Horse Meat Inspection Ban Lifted; Horses to be Slaughtered for Human Consumption?
The U.S. Congress has quietly lifted a five year ban on funding horse meat inspections, meaning horses could soon be killed for human consumption.
Activists have said that slaughterhouses could commence butchering horses in less than a month, according to AP.
Funding for horse meat inspections was cut off in 2006, however, Congress has lifted the ban in a spending bill signed into law just weeks ago Nov. 18.
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The USDA has issued a statement this week confirmed that currently there were no slaughterhouses in the U.S. that butcher horses for human consumption.
The statement did confirm however, that if any slaughterhouses were to open, it would conduct inspections to make sure federal laws were being followed.
The last U.S. slaughterhouse to butcher a horse was closed down in 2007 in Illinois.
According to AP, Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of The Humane Society of the United States has predicted an uproar if slaughterhouses were to reopen: "If plants open up in Oklahoma or Nebraska, you'll see controversy, litigation, legislative action and basically a very inhospitable environment to operate.”
He added: “Local opposition will emerge and you'll have tremendous controversy over slaughtering Trigger and Mr. Ed."
