On my way home Thurs. after class 75 N was backed up as usual. I had just gotten on 75 S from 35 and there it was. A rusty white 16' stock trailer filled to the gills with horses at a dead stand-still in rush hour traffic. After slowing down on the highway to about 25 mph I did a quick headcount and there had to be at least 25 horses. Usually we don't travel with horses that packed. It's too dangerous to stack 'em in like bricks both for other drivers on the road and, of course, the horses. I gotta admit I teared up a bit. One in particular caught my eye being tall, white blaze, and ears perked looking around. While I can't be 100% certain I'd say they were headed to Canada. The tears formed over their fate...a European dinner plate.
Horse slaughter for human consumption ended in 2007 when the last 3 slaughter plants closed. Two were located in Texas and were known as Beltex and Dallas Crown and the one in Illinois was known as Cavel. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the lines between proponents and opponents were solid on both sides. It should be noted all 3 horse slaughter houses were owned by foreign companies, Belgian, and did not pay federal taxes. Kaufman, TX fought mightily to have their slaughter plant closed and Mary Nash made it her mission to expose as many facts as possible.
I got involved in alternatives to horse slaughter after this accident in 2004. The horses were being hauled in a double-decker trailer designed to haul short-necked livestock species usually cattle, swine, and sheep. Being a horse owner myself I was unaware at the time of the dirty little secret of horse slaughter for rich Europeans to feast on. I knew horses were food for starving people in WWI & WWII but had no idea it was now considered a delicacy. Here you can find a short history of horse meat.
Since the 2004 accident there have been more: in 2007 and 2006 and this one always gets my goat because of all the previous offenses.
Before the quarter is over we'll talk about the business of horse-breeding and how the auction-to-slaughter pipeline works. In the meantime, the next time you send your kid to camp or the fair tell them to hug the one they ride!
*Disclaimer: This blog is part of an assignment. It in no way represents the opinions of Sinclair Community College or the Paralegal Department.
I think that you are so right about stuffing them into the trailer like that being wrong and dangerous. I know I absolutely love horses. I love all animals, but I think horses are my favorite. Just thinking about a horse being killed to eat as a delicacy is just an awful thought to me. I loved the comment that you made at the end about hugging the one you ride. Every time, I have been horseback riding(which is not much)I have hugged my horse.
ReplyDeleteBlech...horse meat does not sound appetizing...at all. It seems like eating a family pet. No thank you. I see these haulers every day on my way to everywhere.
ReplyDeleteVery informative! Many years ago (when I still ate red meat), I would not eat at the McDonald's in Paris because I heard they used horsemeat in the hamburgers!
ReplyDeleteThanks for providing this information!
Eating horse meat in Europe is not confined to the rich: when I lived in Italy I passed a "Carne Equine" shop every single day. The shop windows was filled with hanging meat. At the time I did not think about the source of the meat, just that it was a cultural difference of tastes and what was considered "normal." Good post with a lot of interesting facts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info Ellen! They refer to it as a delicacy in Europe.
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