Really don’t know what to make of this one.
Princess Anne – who I know has horses interests at heart – has sparked a lot of controversy.
I’d love to hear your thoughts it. Perhaps you’ve seen it in the news.
In a nutshell, Princess Anne (yes, my American friends, that’s the Queen’s daughter) is suggesting we should follow the French and eat horse meat.
Why? By increasing the value of a horse, their welfare would be improved…
I just can’t get my head round this one.
Anyone?
Please post below.
Best
Al
Is she for real? “increase their value????”
Tell that to Dobbin as he gets on the trailer heading for the auction …
I think it’s shocking suggesting that we eat such a noble being, as a horse. No horse lover would make such a horrific suggestion.
It would increase horse neglect, too many horses bred now, ruthless individuals would breed even more thinking it gaurenteed money. They’d be left in fields & under motorways, Anne has not much knowledge of the animal ‘underworld’.
Humm if it were to improve the correct usage of passports and treatment of horses yeah. But hey real world check thats not going to happen is it. No one to over see anything as no money for that. So I can see only yet another way to abuse the wonderful horse.
Princess Ann you can’t be serious we are already struggling to keep decent horses out of dog food and the horse meat trade only makes this harder by offering traders money for shooting them in the head, encourage rehoming & less breeding if u want to help not more eating
I know in the US horses have not been used for dog food for quite some time. However, once a horse has made its way to the 4-D (dead, dying, disabled, or diseased) meat pile, with whatever other animals that plant processes, it can end up in dog food, just as chicken ends up in chicken food, beef in cattle feed, etc. AGAIN as I’ve said in the other posts that I replied to, WE MUST MONITOR THE PLANT POLICIES and we CAN solve this dilemma!
I wish you were right but the fact is that perfectly healthy horses in the U.S. are sold to slaughter houses for cat food and dog food. Even sometimes there are people who see that as a way to get out of caring for an animal. A friend of mine runs a horse rescue in Indiana and she has even rescued young healthy colts and horses right out of a trailer heading for slaughter. This is such a barbaric act that there should be someway to stop them but just in this past year the gov. Lifted a ban on a slaughter house in Tx. So now they can once again can slaughter any horse healthy or not. 👿
There are no slaughter houses in Texas.
Inbreeding taking its toll.
She knows not what she speaks of.
I believe anyone who would say such a thing has not
given it the time to think it through. Probably just a knee jerk comment.
Quite so.
Wtf, PA? 👿
Sickening.
Shame on her!
Perhaps we should eat humans instead (*sarcasm*)….it would increase our value! Her rationale is as warped as the US economic “trickle down” effect – not only does it not work, but the consequences are devasting!
😈 has she ever been to Africa???? has she seen how they are chopping down the trees. the same will happen to our horses.
Generations of inbreeding taking its toll.
She knows not what she speaks of.
I believe anyone who would say such a thing has not
given it the time to think it through. Probably just a knee jerk comment.
Please correct my double negative (not enough coffee)…
– it doesn’t work and the consequences are devasting!
No, no, no, no. She must have a tumor. I just can’t wrap my head around this logic. You can debate it all you want but the end of that trail would still lead to slaughter.
I’m in no position to judge; I don’t own a horse but am privileged enough to be allowed to groom and ride my friends horse, a piebald Irish Cob called Paddy.
URGHHHH the idea of eating him, or ANY horse who has given someone love and companionship until they’ve outlived their usefulness. To me, it’s almost the same as someone suggesting she and her husband eat Zara if she had outlived her shelf life.
At the risk of being VERY unpopular, there are countries where we are considered barbarians for eating beef, pork, lamb etc. While I have no interest in eating horse meat and I wouldn’t want any of my beloved girls to become someone’s dinner, I find it a bit hypocritical to condemn those who “raise” horses for the specific intent of eating them..JMHO 😕
Hi sme,
Please read my post below.
I am a vegetarian & have been for many years, so I agree that killing any animal so I can stuff my face is barbaric, BUT there is no other animal on the planet that humans have relied on more than the horse. They have carried us into battle, they have carried us across the country, they have plowed our fields & delivered our groceries, ice, dairy & just about anything else you can think of. They have carried the mail, they have carried our police officers & pulled our fire wagons. They have been used in logging & mining. They carried ammunition during our stupid wars & transported our wounded & dead from the battlefield. They lay down their lives to shield our soldiers. They delivered us safely to church.They have entertained us in the movies, on TV, on the racetrack & in our personal lives. They have given us companionship & they have given us love.I would vote for the horse as man’s best friend hands down, yet this is how they are treated when considered no longer valuable.To suggest eating them or feeding them to our dogs is repugnant & despicable. They deserve far better from us & yes, I would condemn those who raise horses for the specific intent of eating them. We are disgusted by people who eat dogs & cats. Horses have been far more important to humankind than either of those animals that we revere as pets. Horses have earned their place in our hearts & I hope the next horse that has to carry Princess Anne’s fat ass dumps her in the mud where she belongs.
