WASHINGTON, (UOH) – 
There is a thriving worldwide market for horse meat…but no one in the United States is able to start a horse meat businesses, create a single job, or help meet the consumer demand for an affordable, delicious, high quality protein source. Why? Because of nonprofit professional animal rights fundraising machines (HSUS/PETA/et al) that are anti-agriculture and anti-meat. These are groups who pay no taxes, generate no revenue, create no jobs-and worst of all, offer no solution for the thousands of unwanted, unusable, excess horses that are starving to death nationwide.
Yesterday, June 15th, Rep. Cynthia Lummis, Wyoming, offered an amendment to the Ag Appropriations bill that would have allowed for a horse meat processor to pay the entire cost of having their facility and product inspected by the USDA. The amendment was ultimately withdrawn, in part because Rep. Jack Kingston, Georgia, Chairman of the Subcommittee suggested that it would be better to wait so that the entire House could review the much anticipated GAO Report on the effect of the plants closing. That report is due to be delivered to Congress on June 22nd.
What a perfect solution! Let the processors pay for their own inspection. Zero impact on the federal budget in terms of cost of inspection. Over 1,000 good jobs created practically overnight. And a quick, humane dispatch while still in good shape and healthy for thousands of horses that would otherwise become a burden on local governments draining already overburdened coffers-not to mention millions of pounds of high quality nutritious meat welcomed by a worldwide market.
Horse meat is 50% higher in protein, 40% lower in fat, high in iron, low in cholesterol, and has 18 times the Omega-3 fatty acids than beef. From a purely nutritional standpoint it is better then either venison or bison. In Europe and Asia it is made into baby food, and available everywhere. Gourmet restaurants in Canada, Mexico, Europe, and Asia serve it with pride. Many would welcome its high nutrition and affordable cost if it was available in the United States, especially some of the ethnic communities that are particularly fond of it such as the Tongans, the Mongolians, and Hispanics.
A recent report on a trade website noted that Argentina has now become the largest exporter of horse meat in the world. Argentina – Horse meat sales 23,880 tons from 150,000 horses. According to the Mexican government, 50% of their horse meat production is used domestically, the other 50% is exported, mostly to Europe. Below is a Canadian government report showing the twenty one countries and amounts that their businesses have been able to benefit from exporting horse meat to other countries. Please note the amount that is now being imported into the United States. At a minimum, that is business that could have benefited our economy, our citizens, and our horse industry…instead it has been exported representing U.S. jobs lost, a loss to the U.S. economy, and a horrific increase in the suffering of horses and people.
All on the behest of a vocal few culturally arrogant anti-agriculture animal rights activists who are making a very good living off of million dollar TV ads portraying weepy eyed kittens, three legged dogs, and skinny horses for which they spend practically none of their millions to help a single dog or cat, let alone a horse (1/2 of 1% by their own reports). No wonder they have dozens of executives pulling down six figure salaries, a stable of over forty full time lawyers, and… not a single veterinarian.
Tells you something, doesn’t it?
Tell Congress to listen to the horse people. Listen to the people who work hard and make it their life’s work to take care of their livestock, and who hope to raise their children and their grandchildren in our beloved horseback culture. Without a break, and a restoration of a viable equine economy by restoring the market, the only people who will be able to afford a horse in their lives will be the extremely wealthy and priviledged few.
We don’t want to live in that kind of country. Only those with a skewed and unnatural view of a vegan future crammed down the throats of every single American would want to.
| Official report of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in regards to the numbers of horses exported live for meat, and of horse meat products in 2010 | |||
| Received via email from Claude Boissonneault, CFIA, June 16, 2011 | |||
| Live Horses exported from Canada to Japan | 3,431 | (note that Canada does not have a category specifically for live horses for slaughter, so this number may include a small number of horses shipped for other purposes.) | |
| Horse Meat and Horse Meat Products exported from Canada | Canadian Kg | US Lb | US Tons |
| Total | 18,158,132 | 40,031,418 | 20,016 |
| Armenia | 51,012 | 112,461 | 56 |
| Belarus | 32,064 | 70,688 | 35 |
| Belgium | 4,683,233 | 10,324,655 | 5,162 |
| The Democratic Republic of the Congo | 24,999 | 55,113 | 28 |
| Finland | 575,102 | 1,267,869 | 634 |
| France | 3,820,347 | 8,422,337 | 4,211 |
| Guadeloupe | 15,132 | 33,360 | 17 |
| Italy | 38,992 | 85,961 | 43 |
| Jamaica | 2,600 | 5,732 | 3 |
| Japan | 2,356,426 | 5,194,978 | 2,597 |
| Kazakhstan | 2,808,915 | 6,192,533 | 3,096 |
| Latvia | 24,950 | 55,005 | 28 |
| Mexico | 562,609 | 1,240,328 | 620 |
| Moldova | 24,508 | 54,030 | 27 |
| Netherlands | 24,950 | 55,005 | 28 |
| Philippines | 1,282 | 2,826 | 1 |
| South Africa | 194,487 | 428,766 | 214 |
| Spain | 60,592 | 133,581 | 67 |
| Swaziland | 20,306 | 44,767 | 22 |
| Switzerland | 2,491,533 | 5,492,833 | 2,746 |
| USA | 352,094 | 776,227 | 388 |
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