Congress Cuts Funding for Horse Slaughter

Update: The President has signed the omnibus spending bill, effectively banning horse slaughter in the U.S.

Congress has taken a significant step to block the resumption of horse slaughter in the United States by cutting funding for inspections of the process. This decision is part of the $1.1 trillion budget bill sent to President Obama, which includes a prohibition on spending by the Department of Agriculture.

Animal protection groups have applauded this move. "Americans care for horses, we ride horses, and we even put them to work. But we don't eat horses in the United States. And we shouldn't be gathering them up and slaughtering them for people to eat in far-off places," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. This organization, among others, has been involved in litigation that has blocked proposed horse slaughterhouses from opening in New Mexico, Missouri, and Iowa.

The last domestic horse slaughterhouses closed in 2007, a year after Congress first cut funding for inspections to shutter the industry. Funding was restored in 2011, leading to efforts by Valley Meat Co. in Roswell, N.M., to convert its cattle operation to horse slaughter. However, these efforts, along with those in Iowa and Missouri, have been blocked by court orders.

Valley's efforts have sparked a national debate over whether horses are companion animals or livestock, creating divisions among rescue groups, Indian tribes, and politicians over the most humane way to deal with neglected and abandoned horses. Proponents argue that it is better to slaughter unwanted horses domestically than to have them shipped to Canada or less humane facilities in Mexico.

"The message from Capitol Hill is loud and clear on this issue: Our horses deserve better, and this abhorrent industry will not be tolerated," said Nancy Perry, senior vice president of ASPCA Government Relations.

Despite the growing government action to prevent horse slaughter from resuming, an attorney for Valley and Rains Natural Meats of Gallatin, Mo., stated that his group will continue to fight to produce horse meat. Blair Dunn mentioned that the companies would consider filing a claim that the funding ban violates provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Originally Posted By Associated Press