Maybe ending the slaughter of horses in US has had some bad consequences.

[sinkingfeeling]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/348688_vethorse25.html

A veterinarian's perspective

Like so many animal lovers, I celebrated when all three of the U.S. horse slaughter operations were ordered closed last year. I thought about the horses I had seen in vet school, broken down by years of overuse and misuse. Before that, I had not realized the extent to which horses are a commodity. When the economy worsens, they are expensive to feed and also expensive to humanely euthanize.

With the average cost of euthanasia and rendering about $400, people are looking across the borders. As of Dec. 20. 2007, 44,475 horses had been shipped to Mexico for processing for human consumption compared with 10,783 shipped at the same time in 2006. This 312 percent increase does not count "recreational" export, which has doubled in that time. To Canadian horse slaughter facilities, there has been a 41 percent increase.

Is it possible that trying to help horses by seeking a ban on horse slaughter, animal welfare advocates have made things worse for them? How can we help the 100,000 horses relinquished for slaughter by their owners each year?

Congress needs input from knowledgeable folks in the equine rescue world and veterinarians alike who understand the complete picture regarding horse slaughter. The answers are here and, who knows, maybe horses themselves will guide us there. If only we can listen to the kindness in their eyes and in our hearts.

[MercutioATC]

1. It's an American cultural issue, not a universal truth.

Horses are animals...the same as pigs, cows, dogs, chickens, cats, etc.

The world, in general, has almost universally declared only one animal culturally unfit for human consumption...man. In most of the world, any other animal is perfectly acceptable dining fare.

[dbackjon]

2. Yes - excellent point

Closing the U.S. Horse SlaughterHouses only moved those jobs to Mexico or Canada - it is not keeping a single horse alive.