those horses today.

[jetsmom]

Now I am hearing west coast sales have been cancelled due to the closure of the Quebec plants.

Don't they ever look at an ATLAS....It is about 2470 miles from Quebec to California. Whereas Alberta to California is 1194. Quebec is on the EAST COAST. When I asked WHY those sales would be cancelled, the "group" went quiet..

Oh Oh...now they are claiming it is just rumoured...not "yet" confirmed...

I think this was a big hoax started by the truck driver who was denied access..and may have also received a six month ban if he was a serial offended in over packing the numer of horses into a truck. Bet he invented the story to cover his butt

IF the story was true...it would be all over the news by now...

NADA...ZIPPO.....NOTHING>...

It was on CNBC. I wouldn't call that "NADA...ZIPPO...NOTHING."

[Angela Freda]

Now I am hearing west coast sales have been cancelled due to the closure of the Quebec plants.

Don't they ever look at an ATLAS....It is about 2470 miles from Quebec to California. Whereas Alberta to California is 1194. Quebec is on the EAST COAST. When I asked WHY those sales would be cancelled, the "group" went quiet..

Oh Oh...now they are claiming it is just rumoured...not "yet" confirmed...

I think this was a big hoax started by the truck driver who was denied access..and may have also received a six month ban if he was a serial offended in over packing the numer of horses into a truck. Bet he invented the story to cover his butt

IF the story was true...it would be all over the news by now...

NADA...ZIPPO.....NOTHING>...

For someone who is convinced this is a hoax you sure are frantically posting an awful lot, and in a tone that doesn't jive with 'this is a hoax'.

What's the matter, Emperor caught with his clothes off, finally?

[Mickey the Marcher]

This opens up a whole new market for raising horses strictly for meat. Before you couldn't really do that as the economics meant it cost more to feed and raise than it did to buy auction horses.
Might be some new opportunities for enterprising ranchers/feed lot operators who can prove their horses were raised med-free.

[jetsmom]

For someone who is convinced this is a hoax you sure are frantically posting an awful lot, and in a tone that doesn't jive with 'this is a hoax'.

What's the matter, Emperor caught with his clothes off, finally?

Do you think he is "clutching his pearls"?????

[Gestalt]

I feel about my horses as I do my dogs and cats. I would not send my old cat to a "slaughter house" when his day comes. Proper body disposal at lifes end is something every horse owner should plan for. Geez, we plan burials and whatnot for people.

Last year when I had to put one of my geldings down I struggled with finding the resources to dispose of him (the local rendering truck doesn't operate here anymore). But finding my options then helped this year when I had to put my other old guy to sleep.

[jetsmom]

This opens up a whole new market for raising horses strictly for meat. Before you couldn't really do that as the economics meant it cost more to feed and raise than it did to buy auction horses.
Might be some new opportunities for enterprising ranchers/feed lot operators who can prove their horses were raised med-free.

It could, but the whole argument from the pro slaughter side was that there are too many horses, so slaughter gets rid of the unwanted horses. To intentionally breed more horses for slaughter pretty much proves, it was never about horse welfare, unwanted or excess horses, but just to make a profit. Which is what the anti slaughter side has been saying for years.

But yes...if the EU wants to guarantee drug free meat, they need to be raised for meat, or have passports from birth.

[andylover]

Are their not other countries that import horsemeat from the U.S.? Are these countries going to ban U.S. horses as well?

[JSwan]

Me too.

Me three.

[prairiewind2]

It could, but the whole argument from the pro slaughter side was that there are too many horses, so slaughter gets rid of the unwanted horses. To intentionally breed more horses for slaughter pretty much proves, it was never about horse welfare, unwanted or excess horses, but just to make a profit. Which is what the anti slaughter side has been saying for years.

Huh? There can be more than one interest in any given side, and therefore, more than one reason. The slaughterhouses will always have an economic reason, as does any business. But private owners who are not anti slaughter can have a different take on the subject. I'm not anti slaughter because I would rather see unwanted horses slaughtered than starve to death - as we know is happening these days - though I would never permit my own horses to be slaughtered.

There can be as many reasons as there are people, a concept I know is not conducive to effective sound bites, however.

Liz