Horse Slaughter: Regulate Instead of Terminate

By: Alison Bos

Horse slaughter is a very controversial issue that is causing major problems in our society. Horse slaughter plants in the United States were shut down in 2007 (Becker, 2010). Ever since then, the number of unwanted horses has increased, and these horses are faced with undesirable circumstances. Unwanted horses are being transported for slaughter in foreign countries or are facing cases of abuse and neglect (Lewis, 2009). This all relates back to the closing of United States horse slaughtering plants.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) wants to ban horse slaughter and the transportation of horses destined for horse slaughter completely. They have put several bills through Congress including the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act and the Equine Cruelty Prevention Act. These would end horse slaughter and the transportation of slaughter horses into other countries (Humane Society of the United States). They want to achieve this because of the way horses have been treated at the slaughter plant and on their way to the plant. HSUS does have a strong argument. Horses cannot be transported safely when crammed into large livestock trailers. There needs to be safer and more humane methods for transporting slaughter-bound horses.

The increasing number of unwanted horses is becoming a major problem. An unwanted horse can be simply defined as a horse without a permanent home (The Unwanted Horse Issue: What Now, 2008). The Unwanted Horse Coalition describes an unwanted horse as a horse that is sick, injured, old, outgrown, dangerous, expensive and/or burdensome. Groups such as the Unwanted Horse Coalition state that unwanted horses can go to rescue facilities, equine universities, therapeutic riding centers, or mounted police units. However, many of the rescue facilities are full and very few horses fit the requirements of universities, therapeutic riding centers, and mounted police programs (Heleski, 2008). This just means that horses are either to mean, injured, untrainable and/or not safe.

Ever since the U.S. plants shut down in 2007, there has been a 300 percent increase of the number of horses sent for slaughter to Mexico and Canada (Macejko, 2008). The slaughtering of horses in these countries is most likely not regulated and conditions have the potential to be much worse than they were in U.S. slaughter plants. Plus, once the animals leave the United States, we have hardly any say in how they are treated (Becker, 2010).

Another disposal option of an unwanted horse is euthanasia. This is a humane option; however it is very expensive. An approximate cost of a veterinarian to humanely euthanize a horse is around $170 (North et al, 2005). After the horse is euthanized, the owner then has to bury it. This means additional money from the owner to dispose of the horse. Plus, since there are so many unwanted horses, how would all of the carcasses affect our soil quality and groundwater? How could we safely bury and dispose of all of the bodies in a way people could afford?

As you can see, we are simply running out of options with the surplus of unwanted horses. With this in mind, the key comes to educating society about why horse slaughter needs to occur. With stricter regulations regarding transportation and treatment of the horses at slaughter plants, horse slaughter becomes a very reasonable option to dispose of the animals if done in a way that is ethical and humane. The true point is that the United States horse slaughter industry did not do a good job of treating slaughter horses in an ethical and humane way in past years. Horses HAVE to be safely transported and humanely treated, which can be accomplished through more strict regulations. Horse slaughter done humanely has the potential of having a positive impact on the horse industry. This is why we should focus on regulating United States horse slaughter instead of completely terminating it.

References

Becker, G. S. (2010, January 11). Horse Slaughter Prevention Bills and Issues. Retrieved September 22, 2010

Humane Society of the United States. (2006). End Horse Slaughter Permanently. Retrieved September 24, 2010

Heleski, C. R., Waite, K., & Reynnells, R. (2008, June 18). The Unwanted Horse Issue: What Now?. Retrieved September 22, 2010

Lewis, J. M. (2009). Proposed Horse Slaughter Plant in N. Dakota Draws Support [Electronic version]. The Newsmagazine of Veterinary Medicine, 40(3), 10.

Macejko, C. (2009). AAEP Says Horse Slaughter Would add Neglect, Starvation [Electronic version]. The Newsmagazine of Veterinary Medicine, 39(9).

North, M. S., DeeVon, B., & Ward, R. A. (2005). The Potential Impact of a Proposed Ban on the Sale of U.S. Horses for Slaughter and Human Consumption. Journal of Agribusiness, 23(1), 1-17. Retrieved September 22, 2010, from Academic Search Premier.

Unwanted Horse Coalition (2010). Retrieved September 27, 2010, from http://www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org/