👿 That is just stupid, inhuman and cruel, horses could end up like chickens, mass bred and slaughtered to be eaten. This lady obviously doesnt know much about horses if she thinks thats a good way to increase their value
Disgusting! Shame on her! I cannot imagine a true horse lover even imagining such a thing! They are such magnificent creatures and I can only imagine a country has to get very low to have to resort to eating them. Are there not enough poor cows, chickens, sheep, pigs, etc. for their insatiable appetites?!
OK…maybe we should all start eating dogs too. Perhaps she has ” rotten royal” brain syndrome. What a doofus. I’m sure the Queen wants to wham her upside the head.
I was born in Canada and recently found out they eat horse in Quebec thanks to the Travel Channel and Andrew Zimmern. I emailed and told them what I thought of that but haven’t heard back. Andrew Zimmern{host} was shown eating horse in France and Quebec AND enjoying it. He and that channel has tremendous power. They don’t show him eating dog in the Philippines and I don’t know that he hasn’t but THAT would never be shown on TV.
Oh, how SHOCKING !!!!!!!! That is the cruelest thing we can EVER DO !!!!!! Then we can just as well eat humans too……aaaaaa juk..!!!!! Horses are SO UNIQUE and SPECIAL !!!! SHE NEED TO BE BOOKED INTO A MENTAL HOSPITAL !!!
Princess Anne SHAME ON YOU!!! There is rampant abuse of animals and humans and by justifying the slaughter of another animal is in no way helping people become more educated and empathetic, but rather just giving them an excuse to continue to abuse animals. Animals are not here just for the purpose of us eating them and satisfying desires of human beings who already are becoming so far removed from what is real and what is not and the consequences thereof!! I am shocked and disgusted and she needs to get a clue, or are her horses going to be served up to her once they are done serving and loving her??? If she is condoning the eating of horse meat then let her eat it!! And for those of you who say what about cows, pigs etc… I truly believe that if humans want to continue eating meat then humane ways of slaughter must be found and soon! Horses are companion animals and give so much pleasure and devotion, the problem is that only a select few are exposed to their love and incredible devotion, we need to expose more people to them and that is what I am trying to do in Cape Town as we cannot just verbally condemn we need to start putting our money where our mouths are and start making a difference in the lives of people through animals and then the majority would not be so quick to condone cruelty and neglect. You cannot empathise with what you do not know nor understand.
If we started eating horses they would start to be farmed and grown just like cow herds. While farmers take good care of their cows they are being raised to go to market. If horses were done this way everybody and his brother would jump on the band wagon to make a buck and it would probably drive the value of houses down in the long run instead of boosting it. I personally love my horses. They are my friends and I would no more eat them than I would my human friends.
NO animal should be slaughtered for eating. People need to go back to the old days where they ate lettuce, fruits, vegetables. Horses are not here for man to eat. No animal is.
An animal rightist way of thinking does not work for those of us who enjoy meat products. Of course animals are here for humans to eat. It’s just that horses are one of those can go either way meats. People can love a pig or chicken as a pet the same way as a horse.
The solution to the problem is the HUMANE treatment of animals being processed for consumption. If humane treatment could be honestly monitored I would not have a problem with the processing DOMESTICLY bred horses IN THE US. We cannot monitor how the horses are processed if we allow them to leave the US.
I am not a vegetarian because I dislike meat. Meat is delicious & I would bet that human meat is delicious as well, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to kill someone so I can eat them. Sometimes you have to give up something you enjoy to become a more compassionate person. Yes, chickens & pigs can be pets just as a horse can–that’s the whole point. We humans are an arrogant bunch to decide who lives & who dies, but that’s exactly what we’ve done by choosing to eat animals when we really don’t need to. We should have moved beyond this by now. We humans are a selfish bunch.Humane treatment of the animals we have decided should be food would go a long way to improving things, but that would mean feeling compassion for them & I think by denying them the compassion they deserve & treating them as mindless, emotionless, non-feeling creatures, it makes it easier for us to do the things to them that we do. Once we begin treating them humanely & acknowledge that all animals feel love, happiness, sadness, fear & pain, it makes eating them a lot less palatable.
I agree. Stupid as it sounds my chicken is one of my best friends but I am still happy to eat a chicken pie!
So if I am right lots of horses get shot and fed to the hunt pack, or is that my imagination. Lots of horses getting starved to death because there horse owning loving owners arnt. I am on the fence with this, I understand what she was getting at and I think a lot of peoe are taking it out of context. It seems the laws are I forced stronger when it comes to domesticated animals for the food chain, these can be traced accurately through there whole life. Shame horses can’t be traced and are more often cases of neglect. The passport system is a joke things need tightening up and putting horses into the food chain would have a drastic effect on this. Ps I dont eat horse meat and have no intention of ever doing so.
