A group of horse owners and equestrian clubs in New Mexico are in favor of the establishment of a horse slaughter facility in their state. The group says that the closing of the last such facility in the U.S. five years ago has caused “needless suffering under the cruelest conditions.”
In a letter to Governor Susana Martinez, New Mexico Horse Council President Rusty Cook wrote that an informal survey of the council’s membership showed that ninety-four percent favored humane slaughter.
Cook wrote that there were insufficient facilities for unwanted horses in the state, and she estimated that one thousand horses a month are being shipped through New Mexico to slaughter facilities in Mexico. She said that a slaughterhouse in New Mexico would help alleviate the overpopulation of horses and would provide economic benefits to the state in the form of jobs and products, both foreign and domestic, such as meat, dog food, and glue.
The governor and other groups, including animal rights activists, oppose the proposal.
An application to the USDA has been filed by a New Mexico meat packer to provide such a facility. The USDA is evaluating slaughterhouse applications from New Mexico and Missouri, but has indicated that there will probably be no decisions made until after the presidential election.
Read further details in the Associated Press report on CBS News.
Posted August 5, 2012
