The slaughter of horses for food could resume this week in the United States due to a ruling by a federal judge who dismissed a lawsuit by animal welfare groups that sought to prevent the practice.
Dilemma of over population of horses in U. S
The slaughter of horses for food could resume this week in the United States due to a ruling by a federal judge who dismissed a lawsuit by animal welfare groups that sought to prevent the practice.
© 2013 by Carien Schippers
U. S. District Judge Christina Amijo, based in Albuquerque, dismissed the lawsuit on Friday, November 1, 2013. The lawsuit was brought by Front Range Equine Rescue, the Humane Society of the U. S. and other animal rights groups who maintain that federal officials didn't perform appropriate studies before it granted permits to Valley Meats in New Mexico and a company in Iowa,
According to attorneys for Valley Meat Company and Rain Natural Meats in Missour, both companies plan to resume operations as soon as this week. The horse meat will be exported for human or animal consumption.
The Humane Society has promised to appeal the Saturday ruling: Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of the Humane Society released a statement. "With today's court ruling and the very real prospect of plants resuming barbaric killing of horses for their meat in the states, we expect the American public to recognize the urgency of the situation and to demand that Congress take action,"
The issue of horse slaughter in the U. S. has proven to be divisive and there is continued debate over what is the humane solution to the nation's over population of horses, many of which are neglected and starving.