Hi Phil,
Please read my post below.
No way!!! I will not eat horse meat. I love my horse’s. I think they have great value. That would be like saying hey let’s eat dogs. We have shelters full of them and it will increase their value. I love my dog’s too. Let our pets remain that way. Eat what is raised for it ( chickens, pigs, and cattle) and do it with kindness.
Horse burgers??? I don’t think so!!! The thought of my 7 sweet horses’ bodies being sold in meat depts of grocery stores makes my stomach turn.
We are shocked that someone of privilege and royal descent would suggest the consumption of horses. We have a neighbor here in Oregon whose sons wife is French born and raised. We have had the discussion over the French peoples consumption of horse meat and she told us only the poor and lower classes consume horses and that most French people prefer to eat beef or chicken. Also as another point if you are a Christian, the bible clearly states that by definition the horse is an unclean meat to consume as it is not having a cloven hoof such as a cow or sheep. By the way we are vegans, we do not consume any meat or animal products due to the high cholesterol problem and heart disease in our family pedigree and our father died at the too young age of 69. We also would NEVER eat our horses or any others either. Fred and Joan.
No words! 🙁
I wonder if this practice has increased the value of horses in France, or if France is just the destination of a lot of other countries’ horses that have either SUPPOSEDLY ‘out-lived their usefulness’ or become victims of a poor economy.
I bet there aren’t a lot of starving, abused and unwanted horses in France. Just a lot of loved, fat, spoiled, fine quality, healthy horses being ridden and enjoyed.
That is quite a statement that Princess Anne has made. I’ll be interested to hear of the justification for her claim. She does work closely with the British Horse Society and their welfare branch. So maybe this needs further consideration as to why she is saying this.
Horses are eaten in Britain. I understand that there are at least two slaughter houses which produce horse meat for people with continental taste for cuisine.
I have no idea about horse welfare in the USA. I would guess though that horse meat may be available in the larger urban areas with a European population.
At the end of the day, unless you own your own property and can bury your horse there, or pay to have it cremated, or put down at home, then what will happen to the carcase?
If you don’t put your horse down at the end of its days and sell it on, your horse may end up in a slaughterhouse for feeding to pets. I understand a lot of pony youngsters, and failed race horses certainly do here in the UK.
Alas, there are no easy answers. Thanks for alerting me to this issue. I’ll see what she actually said. Sometimes journalists may get things confused.
Hi Suella,
Please read my post below. If you feel you should, (and since you are in the UK), perhaps you can send this important information around. Misinformation needs to be corrected. Thank you.
She is obviously a very very spoilt woman who has never had to work hard in her life in fact everything given, so to her it sounds a horse’s value even it’s love is nothing of worth to her.
In response to ansie’s comment. Did you see the post in Denver where the Feds destroyed tons of Congo elephant tusks in Denver that were destined to China for trade. Africa is the worst when it comes to rare animal trade. Elephants, rhinos and lions are shot and poisoned for the underground trade of Ivory with China. Good news about horses is Robert Redford and two high ranking officials successfully passed an appeal through the Colorado Federal appeals court to stop the slaughter plant from opening in Roswell New Mexico.
Is she a British Royal or a Royal Idiot??
Horse meat is such a good meat that I can understand why people eat it. But tge thought of someones childhood pony being slaughtered and eaten if horrific. Not really sure where I stand on this. Take away the emotion there ism’t a problem. But because we form such bonds with horsesit would seem wrong to betray their trust in us. In prehistoric times we hunted horses and now we have reasued them that that wont happen. It would be too human of us to lull them into a sense of security then take advantage of them.
Hi binbons,
Please read mu post below.
She’s clueless. Just like our politicians, there are people paid to tell her the so-called truth. She’s out of touch with reality and she’s going to cause immeasurable agony for countless horses.
She means well and as animals bred for the food chain have to be kept in humane conditions it could offer some protection on that front but there is no way I could or would ever consider eating horse meat. Why can’t they be regulated regarding breeding this would cut down the number of animals available. People are breeding to make a quick buck but with times of austerity horses are expensive to keep.
Maybe that would be an answer long term but how it is policed would mean financial cost but hopefully at least numbers of unwanted animals would drop
She should read the history of how horses have been treated in the past. This would only add to their misery. Anyone with land would breed horses just like they do cattle. The ongoing slaughter would only increase. Not a statement well thought out at all.
What are we to do with our old and health impaired horses, or ones with lameness issues? Have them shot and a chain put around their necks and dragged onto the dead stock truck? I have been around horses my whole life, and have no desire to eat horse meat, however there are those who do love to eat it, but there does come a time when our beloved horse has to go, and I hate the thought of them going to some rescue place where they may not have enough feed. This has happened in our area, even though the barn had lots of hay there she wasn’t giving them enough. Personally I prefer to have them walk on a trailer, kiss them goodbye, even though I know that they are going to slaughter. I do not believe in seeing any animal suffer in any way. All the mistreatment of animals just makes me soooo angry. I know that I will be condemed for these views, and I really don’t have any good answers to the delema, but I know I do hate the idea of the dead stock truck coming.
