Horse Slaughter facilities continued

Montana Bill to Encourage Investment in Horse Processing Becomes Law!!!




By The Associated Press
HELENA - Legislation to allow investor-owned horse slaughterhouses in Montana and limit opportunities for legal action against them became law on Friday, after Gov. Brian Schweitzer neither signed nor vetoed the measure.Friday was the deadline for Schweitzer to act and, with no action by him, House Bill 418 automatically became law.

The bill includes some protection against court injunctions that would stop or delay slaughterhouse construction. The measure sponsored by Rep. Ed Butcher, R-Winifred, aims to limit the kind of legal challenges that forced the last U.S. slaughterhouses, which were in Illinois and Texas, to close in 2007.

During the 2009 legislative session, which ended Tuesday, Schweitzer rejected the limit on legal action. He said it would strip people of appeal rights important in environmental protection. The Legislature then rejected the changes Schweitzer wanted.  Butcher said during the session that the governor's amendments would make the bill "an empty shell because nobody's going to invest five to six million in a business in Montana if they're going to be harassed."

Schweitzer has said that as an owner of livestock and horses, he supports the humane processing of horses to produce meat for human consumption.

His communications director, Sarah Elliott, issued a terse statement Friday, saying only that "the governor made his opinion on this bill known, the Legislature did the same. No action was taken and the bill has now become law."

The bill brought lawmakers and the governor a flood of e-mails and telephone messages, from across the country, in support of the legislation and against it.


 

if we could only license people who disagree with the left, things would be so much easier.  perhaps there's a socialism type solution, not a free market solution.

http://republicans.resourcescommittee.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1865

Here’s what HR1018 proposes to do with the $700 million:

    * Conducts a horse census every two years
    * Provides “enhanced contraception” and birth control for horses
    * Establishes an additional 19 million acres of public and private land  for wild horses
    * Covers $5 million tab to repair horse damage to land
    * Mandates that government bureaucrats perform home inspections before Americans can adopt horses


sounds like a land grab to me, plain and simple.  they should slaughter 99% of the horses, look for a couple of kigers and sell the land that the current horses are on and elminate every position and subsidy to manage the wild horse.  yes, there are some ag people who benefit from this, but it is a stupid program.

that would save the government MILLIONS.

anyone ever hear of horse meat available in the US for $25/lb?

it's gotta be people just thinking free meat?

i don't know if i believe this report regarding the "profit" motive.  anyone hear of a black market for horse meat at $25/lb?

something doesn't sound right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK1lIUa56tE

so if the better cuts are $25/lb, wonder what horse hamburger goes for.

knabe said:

http://republicans.resourcescommittee.house.gov/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1865

Here’s what HR1018 proposes to do with the $700 million:

    * Conducts a horse census every two years
    * Provides “enhanced contraception” and birth control for horses
    * Establishes an additional 19 million acres of public and private land  for wild horses
    * Covers $5 million tab to repair horse damage to land
    * Mandates that government bureaucrats perform home inspections before Americans can adopt horses


sounds like a land grab to me, plain and simple.  they should slaughter 99% of the horses, look for a couple of kigers and sell the land that the current horses are on and elminate every position and subsidy to manage the wild horse.  yes, there are some ag people who benefit from this, but it is a stupid program.

that would save the government MILLIONS.

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Pretty cold hearted Knabe. To me it like killing all the Bald Eagles, Bison, Wolves, or anything else living that symbolises America. Where do you draw the line?

lowann said:

Pretty cold hearted Knabe. To me it like killing all the Bald Eagles, Bison, Wolves, or anything else living that symbolises America. Where do you draw the line?

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what about all the animals that are displaced by the horses?  horses hooves were not made for that environment.  they pulverize the soil compared to the bovine hoof.  they are not native at that size to that part of the world.  they being there is cold hearted.

we eat beef.  to some, that is cold hearted.

i draw the line at un-managed introduced species.  what animals are thriving with the presence of the horses?

remove the animals, adopt them, send the rest to slaughter, open up the land for cattle or another protein source.

should we introduce bison to the point they are destroying the environment?

where do you draw the line?  how many horses should be there and how many should the taxpayer pay for?  if someone wants to do that privately like supposedly picken's wife, let her do it at her expense.  it's not a wild animal.  you can't go there.  it's not a park, it's nothing but a tax/environment drain.

knabe said:

lowann said:

Pretty cold hearted Knabe. To me it like killing all the Bald Eagles, Bison, Wolves, or anything else living that symbolises America. Where do you draw the line?

