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Bailey Presswood

Professor Moore

ENGL 1302.01

20 April 2017

War on Horse Slaughter

The United States had horse slaughter plants up until the year of 2007. The majority of

these horse slaughter plants were shut down quite some time before that. The three largest plants

in the United States were located in Illinois and Texas and remained open until the year of 2007.

Between the years of 1990 and 2007, an approximate of 115,000 horses were slaughtered in the

United States each year. Although horses are not slaughtered for the nourishment of human

bodies in the United States, there is a high demand for horse meat in Europe. Horses are not only

slaughtered for human consumption, they are also used to feed a number of other animals. We

must recognize that there is a market for horse meat (not only for human consumption, but also

for zoo and circus-animal consumption) and that in a starving world, a source of protein should

not go to waste for sentimental reasons ( Smiley 8). Horse slaughter in the United States helps

decrease the unwanted horse population as well as reduces the neglect of horses. Having

legalized horse slaughter in the United States also creates more job opportunities and regulates

the horse population. Legalizing horse slaughter in the United States will also create income for

the people selling to the slaughter houses, because raising a horse is not cheap. The United States

without horse slaughter has caused an increase in the number of unwanted horses as well as

neglect. Those 115,000 horses that were being slaughtered every year are now either being

shipped to other countries for slaughter or are being neglected and abandoned. The money that

profited the United States economy from horse slaughter has now been diminished because there
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is no longer legal horse slaughter in the United States. The United States government should

relegalize horse slaughter because it will reduce the number of unwanted horses, decrease horse

neglect, produce job opportunities, and create income.

Without horse slaughter in the United States there has been a number of negative effects.

Because horse slaughter was banned in the United States, the amount of horse neglect has risen

and there are no longer regulations. These horses bound for slaughter outside of this country are

no longer monitored for abuse or proper care. If they even make it to the slaughter plant alive,

the horse or horses are strung up by chains before they are even killed. With horse abuse being

an issue, the number of unwanted horses is also a problem. The amount of unwanted horses has

risen significantly since the ban of horse slaughter. Because horses are expensive to care for,

small fluctuations in the economy can result in owners finding themselves unable to care for

their horses. When horses age, become injured, or lose recreational value, owners may decide

they are no longer needed or useful. The subset of the horse population that falls into this

category is referred to as unwanted horses. There are an estimated 170,000 unwanted horses in

the United States each year (Anderson 59). These unwanted horses must go somewhere or they

may end up in a situation leading to their neglect or abuse. Because horse slaughter in the United

States has been banned, economic efficiency has decreased drastically. In 2010, about 138,000

horses were shipped to slaughter from the United States (Dinan 18). The expense of these

horses without veterinary care, knowledgeable employees to care for them, and housing, is

around $345,854,340 (Anderson). This cost must be taken care of by the government. This

means the United States tax payers dollars are going towards these horses. This money is then

taken out of the economy. With horse slaughter being banned in the United States, the economy

has taken a toll from the revenue lost from slaughter plants and the money being put toward
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these unwanted or abandoned horses. When this money is being put towards these unwanted

horses it is decreasing the economic efficiency.

The government should relegalize horse slaughter. If the government relegalized horse

slaughter, the horse population would decrease and would reduce the number of unwanted

horses. There would also be less neglect to horses because those unable to sell or unable to care

for them anymore would be able to take them to the kill buyer and not walk away empty

handed. A federal statute renewing horse slaughter in the United States would help resolve

many of the unintended negative consequences of the current poorly formed legislation, and

offer a humane method of disposal of unwanted horses. (Anderson 68). Relegalizing horse

slaughter will also create jobs and more revenue for the United States. It is estimated to create

roughly one hundred and fifty new jobs. It would also help improve a nearly $112 billion horse

industry. The horse slaughter industry in the United States will also generate meat valued around

sixty five million dollars a year.

The government should also put more regulations on transportation, slaughter techniques,

slaughter plants, and tracking methods for medications administered. The transportation of these

equine headed for slaughter must have non slip flooring and enough room for full extent of their

head and neck. Having these kind of regulations on transportation will help reduce injury and

abuse on equine being transported to plants. In the United States the bolt method is used. The

bolt method is humane for use on horses if proper placement is used. By regulating the form of

euthanasia of these horses, the likely hood for suffering is greatly reduced. The tracking system

of medication administered to these horses would need to be improved drastically as well. If the

medication that is administered was monitored efficiently, the profit margin as well as the

numbers slaughter would increase. The slaughter plants also need regulations on flooring, stock
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heights and surveillance. The floors in the plants need to be non-slip and level. The stocks for

holding horses should also be of an appropriate height for full extension of their head and neck

as well as padded. Surveillance is also needed in these plants to help monitor the care and

procedures of these horses to help reduce any abuse. After auditing horse slaughter facilities in

1996, Dr. Grandin addressed ways to improve slaughter in the United States and ensure a

humane process. Grandin suggested that these facilities be redesigned to include level, non-slip

flooring to prevent horses from falling and panicking, and solid sides to prevent the horse from

seeing activity on the slaughter floor. (Anderson 70). Dr. Grandin points out that there is also a

need for higher walls to keep the horses from seeing what is happening to keep them calm before

slaughter.

So many negative effects have come from the removal of horse slaughter in the United

States, so it is imperative that a change must be made. Horse meat is in demand for many reasons

besides the human appetite. The United States has much to gain from the renewal of horse

slaughter. There were many flaws in the functions of horse slaughter before being banned in the

United States, causing abuse and neglect of the horses. This indelibly led to its removal. By

proposing a number of new regulations for horse slaughter, these plants will run with little to no

neglect and abuse to the horses being processed. These plants will also bring a decent amount of

revenue to the United States economy by following these proposed regulations. When these

plants are reopened there will also be many new job opportunities. The horse population will also

decrease, which will bring up the value of horses and help the economy. By adding in all the new

safety regulations proposed for the slaughter plants, there will also be less neglect which will

help reduce the complaints on horse slaughter. The United States government needs to bring
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horse slaughter back because it will decrease the multitude of unwanted horses, reduce horse

abuse and neglect, create job opportunities, and produce more revenue.
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Works Cited

Anderson, Natalie. "Protecting Equine Welfare and International Consumers of Horse Meat: A

Proposal for the Renewal of Horse Slaughter in the United States." San Diego

International Law Journal, vol. 17, no. 1, Fall2015, pp. 125-164. EBSCOhost.

Dinan, Stephen. "Obama, Congress restore horse-slaughter industry." The Washington

Times. The Washington Times, 30 Nov. 2011. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.

Geyer, L. Leon and Dan Lawler. "Yea or Neigh? The Economics, Ethics, and Utility of the

Horsemeat Filet." Journal of Food Law & Policy, vol. 9, no. 2, Fall2013, pp. 247-274.

EBSCOhost.

Lin, Doris. "What Are the Arguments for and Against Horse Slaughter?" ThoughtCo. N.p., n.d.

Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

Macejko, Christina. "AAEP Says Horse-Slaughter Bill Would Add to Neglect, Starvation.

(Cover Story)." DVM: The Newsmagazine of Veterinary Medicine, vol. 39, no. 9, Sept.

2008, p. 22. EBSCOhost.

Smiley, Jane. "Why Horse Slaughter Is Necessary." The New York Times. The New York Times,

01 May 2009. Web. 30 Mar. 2017.

"The Real Skinny on Horse Slaughter." Natural Horsemanship. N.p., 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 30

Mar. 2017.