Hi Norah,
Please read mu post below.
Nora, I feel ya talkin’. I hate that truck but it is a reality of what happens to our old friends when they die. Wow, hate thinking about it. BUT you make some excellent points. There is a solution. It is policing of the plants that process meats. ALL animals deserve to be processed with kindness and dignity, be it chicken, pig, or horse. I believe the solution is to monitor the treatment at these plants so we can have some kind of peace of mind about the meat we eat.
I don’t understand. Why is it worse to have the vet put your horse down & have the renderer remove the body than to send your horse off to a slaughter house where they will be terrified & brutally killed? Is it because sending them to slaughter means you don’t have to be there? Granted, it may be worse for you that way, but shouldn’t your focus be on what’s more compassionate for your horse?
Cher I agree with you and we have taken that big step when a horse is in pain. The vet has come we have all said good bye last hug & kiss and then they have been put to sleep. We have then donated the body to the Lion Park.
The horse has not been taken to some slaughter house stood in pens smelling the blood in the air and waiting in terror. I know all animals smell blood and how it affects them.
The only thing it does is establish a higher baseline for the value of a horse; price per pound for human consumption is higher than that of dog food. There is absolutely no protection for the animal. We see this here in Quebec, Canada.
HER COMMENT WAS TO GET US ALL GOING AND GET INTO THE LIME LIGHT AGAIN. SHE SPOKE BEFORE HER BRAIN COULD THINK, OR IF LIKE SOME PEOPLE (IN FRANCE) IT DOES NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY.
Really?!! The stupidity of some people is just outstanding. “Increase the value”?! She CAN’T be serious! Oh, let’s make lunch meat out if a majestic animal to raise its value… Yeah, can’t see that… Check the prices at any livestock auction and you’ll see that horses go for way more than cows… Just my thoughts…
Here’s a little something for Anne: (please copy and share this)
PLEASE PRINT THESE UP FOR HANDOUTS at ALL EVENTS:
12 Reasons to Oppose Horse Slaughter
May 1, 2013 Posted by Laura Allen under Horse Slaughter
1. Americans oppose horse slaughter. A recent nationwide poll conducted by Lake Research Partners confirms that 80% of Americans, regardless of their gender, political affiliation, whether they live in an urban or rural area, or their geographic location, oppose the slaughter of horses for human consumption. The poll confirms that a vast majority of horse owners are also against the slaughtering of our nation’s equines. This 2012 poll is consistent with polls taken since 2006.
2. Horse slaughter is not a “solution” for so-called “unwanted” horses. Horses purchased for slaughter are not old, disabled or “unwanted”. The US Dept. of Agriculture has confirmed with a study performed by Dr. Temple Grandin that 92.3% of the horses sent to slaughter are healthy. They could continue to be productive. Slaughter proponents have widely claimed that slaughter is somehow an alternative for “unwanted” horses. Nothing could be further from the truth. Slaughter actually creates a salvage or secondary market that enables overbreeding and poor breeding practices. Slaughter and a poor economy have resulted in horses in need. Slaughter is driven by a demand for horsemeat in some foreign countries; it is not a “service” for unwanted horses and that is why most horses are healthy when they are sent to slaughter. Kill buyers are interested in buying the healthiest horses for horsemeat that is sold as a delicacy in some foreign countries.
The rise in numbers of horses in need and drop in horse prices is a result of the worst recession in memory. In fact, if slaughter controlled numbers of horses in need, there would be none as slaughter is still available and horses are sent to slaughter in the same numbers as before the 2007 closings of the slaughterhouses that were located in the U.S. It is the availability of slaughter that actually increases the numbers of excess horses and other equines on the market. Banning slaughter would reduce the number of excess horses and other equines.
Also, slaughter accounts for only about 3 cents for every $100 of the equine industry. It makes no sense for anyone to suggest a limited salvage market could influence prices in the entire horse industry. According to former U.S.Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), the live horse industry is valued at $112.1 billion of gross domestic product, meaning the reabsorption of “surplus” horses not sent to slaughter would actually boost the economy.
Most horses end up at slaughter because they are purchased by kill buyers. Many horses could have easily have been purchased by someone else and other options include adoption programs, placing them as pasture mates/babysitters to a younger horse, donating them for use in horse therapy, or placing them in a retirement home. Also, about 900,000 horses are humanely euthanized in the U.S. The infrastructure could easily absorb those sent to slaughter. The average cost in Washington of humane euthanasia including the farm call and either burial, rendering or placement in a landfill can be as little as $50 depending on the method used, and at most $400.