Click to expand...

what about all the animals that are displaced by the horses?  horses hooves were not made for that environment.  they pulverize the soil compared to the bovine hoof.  they are not native at that size to that part of the world.  they being there is cold hearted.

we eat beef.  to some, that is cold hearted.

i draw the line at un-managed introduced species.  what animals are thriving with the presence of the horses?

remove the animals, adopt them, send the rest to slaughter, open up the land for cattle or another protein source.

should we introduce bison to the point they are destroying the environment?

where do you draw the line?  how many horses should be there and how many should the taxpayer pay for?  if someone wants to do that privately like supposedly picken's wife, let her do it at her expense.  it's not a wild animal.  you can't go there.  it's not a park, it's nothing but a tax/environment drain.

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You want to talk about the government wasting money, we would be here for days discussing the thousands of ways they are wasting our hard earned tax dollars.
I think every hard working American is sick and tired of our money being wasted, in ALL areas.
Some "managed species" do a pretty good job at destroying the environment. It's not JUST the wild horses.

does any one have these horses or burros on their land ? ( private or government leased land ) i do and if you don't have the cope with the headaches and heartaches these animals cause for your ground and resources its probally better off unsaid then. 95% of the horses on my ground and leases are useless comformation wise. they are just what they are called here and that is government cockroaches ! if everyone loves them so much give the blm your address and let them ship you all that you want to feed. then i"ll bet you could go dump them at an auction barn after putting up with them.I"ll guarantee the taxpayers and the french and Belgian's would thank you. sorry just my 2 cents worth    <cowboy>

What i don't get is people saying horses are slaughtered INHUMANELY,they are slaughtered exactly the same way cattle are killed,no one bitches about the way cattle are slaughtered.It is sad to see hoses slaughtered but if you don't we will have so many USELESS animals wandering around and competing for food,and i think that is INHUMANE.

Why is it sad to see horses slaughtered???  They are no different than cattle or hogs...  The only reason we can't slaughter horses is because they make movies about Seabiscuit and every little girl in America wants a pony.  Thats the only reason. 

i think this is one of the things like the dogfighting stuff. dogs are "man's best friend" so lots of people are upset about that stuff. Horses were once depended upon for transportation and stuff so i am thinking it is one of those traditional things. 100 yrs ago horses were used for lots of stuff, now we have cars and we don't need them. the only problem is they don't just go away.

lowann said:

Pretty cold hearted Knabe. To me it like killing all the Bald Eagles, Bison, Wolves, or anything else living that symbolises America. Where do you draw the line?

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I think it is a stretch to compare the harvest of wild horses to that of Bald Eagles, Bison, and Wolves.  In fact I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of people in the US are unaware that wild horses exist.  I agree that Bald Eagles and to some extent Bison represent America but wild horses....I don't think so.  If we don't allow the harvest of horses what is next?  I think an argument could be made that many of the show cattle most of us have are very similar in disposition to horses.

Mike

blackcows said:

lowann said:

Pretty cold hearted Knabe. To me it like killing all the Bald Eagles, Bison, Wolves, or anything else living that symbolises America. Where do you draw the line?

Click to expand...

I think it is a stretch to compare the harvest of wild horses to that of Bald Eagles, Bison, and Wolves.  In fact I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of people in the US are unaware that wild horses exist.  I agree that Bald Eagles and to some extent Bison represent America but wild horses....I don't think so.  If we don't allow the harvest of horses what is next?  I think an argument could be made that many of the show cattle most of us have are very similar in disposition to horses.

Mike

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I can understand they can be a nuisance, but I can not comprehend sending heavily pregnant mares, and newborn foals to slaughter.  To me it should not be allowed, but it happens all the time. Mexico will slaughter anything. Canada has rules.
I do agree with you, our show cattle do have similar dispositions of horses.
I just think the BLM has been a total waste of government money. It has never worked, and it never will the way it is run.

lowann said:

I can understand they can be a nuisance, but I can not comprehend sending heavily pregnant mares, and newborn foals to slaughter.  To me it should not be allowed, but it happens all the time. Mexico will slaughter anything. Canada has rules.
I do agree with you, our show cattle do have similar dispositions of horses.
I just think the BLM has been a total waste of government money. It has never worked, and it never will the way it is run.

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Some old range cow will come in with a 7 on her hip and if they can't get a bidder, they sell her by the pound.  Calves get slaughtered for veal....  Is that more wrong than waiting until they are a year and half old?  You have to look at it objectively, not emotionally or base it on a "cuteness" factor.

lowann said:

I can understand they can be a nuisance, but I can not comprehend sending heavily pregnant mares, and newborn foals to slaughter. 

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so if it wasn't allowed, and you had to wait, remove the studs so reproduction could not occur, wait 6-8 months, then get rid of them. 

after that, you are ok with removing them?

knabe said:

lowann said:

I can understand they can be a nuisance, but I can not comprehend sending heavily pregnant mares, and newborn foals to slaughter. 

