Straight From the Horses Mouth

Duane A. Lienemann,

UNL Extension Educator,

Webster County February 25, 2011 Edition In the position that I have as an UNL Extension Educator, I get calls from horse owners who no longer want their horse or they have outlived their usefulness. It is never a good thing to tell them there isn't much they can do but put them down and then either send them out on a rendering truck, bury or burn them, or continue feeding them until they die a natural death-- which may be for many years. Many of those people cannot afford to keep those horses so that places them in a bad position and I am certain one that is not good for the horses as well. How did we get to this point? I believe that this problem has been caused by a ban of horse slaughter in the US and the resulting breaking and ultimate closure of horse slaughter plants. This ill-conceived ban brought about primarily by groups like HSUS and PETA has destroyed the horse market, dropping the price floor for horses that had no chance of going to slaughter to less than $50. Worse yet, one horse can cost from $1,500 to $3,000 a year to feed, house and pasture- which many families cannot afford. So this very fact, coupled with the recession horses nationwide are suffering from neglect and starvation we have the root of a major problem. Now the ultimate kicker - since it costs up to $100 to have a vet euthanize a horse and perhaps $500 to dispose of it, many horses are simply turned out and left to fend for them self. Let's call that humane! These types of scenarios seem to coincide with the passage of federal legislation several years ago that prohibited the funding of USDA inspection of horse processing plants. It is ironic indeed, that the care of unwanted horses is being furnished by land owners who understand responsible animal stewardship and the fallacy of the federal prohibition of inspection funds while extreme activists from mainly outside of Nebraska continue to demand for policies that have promoted abandonment of horses. Currently, there is no system for what to do with an unwanted horse. Horse owners, like I described above, have nowhere to leave them and law enforcement or veterinarians have nowhere to take them. The result is unwanted horses continue to suffer from neglect. As I understand it, a recent Nebraska legislative bill, LB 305, helps alleviate this problem. The current issue with horse slaughter is that horse meat cannot be inspected by the USDA. All meat has to be inspected for safety reasons-- so it can be sold across state lines, or possibly even on a global level. The 2008 Farm Bill including important provisions that created opportunities for livestock producers through state meat inspection programs. Before, only meat that was processed at a federally inspected plant could cross state lines. LB 305 creates, under the direction of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, a Nebraska meat inspection agency that would meet or exceed the USDA inspection levels and would establish a state-wide inspection service for all kinds of meat, including but not limited to horses. Where I believe that ultimate intent of the bill is to allow the slaughter of horses in our state, I understand it would also include exotic species like buffalo and elk down to the free range chicken. Therefore implications of this extend beyond horse slaughter. LB 305 would also allow people who raise buffalo or elk or other “exotic” animals to process and sell their products to a wider audience. The same would go for one of the fastest growing segments of animal agriculture - goats. Even the average cattleman, sheep and hog producers will have more places to slaughter their finished animals for local markets. I see that as another positive for this bill. I also see it as a boon to Nebraska for business and jobs. While commodity products will always have a base level market, progressive producers continue to seek avenues to add value to their cattle by pursuing creative marketing opportunities. LB 305 allows producers and smaller processing plants further options to pursue potential market prospects. Contrary to the claims of animal rights groups, horse slaughter is a humane form of euthanasia in the United States. The instantaneous incapacitation provided through American slaughter in our own plants is much more preferable and humane than starvation because the resources just aren't there to keep the horse fed or just letting them loose to fend for themselves against Mother Nature and all the ravages out there including possible collision with an innocent car driver on a county road or even state highway. There are worse things for an animal than slaughter - by far! A great partner to LB 305 is LB 306 - which would require - "Any entity representing itself as a humane society or an equine shelter or rescue operation that provides care and shelter for stray, abandoned, abused, or neglected equines shall accept custody and provide care and shelter for any equine that is presented by its owner or a law enforcement officer or agency." I think this bill creates accountability and would go a long ways to develop a system to humanely store unwanted horses and deal with them, either through adoption or slaughter. Extreme animal rights groups profess animal protection yet they turn their backs on the very animals they profess to be protecting and walk away. If these groups want to make and support laws that don't affect their bottom line and at the expense of the horse/exotic animal owner, it is only right that they share in the care of those animals or perhaps see that the humane slaughter near home is the best route. The simple truth of the awful situation that has been brought to us from the ban on horse slaughter is that this ill-conceived and poorly thought out slaughter ban, coupled with the recession, has created a crisis that stands to get worse before it gets better. I think we are just starting to see the ramification of what we now have in place. I think it will get to be a real problem, especially in light of today's economy and costs of feed. I suggest that we all support LB 305 and 306! The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: www.webster.unl.edu/home