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Copyright
2010 Rocky Mountain Rider. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reproduction of any
editorial material, artwork and photos is strictly forbidden without
express written permission of the publisher. For information about
reprint rights, please contact the editor; editor@rockymountainrider.com.
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Wyoming
Equine Slaughter Plant
in
Planning Stage
|
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By
Dorinda Troutman, RMR Staff Writer
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September
2010 Issue
A new organization in Wyoming — United Organizations of the Horse (UOH)
— has developed a four-part, unwanted horse management plan, which includes
developing a humane horse slaughter plant. They will utilize a recent
Wyoming
state law legalizing the slaughter of abandoned, estray, feral or abused horses
that come under the jurisdiction of the Wyoming Board of Livestock.
The law allows livestock, including
horses, to be sent to slaughter as an alternative to taking animals to auction.
The meat would to be inspected by
Wyoming
State
meat inspectors, and sold in-state to institutions or nonprofit organizations
for no more than cost; to for-profit entities at market rate; or for pet or zoo
animal food.
Sue Wallis, a
Wyoming
legislator who was a sponsor of the bill that became that law, is also the
executive director of UOH.
Wallis says the UOH has discussed
plans for a holding yard; suggested possible sites, including one outside of
Guernsey, in eastern
Wyoming
; and contacted livestock industry consultant Dr. Temple Grandin for guidance
with the project.
“We are looking at a holistic
approach to the unwanted horse problem. We are looking at the whole industry,”
explains Wallis.
“This project will cost millions of
dollars, but there is quite a lot of government financial help available from
rural development funds, plus money from wealthy private investors in the
U.S.
horse industry. The plant could be sustained with zoo and pet food meat buyers
alone.
“We want to build a state-of-the-art
facility — absolutely top-notch — to be used as a model for anyone. The need
is so great, and the pent-up demand so huge, that we believe six facilities like
this one are needed around the
U.S.
”
The
Wyoming
plan, which has been named the “Unified System of the Horse” by UOH,
includes four programs:
§
Rescue, rejuvenation and slaughter — which would evaluate
and retrain abandoned and donated horses or, for those animals that are unsound,
dangerous or unfit, would provide a quick, painless death.
§
§
Equine Assurance Program — ensures meat quality and
equine well-being, with a meat health and humane certification program.
§
§
Horses for Humanity — Owner can donate their horse to
benefit the needy.
§
§
National Do-Not-Slaughter Registry — allows horse owners
to microchip and register horses they do not wish to go to slaughter.
§
Wallis says that if all goes well, it will take six months to complete
the plans, obtain the financing and permitting, and then another six months to
build the plant.
Dr. Temple Grandin is an animal
science professor at
Colorado
State
University
and a noted expert on designing and managing humane slaughter facilities for
cattle and hogs. She is a well-known advocate for raising food animals in an
ethical manner and for creating facilities that allow them a low-stress,
pain-free death.
Having Grandin involved in this
project would add a great deal of credibility.
When asked how far along the project
is, Grandin replied, “This is still in the talking process. No plans or
drawings have been made by me.”
Grandin explains that a humane horse
slaughter plant needs at least four things at the point of slaughter to keep
horses at a low stress level and pain-free:
§
• The stunning box needs to be well-lighted, and have tall, solid sides
to keep the horse from seeing into the slaughter plant. Two people are needed at
that box – one to quickly move the horse into it, and one to immediately stun
the horse before it has time to fear the enclosure.
§
•
Non-slip flooring that is checked regularly for wear.
§
• Independent third-party auditors who would monitor a constant video
feed of the killing process. Grandin suggests that American Humane, a national
organization protecting children and animals, would make a good monitor.
§
• A strong plant manager who acts as a conscience for workers who
become numb to the killing process, and who would constantly remind about and
enforce humane treatment.
Grandin says that in order for her to
be involved,
Wyoming
needs to get serious about making slaughter humane.
“It’s got to be done right,” she
says.
RMR will keep readers updated as plans
progress. United Organizations of the Horse may be contacted at sue.wallis@unitedorgsofthehorse.org,
or call Sue at 307-680-8515.
New
Restrictions on Horses Exported for Slaughter
According
the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), new anti-drug
requirements by the European Union, which buys a large percentage of their
horsemeat for human consumption from both
Canada
and
Mexico
, may affect the numbers of horses exported from the
U.S.
dramatically.
Beginning
July 31, 2010, a buyer must prove that about 55 types of medications and
substances, including phenylbutazone (bute), steroids and certain antimicrobials
have not being given to a horse intended to be slaughtered for human
consumption.
A
buyer must certify by document that those substances have not been given for the
past six months; or the horse may be quarantined six months previous to
slaughter. A longer “certification period” will soon be required.
According
to the AVMA, until 2007, when the three
U.S.
horse slaughter plants closed, up to 100,000 horses were slaughtered each year.
In 2008, 49,895 horses were exported from the
U.S.
to
Canada
– most to be slaughtered.
The
most recent USDA Market News reports that nearly 27,000 horses were exported
from January through July, 2010 to
Mexico
for slaughter. Worldwide each year almost 5,000,000 horses are slaughtered for
human consumption.
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Copyright
2010 Rocky Mountain Rider. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Reproduction of any
editorial material, artwork and photos is strictly forbidden without
express written permission of the publisher. For information about
reprint rights, please contact the editor; editor@rockymountainrider.com.
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