KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - NewsLifting of Ban on Horse Meat Concerns Animal Rights Advocates

Lifting of Ban on Horse Meat Concerns Animal Rights Advocates

SANTA YNEZ VALLEY - Congress has lifted a 5-year-old ban on funding for horse meat inspections which many are interpreting as a green light for the resumption of horse meat processing. 

Congress lifted the ban in a spending bill President Obama signed into law on November 18th. 

The USDA issued a statement saying currently there are no slaughterhouses in the U.S. that butcher horses for human consumption. 

But the federal food safety agency says if one were now to open it would conduct inspections to make sure federal laws are being followed. 

The last U.S. slaughterhouse that butchered horses for human consumption closed in 2007 in Illinois and was owned by overseas investors. 

Pro-slaughter activists say the five year federal ban has had unintended consequences including an increase in horse neglect and a greater abandonment of horses. 

Animal rights activists say most Americans, be they horse owners or not, favor continuing the horse meat ban. 

"This is a symbol of the wild west, the horse", says Julia Di Sieno of the Animal Rescue Team in the Santa Ynez Valley, "horse people love their horses nationwide, especially here in the Santa Ynez Valley." 

"Who is going to be doing the inspections of the horse meat and deem the meat consumable", Di Sieno adds, "that's another big question, is the USDA going to be involved, is the federal government involved, what's going to happen here?" 

Di Sieno says during the five year federal ban on horse meat production horses were being shipped south of the border for as little as one dollar per horse. 

Experts agree the resumption of horse meat production in the U.S. will mean greater exports to Asia and Europe where the demand for American horse meat is the greatest.