Posted: Friday, August 21, 2009 12:00 AM
Readers' views
Study humane slaughter options
The horse situation in America has not improved with the legislation to stop horse slaughter. Fueled by the poor economy and poor planning by the Bureau of Land Management, more than 100,000 unwanted horses needing care are sitting or starving as humans sort out their options for the future.
Horse breeders chasing dollar signs and overbreeding are a large reason, as well as unnatural practices and intervention by the BLM. Horse ownership is feeling the pinch of high feed prices in a failing economy.
But what seems to be missed in this mess of mismanagement is the reason the first legislation came along in the first place. Horses were being transported and slaughtered in an inhumane way! Stopping the process, instead of refining it to reduce the trauma to the animals, was short-sighted.
There will always be unwanted animals. Animal rights groups wouldn't have the ammunition to fight slaughter if there was a more humane way to dispatch them. The inhumane transport and actual killing could be improved and refined to reduce the stress and terror experienced by the animals.
Why couldn't the American Veterinarian Medical Association or the USDA fund some research that would make the process more humane and the carcass still usable? If we can walk on the moon, surely we can solve this problem in a civilized and humane way.
Meta Earthling
Cosmopolis, Wash.
'Food, Inc.' looks at issues
In regards to the editorial about the film "Food, Inc." ("Food, Inc." ignores the other side); well, most documentaries are slanted. Your editorial ignores the gist of the film, which is to take a look at what is dragging all farmers down into a colossal bureaucratic quagmire because of the greedy, short-sighted actions of a few multinational corporations such as the Monsantos and the Tyson Foods of the world.
Their goals are total monopolistic control of our seeds and our food system. Witness their strong backing of a national animal identification system and exclusive genetically modified organism patent legislation, which has wreaked havoc on many farmers and farm communities. Large industrial agricultural systems have given us taxpayer-subsidized, cheap, but sometimes dangerous food at the expense of endangering our health.
Witness the numerous salmonella and E. coli 157 outbreaks directly linked to confined animal feeding operations. As a result, there is currently a lot of unrealistic legislation in Washington being considered that will affect all farmers, including most of us who are doing a good job of producing clean, safe food. We will suffer increased costs and oversight because of this.
The film also did an excellent job of following the exponential rise in Type 2 diabetes with the advent of cheap, highly processed food laced with high-fructose corn syrup. Unfortunately, this more affects the lower-income strata of our society, who are forced to shop for the cheapest processed food rather than buy fresh fruits and vegetables. In the end they will pay more later with increased medical costs and poor health.
I encourage you to see the film and decide for yourself.
Mark Wheeler
Pacific Botanicals
Grants Pass, Ore.
Comments made about this article
Posted By: www.ghostdancers.org On: 8/24/2009
Title: Horse Slaughter unessary evil for greed of bankster gangsters and BLM/Gov/cattlemen
The cowboys of yesterday are the concrete cowboys of today,they are killing everything in there way of money,power and greed/If you can look a beautiful sacred horse in the eyes and kill it with a knife,a hammer,or gun, you are a cold blooded killer at heart and you won't stop at horses,next you will kill your own children,for greed that has sickened your mind and heart,as you look into the horses eyes,he sees you,and knows what you are doing,he sees you killing his family and he is horrified at the cruelty of mankind,Run like the wind,little brothers and sisters,for mankind has lost his heart, luv and compassion for all living breathing creatures,Mankind is Lost in a Sea of Ego and Greed/www.ghostdancers.org
Posted By: Haviland R. Gordineer,Tn On: 8/22/2009
Title: American Quarter Horse Association!
