After months of wrangling, a New Mexico state district judge has issued an injunction to stop the Valley Meat Company from opening as a horse slaughtering plant after New Mexico's state attorney general filed suit claiming the plant would contaminate the food chain.
Feud over what to do with unwanted horses
After months of wrangling, a New Mexico state district judge issued an injunction to stop Valley Meat Company from opening a horse slaughtering plant after New Mexico's state attorney general filed suit claiming the plant would contaminate the food chain.
In addition, the latest budget passed by Congress cut the funding for inspections of horse slaughter plants which horse advocates hope will keep the owner of Valley Meat and others out of the business of killing horses and shipping the meat over seas.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States has stated, "Americans care for horses, we ride horses, and we even put them to work. But we don't eat horses in the United States, and we shouldn't be gathering them up and slaughtering them for people to eat in far-off places.
Arguments given for opening Valley Meat Company and others like it in the United States include the need for jobs in many areas and the fact that the US is home to many unwanted horses while horse rescues are filled to capacity with long waiting lists.