Horses: Friend or food?
You may have heard about the controversy swirling around the media over three horse slaughterhouses selling their meat to foreign countries for consumption.
The issue is — many people feel this is an improper use of horses and they shouldn’t be treated like cattle. However, there are many countries that will pay top-dollar for the meat, such as Japan, France and Belgium.
So, people have risen up against this atrocity and decided to take immediate action against it. New legislation has been submitted to Congress that would stop the “shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption.” The bill also includes conditions on the use of horses for dog food and glue.
The most popular argument for the bill is that horses are a part of American heritage and culture and that they aren’t raised for the specific purpose of slaughter like other livestock.
The cause has even attracted country singer Willie Nelson, who says he doesn’t even ride his horses anymore because of the respect he has for them.
However, the opposing side has its own arguments. They say the horses that are slaughtered have no other purpose. They are often bought at auctions for mere pennies per pound, and then sold to other countries for $25 per pound. There is no reason for an old horse to be wasted if it can fetch one last profit.
They are pushing for an amendment that would “grandfather” the existing plants, keeping them operational. This would negate the whole purpose of the legislation in the first place.
Personally, I think the whole situation is ridiculous, but I tend to side with the slaughterhouses. I love horses as much as the next person, but does it really matter what happens to them after they are dead?
My roommate is an equine studies major, and she puts a lot of time and money into her horse.
It is a huge investment for her, and also a bit of a risk. If her horse was to break a leg or become unfit to ride or breed for any another reason, then she would loose anywhere from $3,000 and $5,000 depending on her horse’s condition. She would also lose money for the potential colts that never came into existence.
Why then, should we make it illegal for her to salvage at least some of her investment? Shouldn’t she be able to sell the “parts” just like a crashed automobile? I think she should.
If people enjoy eating horsemeat in other countries (which is actually healthier than beef, mind you), I think we should be able to sell it to them. I see no difference in eating horse versus eating venison or bison.
So yes, I’ll take a side of Black Beauty with the country-fried potatoes, thanks, and maybe a little common sense for dessert.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum