Horse Slaughter: Activists Vow Long Legal Battle to Save Animals

Animal rights advocates are preparing for a legal showdown after a federal appeals court temporarily banned the slaughter of horses in New Mexico and Missouri. The activists are pledging to continue fighting for the welfare of domestic horses nationwide.

The issue of slaughtering domestic horses has been divisive nationwide, spurring debate inCongressand dividing horse rescue andanimal welfaregroups, ranchers, politicians, and Indian tribes.

The last U.S. horse slaughterhouse closed in 2006, the same yearCongressessentially banned the practice by eliminating funding for inspections of those facilities. The funding was restored in 2011, prompting several companies nationwide to seek permission to open plants.

Since then, various courts have issued conflicting decisions on whether horses can once again be killed for their meat.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver issued a temporary injunction barring the Department of Agriculture from inspecting the plants. That ruling came just days after a federal judge in Albuquerque dismissed a lawsuit by groups that alleged the department failed to conduct proper environmental studies when it issued permits to the slaughterhouses.

Activists say the government approval is premature in light of building momentum in Washington to continue the ban on horse slaughter.

Humane Society officials pointed out that the U.S. House andSenateappropriations committees have voted to halt all funding for horse slaughterhouse inspections for fiscal year 2014.

Advocates for horse slaughter say there is a foreign market for the meat, even if it’s not a staple on American dinner tables.

Both sides in the battle acknowledged that the latest court order is temporary.

“We don’t know how long the appeals process will take,” Stephanie Twining, a spokeswoman for the Humane Society, told The Times. “If they don’t rule in our favor, that’s the end of the road for our battle in federal courts.”

But there are other options, she said, such as taking action in state courts and pressingCongressto pull funding from horse slaughterhouse inspections.

“We’re not going to give up on this battle,” Twining said. “We’re going to keep looking for other options.”

Originally Posted By The Los Angeles Times