3. Equine slaughter is not humane euthanasia. The slaughter of horses and other equines simply cannot be made humane: Dr. Lester Friedlander, DVM & former Chief USDA Inspector, told Congress in 2008 that the captive bolt used to slaughter horses is simply not effective. Horses and other equines, in particular, are very sensitive about anything coming towards their heads and cannot be restrained as required for effective stunning. Dr. Friedlander stated, “These animals regain consciousness 30 seconds after being struck, they are fully aware they are being vivisected.” The Government Accountability Office and dozens of veterinarians and other witnesses have confirmed that ineffective stunning is common and animals are conscious during slaughter. It is simply not possible for USDA/APHIS to make equine slaughter humane and it is a myth to pretend otherwise.
4. Horse slaughter is costly for taxpayers. Approximately $5,000,000 of American taxpayer funds, in the form of USDA meat inspectors, was spent annually to subsidize the three foreign-owned (Belgian and French) horse slaughterhouses that operated in the U.S. until 2007. Because there is no market for horsemeat in the U.S., after slaughter, the meat was shipped overseas, and there was no benefit at all to the U.S. economy. Only the foreign owners and distributors profited. If these foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses are allowed to re-open, they would again be subsidized by American taxpayer money. Estimates are that the U.S. government would spend at least $3,000,000-5,000,000 to subsidize private horse slaughter facilities.
On top of that, the USDA could give foreign owners of U.S. horse slaughter facilities, such as Bouvry, the Canadian company that has explored the possibility of opening a horse slaughter house near Stanwood, Washington, or the Belgian company, Chevideco, which is planning to build a horse slaughter house in Oregon or Missouri, a subsidized loan of $750,000 through the RUS World Utilities Services. It is outrageous that the American taxpayer should support wealthy foreign investors in a business that profits from animal cruelty, benefits only foreign interests and wrecks the U.S. communities where the facilities are located. This money would surely be much better spent on American interests.
Chevidico which owned Dallas Crown, which operated in Kaufman, Texas until 2007 paid each year only 1/3 of 1% of revenues in taxes; one year, for example, the horse slaughter house paid a total of $5.00 in federal taxes on $12,000,000 in annual sales.
5. Equine slaughter has been devastating to the communities where slaughtering facilities have been located, with significant negative impacts including nuisance odors that permeated the surrounding towns to chronic sewer and environmental violations. Blood literally ran in the streets and waste from the facilities clogged sewers and piled up everywhere. This predatory practice produced few very low wage jobs, meaning workers and their families overran local resources like the hospitals and government services. Horse slaughter brought in virtually no tax revenues and local governments incurred substantial enforcement costs in trying to regulate these facilities. The standard of living in these communities dropped during the time horse slaughter facilities operated. Good businesses refused to relocate there. As Paula Bacon, mayor of Kaufman, Texas during the time a horse facility operated there until 2007 said, “My community did not benefit. We paid.”
Recently, when officials in Hardin, Montana learned of a plan to build horse facilities in that state, the town council immediately unanimously passed Ordinance No. 2010-01 that prohibits the slaughter of more than 25 animals in a seven day period. Just last month Mountain Grove, Missouri residents voted overwhelmingly against a horse slaughter plant in their community. The message is clear: Americans don’t want equine slaughter.
6. The difficult and costly burden of disposing of horse blood falls on local communities. Although animal blood is often used for dry blood mill, the antibiotics given to American horses prevent blood from breaking down; therefore, horse blood cannot be used for this purpose and blood and other organs cannot be used for any purpose. Communities will be required to find a way to dispose of horse blood, internal organs and waste. Horses have 1.74 times as much blood per pound of body weight as cows and with the drugs, it is harder to treat because the antibiotics in the blood kill bacteria used in the treatment process. This does not include the 15 million gallons of fecal material per year that must be handled. Note the Canadian horse slaughterhouse at Natural Valley Farms in Saskatchewan that was shut down in 2009 for dumping blood and tons of other waste into a local river or onto the ground.
7. Horse slaughter does not create jobs; it drives out good businesses and economic opportunities. The argument that significant jobs would be created is specious. Horse slaughter plants operating until 2007 never created more than 178 low wage jobs -and many
of these were held by illegal aliens.
8. Another cost to communities is horse theft. Slaughterhouses know horses are stolen
and brought to slaughter. Because horse slaughter is driven by a demand for horse meat in some foreign countries where it is a delicacy, horse slaughterers look for the healthiest horses, not abandoned, abused or neglected horses. When California banned horse slaughter in 1998, horse theft fell by 39.5% and in the years that followed, the state noted a nearly 88% decrease in horse theft. What does that tell you about this sleazy, brutal practice?