Click to expand...

so if it wasn't allowed, and you had to wait, remove the studs so reproduction could not occur, wait 6-8 months, then get rid of them. 

after that, you are ok with removing them?

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That in itself would be a huge undertaking. Chasing herds, catching all the studs. Once again we are talking about money being spent at taxpayers expense.
I guess being a woman, and have a passion for horses, have had it all my life, my mind tells me one thing, my heart another.
There just has to be a better solution for all involved, including the horses.
Everything that has been tried so far hasn't worked. Cost too much because of the BLM waste.
Entire herds are chased for anywhere up to 30 miles to be rounded up by helicopters, by the BLM.There are many videos documenting this and the aftermaths. Many young ones are  are stampeded, foals are run to exhaustion trying to keep up with their Mothers. Is this right? Is this any answer?

good points iowan.

question was from a perspective of removing obstacles and compromising.  if that obstacle was removed for whatever reason, would they still oppose?

in other words, people keep adding restrictions after an agreement has been made, similar to the michael vick thread.

i say if people want the horses, go in and get them, then the taxpayer will get rid of them.

the goal, from my perspective, is to not allow this to be a "wild" horse park.  it's not like these are Przewalski's horses.  yes, there are some kiger's, but they are the exception.  they should be easy to spot, remove.  have a selection committee.  something besides increasing numbers.

BLM has pretty tight restrictions on time of year horses can be gathered.  They have to be gathered a month or two before foaling season and then no gathers until late in the summer after foals are big enough to run.  The seldom make long runs on the gathers.  BLM builds the traps close to where the horses are ranging and then makes the gather.  It is one of the few things BLM is actually good at doing.  The gathers are not so tough -- it is what to do with the inventory.  That just goes up because feral horses will increase their population by 20% per year given lack of predators.  Unlike cattle and sheep, for which management is dictated by the terms and conditions of the grazing permit, feral horses receive little management.  Therefore they stomp out water holes, overgraze certain areas, adversely impact wildlife and eventually exceed the carrying capacity of the land -- then it looks like a 2-acre suburban lot with 6 horses turned out all the time -- nothing but turds and weeds.  However, being an American icon, we dare not send them to slaughter.  Better to warehouse them, and as the U.S. House of Rep just passed, expand their area by millions of acres, tell ranchers to go to Hell and increase the ultimate problem by a factor of 1000.

I do know a veterinarian who is working on the feral horse issue and BLM is looking at drugs for birth control for mares -- have been dealing with logistics of delivery (darts or round up and process) and efficacy (so far only lasts a year or two).  Spaying is too expensive and not an option.  Gelding the studs is ineffective because so long as there is one running around, even if young, they seem to get the job done over a wide range.  It is really a nightmare that is probably not going to get better for anyone who uses BLM land for pasture.

knabe said:

good points iowan.

question was from a perspective of removing obstacles and compromising.  if that obstacle was removed for whatever reason, would they still oppose?

in other words, people keep adding restrictions after an agreement has been made, similar to the michael vick thread.

i say if people want the horses, go in and get them, then the taxpayer will get rid of them.

the goal, from my perspective, is to not allow this to be a "wild" horse park.  it's not like these are Przewalski's horses.  yes, there are some kiger's, but they are the exception.  they should be easy to spot, remove.  have a selection committee.  something besides increasing numbers.

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You are right, the Keigers should be very easy to spot, and would be a terrible loss if exterminated.
From what I understand, it isn't that easy to get a Mustang. You can apply, then wait, and wait, to hear nothing from the BLM, while they have 30,000 wild horses penned up, and have been penned up for a long time..
Inexcusable.
Several of my friends have applied for adoption, and this has been their experience with the BLM adoption program.
Who is to blame for this??
Way to much red tape, and power for the BLM, I think.
And, more money being spent to feed, and care for these "penned up" wild horses, by us taxpayers!

i don't really know how hard it is to get one, but we had some rental neighbors and they got one.  never rode it, never haltered it, never did anything other than survive the one or two inspections they had.

they gave it away to my neighbors who have done nothing with it either cause he fell off twice on a henny he was trying to break, breaking his collar bone once.  then, he was walking the mustang, it spooked, knocked him down and stepped on his lower leg causing a compound fracture. 

it's never had a saddle on it.  it's sweet as can be.

i can't complain too much.  i have a horse i used to ride a lot, but don't much anymore.

would like the option of not having to have to PAY to get rid of it down the road since i'm going to keep her.

getting paid to get rid of a horse is a good incentive.  charging people only exacerbates the problem as they just won't do it.

typical solution.