You do not provide a service you are part of the problem making your "blood money" on the suffering of Horses which you refer to as livestock, they are not livestock, they are companions, friends, pets, you lack respect for other life forms, you feel the you are the superior form of life, you sell and transport meat the is not fit for humans to eat, you are poisoning other human beings in foreign countries. You are Evil, You are part of - The Evil Empire of Breeding Horses For Slaughter! - The King of The Evil Horse Slaughter Empire! -American Quarter Horse Association! The Horse Welfare Coalition (is an alliance of veterinary, horse-industry and agricultural groups ( that are a part of The Evil Empire they are the enemy) representing over 500,000 individual members in the United States. Who's mission is to promote the breeding and slaughter of horses and keep the breeding for slaughter markets open. Make every effort to keep this billion dollar industry operating, fight to keep the export of horses for slaughter and lobby to reopen slaughter plants in the United States. Their words .........“We must be responsible to show a good public image of the horse through propagator, lobby and policy advocacy. Members of our Coalition represent the leading horse breeding factories and foreign horse meat corporations.” The Horse Welfare Coalition is opposed to H.R503 and HR1018. They breed horses for Slaughter that is where they make their Money $$$. This is a Statement from The Horse Welfare Coalition to its Membership. “'H.R. 503 Is Not Best For Any Horse. The time is now for American Quarter Horse owners to stand up and be counted. Animal rights groups and wealthy, misguided horse interests are trying to pass legislation that will be detrimental to the welfare of our horses as well as the health of the entire horse industry. We must contact our members of Congress tell them to OPPOSE HR 503.” Stop the export of US horses and their senseless, barbaric slaughter. As you are aware, over 120,000 U.S. horses were exported for slaughter last year. On the way to the slaughter houses, they are made to endure tremendous suffering and many die before reaching the slaughter house. Perhaps they are the fortunate ones because the fate that awaits those who survive is barbaric, cruel, inhumane. It reflects the worst in human nature. Most are butchered while still alive! This must stop! Please make certain that HR503 and HR1018 passes in this secession of Congress write your Representative ask them to cosponsor HR503 and HR1018 Contact your representatives ask them to cosponsor Bills HR503 and HR1018 http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ If you belong to the Associations below you are supporting The Evil Empire of Horse Slaughter. Call: Tell them you are not renewing your membership. Members of The Evil Empire of Horse Slaughter: American Association of Equine Practitioners - American Quarter Horse Association American Veterinary Medical Association - Animal Welfare Council California Cattlemen’s Association - Colorado Horse Council - Colorado Outfitters Association Equine Nutrition and Physiology Society - Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society Horsemen’s Council of Illinois -Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association Kentucky Quarter Horse Association - Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America Michigan Horse Council - Missouri Equine Council, Inc. - National Cattlemen’s Beef Association National High School Rodeo Association - New Jersey Horse Council, Inc. New York State Horse Council, Inc. - North Carolina Horse Council - Ohio Horseman’s Council Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association - Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Association Palomino Horse Breeders of America - Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association South Dakota Quarter Horse Association - Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Utah Horse Council - Utah State Quarter Horse Association Vermont Quarter Horse Association - Wisconsin Horse Council
Posted By: Rosette On: 8/21/2009
Title: Rosette
There never was,or never will be a humane ending for a horse once in the slaughter pipeline.many of these horses were bought at lowly auctions. Many are sick and drugged. Safe meat Ha! Shame on the USDA !Here in the USA,our meat animals place of origen can be traced. Horses here in the USA are not raised for slaughter , many drugs are given that are banned in our meat animals. For all the brutalities theses horses suffer once in the hands of these heartless people visit www.kaufmanzoning.net
Posted By: THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE SUPPORTING On: 8/21/2009
Title: ABOUT HORSE SLAUGHTER HOUSES
Sinikka and Twyla from the Canadian Coalition Against Slaughter have been IN the Canadian slaughter houses. They have been through the gut piles. They have found more and more horse heads with NO bullet holes or captive bolt marks. They were asked what that means? It means they were not even temporarily stunned. They found small internal organs that were identified as less than a week old. They are killing babies. The men in the new facility in Bovary take off their shirts to kill horses. They LIKE the blood splattered on them. They have a glass catwalk over the killing area so the kill truckers and everyone can WATCH! They talked to the killers in the slaughter houses and overheard conversations and they REVEL in what they do, hurting and stabbing and killing horses. They LIKE it. Those horse killers are not just soulless deadened beings, they are sick. How can they be any more debase? They told of the horses being unloaded. They were not wild and untrained, they were trusting, willing, and easy to handle. They stand for days in deep filth waiting their turn, without food or water. When the blood soaked killers would walk by their pen, the horses in there would all come over to them, reaching out, expecting to be treated fairly and kindly because that is what they have had from people in their past. What a sad and huge betrayal for those animals to be there.
Posted By: exasperated On: 8/21/2009
Title: HOW TOE END ANTI-HORSE RHETORIC READ HORSE KILLER MANNY
I provide a service. People are revolted when I tell them I process horses for a living, but without me there would be thousands of starving horses living on our streets. On that girlie website of yours you wrote how I exploit horses. Wrong. I exploit alcohol. I exploit Burger King. But with horses I provide a service. I mop up. I clean up the mess left by morons who just have to breed their mare. A few years later no one wants the baby anymore, so I come in to mop up. How come you never write about those morons who just have to breed their mare? Every spring I send dozens of mares and new foals to the meat plant. And every spring there are idiots breeding more babies. All of your do right for horses cause they built America is crap. The only way to do right for horses is to stop breeding them.
Posted By: On: 8/21/2009
Title: Two Excellent articles.
Both the article on horse slaughter and Food are excellent. When is the government going to take the tariff off of sugar so that it will again be used instead of high fructose corn syrup...sugar is a healthier alternative and tastes better. Fortunately I live on the border where I can get Mexican products like coke with sugar. It's 100 times better than high fructose laced US coke and healthier! Most people are not concerned about what happens to the horses body after it is dead but how it is being killed. Good article. When is the USDA going to wake up and help our society be healthy and quit feeding greed.