9. Horse slaughter brings violence and crime to communities. It is no surprise that following the closing of the horse slaughter plant, Kaufman TX, residents enjoyed a significant decrease in virtually every type of crime. This despite one of the worst economic recessions in memory. A recent study by a University of Windsor criminologist, Amy Fitzgerald, shows a link between slaughterhouses and violent crime. Last year the Canadian government ordered its inspectors to stay off the floor during slaughter for fear of injury from workers who were manhandling and slaughtering horses. Those who slaughter horses are so desensitized and lacking in empathy in the way they handle the animals that they actually frighten government officials.
10. The FDA does not regulate equines as food animals, and meat from American horses is unsafe. Americans don’t eat horses and other equines. American horses are not raised, fed and medicated within the FDA guidelines established for food animals, making them unfit and unsafe for human consumption. Equines are given all manner of drugs, steroids, de-wormers and ointments throughout their lives. Equines are not tracked and typically may have several owners. A kill buyer has no idea of the veterinary or drug history of a horse or other equine taken to slaughter, and many of the most dangerous drugs have no or a very long withdrawal period. A typical drug given routinely to equines like aspirin, phenylbutazone or Bute, is a carcinogen and can also cause aplastic anemia in humans. It has no withdrawal period. The FDA bans bute in all food producing animals because of this serious danger to human health. The FDA and USDA would prohibit Americans from consuming horses because of this danger. Yet, neither the FDA nor the USDA prohibits the export of American horses for slaughter for human consumption. It is a grave risk to public health to continue to allow the export of American horses for slaughter for human consumption in other countries.
The European Union has recognized this and has initiated steps to try to stop the import into the EU of meat from American horses that may be contaminated. Kill buyers have been found to falsify veterinary and drug reports to avoid the restrictions. There is no enforcement at the borders, meaning the US continues to dump contaminated and deadly horse meat on Europe and other countries. A petition has been filed with the USDA to stop the slaughter of many U.S. horses for this reason.
11. The 2011 GAO report confirmed that USDA/APHIS has not – and cannot – enforce humane transport regulations for equines sent to slaughter. Changing a few words here and there in the regulations will not change this. USDA/APHIS allows the kill buyers and haulers to fill out and provide the documentation – which is routinely missing, incomplete or inaccurate – relied on for enforcement. It is impossible to enforce regulations when the information to determine violations is supplied by those USDA/APHIS is supposed to be regulating.
12. Equines are in danger and equine welfare is threatened as long as slaughter remains available.
Wow, B. McGahee! Awesome post! I wish I’d said that… You are a person that did their homework. Well done!
I completely disagree with Princess Anne and wish
she had not publicly spoken her thoughts on eating horse meat. Very likely most people will ignore her comments anyway…which would be a good thing.
European gypsies have a long tradition of loving their beautiful Gypsy Vanner horses and they are very bonded with them and even though they are poor that tradition extends to never eating horse meat.
Slaughter in the U.S. is all about destroying the 50,000 wild horses currently held in holding pens. $$$$ That’s all it’s about. Alot of money for a few folks. For shame. These horses are FEDERALLY PROTECTED BY A ACT OF CONGRESS. THE 1971 WILD HORSE AND BURRO ACT. Call the White House Public Opinion Line at 202-456-1111 and tell them you want our American Icons Returned to Freedom in the Wild. Don’t believe the misinformation spread by the BLM. There’s plenty of room, and plenty of forage and water. Have you ever seen photos of the wild horses they round up? Fat and beautiful. This is about Corporations fracking on our Public lands. Not enough water for the horses to drink? 2-3 MILLION gallons per well to frack. Wrong wrong wrong. Don’t let them get away with it. These are our PUBLIC LANDS and you and I OWN them. They sure don’t want anyone out there to see all the pretty horses while they are raping the land. Cows out number horses 50 to 1, and ranching on public lands is 3% of the cattle production in the U.S. In addition, domestic horse slaughter is for 1% of the horses in America. HSUS says this is such a small percentage that domestic horse slaughter is not needed on any level. Make the call.
You are right! I would say to Susan below that there’s no such thing as a humane slaughter house. All animals feel the terror of these places. They smell the blood & hear the screams of those going before them. I agree that it doesn’t matter what happens to the body after the animal is dead, but what happens to them while they are alive in those places is horrific. I have had to put down several horses in my lifetime. The vet came out & gave them a shot. There was no fear; there was love & kindness in their last moments. I am not sure I understand why animals are kept if there is no money to feed them. Certainly this isn’t a situation that sneaks up on you. If you can’t care for your animals, find them a new home or contact the humane society or a rescue. Do anything you can to make sure they don’t starve & don’t have to make a trip to the knackers. From a more practical aspect… most horses that are not fresh off the range are loaded with drugs not intended for for food animals.
I own and love my horses. I hate to see them suffer. I am in favor of humane slaughterhouses. Once an animal is dead, what is the problem with eating it? Those that think people would breed horses for profit obviously don’t understand that horses are not good convertors of roughage to protein. Many times when you see horses starved or neglected, these people have no way to get rid of those animals, perhaps they are too old or crippled to be of any use. If you think I am too harsh, please go to a horse rescue and adopt one or several and see if you can fit their care in your budget. Seriously, You can love them all you want but in the end we all die, and a humane death is the least we should promise those animals we love. Remember, most animals don’t just die in their sleep. There is usually great discomfort and suffering.
