Should the U.S. Re-Legalize Horse Meat Production?
According to a recent study, U.S.-based rescue organizations are turning away 38 percent, or roughly 100,000, unwanted horses each year. Part of the reason for this appears to be the elimination of horse meat production at a limited number of facilities in U.S.
After the forced closure of the last remaining horse slaughterhouse in the U.S. at the hands of Rod Blagojevich in 2007, the domestic horse meat business has become a thing of the past. While that may have pleased animal welfare activists two years ago, it has led to increased horse suffering with the transport of horses to processing facilities thousands of miles away in Canada and Mexico as well as a reported increase in horse neglect and abuse.
While French demand for horse meat, not to mention that of Italy, Japan and Kazakhstan, remains strong and U.S. unemployment continues to increase, legalizing horsemeat processing in the U.S. would go a long way toward reducing horse suffering and might just help bring back a few jobs to the U.S. After all, we have to do something to offset the trade imbalance caused by the importing of all of that Roquefort.