OMG Susan…let us put you to a slaughter house & see what you will say then ! ! !
Bet you would not consider this again…but again you probably would be a horse meat eater your self.
We horse owners say SHAME ON YOU !
God gave us these wonderful, loving. caring horses. How dare you go against God…you will be judged in the end & you will not have eternal life. WAKE UP ! ! ! ! !
I also would rather have horse slaughtered here in the USA than shipped to Mexico where conditions are quite primitive. Or left to starve or be neglected medically because of lack of funds.
I agree with the posts. But for gods sake get educated about what she actually said. Just google it& listen carefully to what she actually said. She is appalled that the number of horses that are not cared for …starved & end up in shelters..that some actually are sold for slaughter. Further look at the horse consumption in France, Italy, the Netherlands,etc. She is encouraging horse owners to care for their horses so they will not end up being for slaughter. Their are some who raises horses for the purpose of selling them for the market value.
I have had horses all my life & I am in my mid 60’s. I have been blessed by God to have these wonderful animals in my life to care.I have had such strong bonds with all my horses, whom I love dearly.
Please do not get me wrong, I think it is unspeakable that this would ever happen but apparently it has & it breaks my heart to the core. All we horse people have to do is at the least start a petition to get our voices heard.
Look what Monsanto is doing to our food supply in the North American,Canadian & other countries. But yet in Europe GMO ( Monsanto geneticall modifying organism)has to be outlawed.Do you know what is going in our food ?In Europe GMO food is outlawed.
So the bottom line let us get educated first before putting the alarm bells off.
I cannot fathom a horse being raised for slaughter & put in food for consumation.
Please do hear her speach & sudsequent comments.
Love our horese well.
Stay blessed.
I meant to saw GMO food in Europe has been outlawed.
So. I’m a horse lover; have two rescues. I live on $700.00/month and my animals are looked after first. Perhaps Anne has a point. In Canada, they sell horse meat. Strictly regulated. Pretty expensive. Lots of people eat it. I have,though not by design. No, breeders couldn’t over breed or neglect. I’ve been HUNGRY-truly hungry, and I know, if I were REALLY hungry (starving) I’d eat horse meat again. And why is the horse more noble than the cow or the pig? People have eaten horse meat throughout the world; throughout history.
I agree with all the people here on the horses side…..:evil:
When I was 6 yrs. old, my Dad came home with smoked horse meat, and even at the young age, I was hurt and angry, and didn’t talk to him for 4 days..
😥 I don’t agree but it happens any. I especially don’t agree we the American government rounding up wild horses young and old to slaughter for pet food. They are part of our heritage. If they feel there has to be population control, then tag the adults and weed out the really old ones. Shellie
I meant GMO food has been banned in Europe for years
To control value of horses, encourage well thought out, planned breeding. Educate people about the consequences of unwanted horses. This is not a short term solution. I understand it will take time to realize the goal of a balance between horses wanted and horses being born but I feel this is a better solution, and will result in less, not more, criminal activity regarding horses than allowing them to be eaten. For example; horse theft for sale to slaughter houses. Can you imagine the mischief that would result if dogs became a legal source of food.
I used to think she was super, however like some of her family she has lost the plot, I trust that her daughter Zara does not hold the same theory
Carmen,
Zara is one of her horses not her daughter! !
I don’t agree – first of all I wouldn’t touch horse meat, and I don’t think it would really increase their value.
I like what Janet (two posts above) said.
it’s not so awful as it seems at first glance. Meat animals have value. excess horses, those that don’t run fast enough or are no longer rideable or there are just too many bred to find useful homes for…are often sent to the sale yards and are bought by doggers…loaded into trucks and sent to abattoirs. no dignity, no real welfare concerns, no thought to their fate…after all they will just be fertilizer or dog food. Cattle and sheep and pigs and the like are looked after as their meat is valuable to humans. Some thought is given to their welfare, their transport and how they meet their ‘end’. I think Princess Anne is saying that if we want to ensure the welfare of horses that are deemed no longer useful to humans then they must be seen to have some monetary value to ensure their welfare to the end, that they are not treated thoughtlessly or inhumanely just because no one wants them and they are “just dog food”. It is a very sad fact that thousands of horses are bred each year and perhaps only hundreds prove useful and are looked after…so we need to place a value on their meat to ensure humane treatment to the end. I applaud Princess Anne for speaking out on a really tough and emotive subject. I support her in this.
Personally, I would rather see unwanted horses humanly put down and consumed, than live a neglected life not cared for and forgotten.
Any one out there follow Temple Grandin…she knows cows are sensitive and intelligent.Who wants a beef steak.
Had a pet rabbit? Line up for stew.
I have had horses all my life. I communicate psychically with my mare and spend a fortune to keep her safe and well. While I could not eat my own, I would consume horses gone to slaughter.
It is the lot a a well fed society, an affluent one that may be picky about who it decides to consume. Many in the world have to eat their animal herds or work animals to survive. American indians would consume horses. Salami has donkey and horse in parts of europe.
Perhaps the well feed folk who refuse first class protein need to go hungry for a few months and spend a lot of time travelling to see neglected horses throughout the country. The cruelty horses endure as the slaughter houses close is unbelievable.
My love and respect of the equine species does not inhibit an appreciation of how to best balance life, death, food and limited suffering.
with respect
sandy
australia
I agree. I adore horses, they’re my passion, my healing, my strength, however…… there are 75000 (seventy-five-thousand) starving and dehydrated horses on Navajo lands, another 12500 (twelve-thousand-five-hundred) in the Dakotas. If you don’t want these animals to suffer (which I DO NOT!!!) then slaughter is the only way to assist. And if you slaughter, then why not utilize the meat, hides, hooves, and everything else that was once the animal? Waste not, want not. Irresponsible breeding, like puppy and kitten backyard breeders, this world is full of backyard pony mills, too. It’s time to stop and think. And yes, I think we need birth control on humans as well! Before you suggest it for me, I am already fixed. I would never suffer a child to live in a world as f*d up as this one.
As Rosemary Welsh has already said above, it would increase horse neglect and cruelty as there would be more breeders out for a quick buck.
Sorry guys, but I’m going to have to disagree. Personally, I think it is perfectly acceptable tosat horse meat. It’s a fact of life in many areas of the world. How is the horse any more noble than any other animal? Yes it is beautiful but the same can be said of snakes, dogs and cats, which are all eaten across the globe. I’d be perfectly happy to try horse meat.
Well said. I totally agree.
Hey , I agree with Em . There absolutely HAS to be an outlet for the unwanted , not useable animals. Yes I also agree that there needs to be more responsible breeding. But face reality. There are a lot of horses that are improperly used , some are just genetic failures and others are human failures , but they are there. For humans to hide behind emotion does not help the situation. The PRINCESS is totally correct
Hats off to her
Awful thought I would never eat meat again its like eating your bunny in that back garden something I never could understand too anyway haven’t we got enough animails too eat cow pig lamb chicken lots of fish!!!!,how greedy can us humans become
No one who loves and takes care of horses wants to see them go to slaughter OMG the thought of that makes one weak. Since they stopped all the Slaughter houses in USA all they do is send them over seas and it is not regulated like it would be here.
So that is something to think about too
Out of sight out of mind? Is is still happening
we send them as a whole animal and they sell them back… packaged. Id never ever knowingly eat horse nor would I get food for my dogs with it
Uhhhhh NO WAY 🙁
Just confirmation that the madness within the Royal family is still in the genes.
Perhaps we should start eating little children to ensure they are cared for properly?
I cnt wait to see what happpens @ the second coming…These are Gods creatures so we may take care of them 🙄 😈
A slaughter house, here, was convicted recently of abuse of the horses that were to be slaughtered. The involved said “they’re gunna die anyway”. With that sort of mentality at the abattoir (slaughter house) most animals die a horrid death to become meat. Why give permission for that? Or even consider it? There is enough suffering for our beloved horse – done in the name of sport – without adding and legalising even more abuse.
I know horses in a field 4 miles away from where i live. They have there foals, when these foals are about 18 months old, they are sent to slaughter. These have been bred for this purpose. The field is just before you get to little eaton, coming from Derby city on your left hand side. The mares are all black and white and about twenty in the herd. Annie is just like most rich people, not bothered as long as it doesn’t affect her. No emparthy. From Jacque. England.
If someone had said that eating horse meat was OK, 50 years ago I would have jumped on the band wagon in outrage. Now Older and I hope so what wiser I try to look at things from every angle. I would rather see a horse go to slaughter, than be left unattended, neglected and starving in a paddock, for any number or reasons this happens eg. grown out, the kids have lost interest or got to many, just to name a few. It is my opinion that it is more humane to slaughter an animal (regardless of species) than have them neglected and starving. If the end result to this is useful eg. pet food or for human consumption, at least it is not a total waste. On the other side as a horse lover of nearly 60 years I would have a lot of trouble and would need to be absolutely starving to take the first bite 😥
I couldn’t agree more with you. My first reaction was NOOO! NEVER! But once you think about it it makes sense.
😯 Eating horses? No way, man!
Don’t eat poor Dobbin! Leave him alone!
I could never eat any animal which I have had as a pet. That includes, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, horses, rats, mice, rabbits, etc etc.
😛 Maybe she was joking.
Disgusting that she could even suggest eating horses! Royal asses! Do they relly care! DEFINITELY NOT. Royalty must be done away with.