Gov. Schweitzer Should Keep Horse Slaughter Out of Montana

Horse Slaughter IS inhumane

The majority of Americans believe that there is no humane way to slaughter horses and I agree. I would bet that the minority of those who don't have no college education and have a vested interest in factory farms and other corporate food/beverage companies.

So far, those in agreement with me are winning this battle in the US. Cheers!

I am a horse owner!!!

I am a horse owner and have loved more then one wonderful horse thought out my life.

I agree that some horses should not be bred but the reason some people breed is to get better faster stronger horses. Just like every sport.

I believe there is a GREAT need for the slaughter houses to be reopen. It is the cycle of life. Just like the great out doors of Africa. Some times we people need to wake up and realize that God knew better then us, that is why he did it this way. Ask your dog, he doesn't mind eating my extra horses.

Just for instants,

Did you know that We Americans are paying approximately $3.00 a day for the wild mustangs to stay alive after they turn 6 years old. Not that these animals are bad but a horse can live to be about 30 years old.

These horses weren't bred on any "farm" just the way of nature. And they are taking away grazing land from other animals.

Thank you for listing.

STUPID Uninformed Again!

Uninformed Again! I FEEL VERY BAD FOR YOUR HORSES, I WISH ONE DAY YOU ARE SEND TO SLAUGHTER, CUZ YOU KNOW, HUMAN POPULATION IS ALSO OVERPOPULATED (: WE DONT NEED PERSONS LIKE YOU LEAVING IN THIS WORLD.

Uninformed??? hmmm

If there are too many horses and horse slaughter is needed, why are there so many being bred? I don't think the problem is that there are too many horses as much as some people feel a need to breed anything with a uterus. Then we have people taking on the responsibility of horse ownership that shouldn't even get a hamster. Horses are expensive, so...

DON'T BUY OR BREED...

WHAT YOU CAN'T CARE FOR AND FEED!!!

WHATEVER

horses do NOTY!!!!!!!!!! need to be brutly killed the reason poeple are against slaughter is bc ITS INHUMANE they kill them and the poor animals suffer how about when the world comes to anend and there isnt enough room for you we just send you to slaughter and let you bleed to death while we cut your skin off i mean sence you think its perfectly fien for the horses you shouldt have a problem with it then right!!!???

Uninformed Again!

To those who think that there are many alternatives to slaughter, consider that horses live 20+ years. If those 130,000ish slaughtered horses per year were saved, next year there's another 130,000ish waiting for homes. Now we have 260,000ish. Next year there's another 130,000ish. Next year there's another 130,000ish. Retrain them and find homes for them? REALLY?? Are you kidding? THERE ARE NOT HOMES FOR THESE HORSES!! That's why they went to slaughter in the first place! Some of them have crippling diseases, some of them are dangerous, and yes, some of them are just unlucky. Wouldn't you rather that they were slaughtered than starving in someone's back pasture?

My horses eat about $3/day worth of hay EACH, not counting my costs for grain, bedding, vet, farrier, etc. $3 times 130,000 horses is almost $400,000 just for hay! Then is $800k the next year, then $1.2 million... and so on! That a lot of money! Do you have it? I don't.

Whether people like it or not, there are very valid reasons for slaughter. And, the fact that the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the American Veterinary Medical Association both oppose the anti-slaughter legislations speak volumes. No anti-alughter bill considered in Congress has provided any solution to the question of what will happen to these horses, and who will pay for it. Banning slaughter has had disasterous and unintentional consequences, and most people in the equine industry DO recognize this!

To those who think humane euthanasia is a better option, consider the environmental impact of this. Many horses weigh 1000+ pounds, and it is illegal to bury them in many places. People either have to have a rendering plant pick them up, which is expensive, or they have to find a landfill to take them. How is filling up a landfill a better end than being on a plate? Can you imagine the stench of 130,000 rotting corpses in a landfill? What about the ground water? Composting corpes is legal, but what about the smell? What about the scavenger animals that eat the flesh full of barbiturates (Euthanasia solution is sodium pentobarbital +/- succinyl choline) and die as well? Did you know that a Bald Eagle will eat a freshly-euthanized corpse and die? Did you know that you can go to jail if that happens?

And yet another thought. How many millions of cats and dogs are "euthanized" in this country every year because there aren't enough homes for them? Even if you completely leave out the livestock vs. pet argument with horses, you can't ignore the fact that many, many, many cats and dogs are euthanized without a second thought. And many of them are not humanely treated, and are not humanely euthanized (gas chambers are still used, people!). How is that not on the forefront of a national debate?? Millions upon millions of animals, that are much easier to care for. That can live in your house and play with your children. That don't eat $3 per day in hay alone! Why are people comfortable with that?

Why should humane slaughter of horses be illegal again?

As a near-carnivore (with excellent cholesterol numbers and heart scan scores) I don't understand where the indignation comes from. I've eaten horse when visiting Europe, and it was delicious. Is it the intelligence? Pigs are more intelligent than any other food animals (definitely including horses) and pork is one of most long-established meats for human consumption.

Actually, I know what the issue is, and it's simply that we (Americans) have a tendency to think of horses as being named, and as soon as we put a name on an animal, we have started down a road to anthropomorphization.

We need to federally ban the performance enhancing drugs often given to competitive horses, we need to make sure that all animal euthanasia is humane, and then we need to get real about the ethics and morality of eating animals, including horses.

Slaughter of American horses is STILL going strong!

To Stanton of XX,

Well, since horse slaughter is still legal, and in fact JUST AS MANY American horses (over 134,000!) were slaughtered in Canada and Mexico in 2008 as were slaughtered when the three foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses were operating in the US, I guess you're going to have make up some other reason other than "lack of slaughter" to blame.

Moreover, the slaughter of American horses is NOT EVEN LEGAL according to our own and European Union food laws. Shouldn't THAT concern Montana? American horses are not raised or medicated as food animals. The medications they receive are absolutely ILLEGAL in food animals (e.g. carcinogenic). You should be interested to know that this is one of the top issues that the Canadian horse slaughterhouses are looking into. One horse slaughterhouse in Canada has already closed because of food safety concerns. The EU is looking into Mexican horse slaughterhouses for the same reason.

Another thing Montana, Congress has banned the USDA from inspecting horse meat in America. If MT does build a horse slaughterhouse, the meat could not be sold outside of the state. I highly doubt the people of Montana want to eat carcinogenic horse meat.

Save horses, slaughter cattle, sheep, pigs....

Really, what's the big deal? So long as they make sure it is safe to eat (this is where the ban that the previous people are missing is. The FDA cannot approve horse meat by law and without a stamp MT cannot export it to markets that it would actually sell in). I've eaten horse, it's actually quite good. Many countries eat it and if we can supply the meat why not? But really it's just a token gesture anyway. To actually have an export market would require younger healthier horses and most horses in the US ready to be put down are only good for dog food and glue. And, I've never heard of horse hamburger (which is what they would do with old cows), plus there is the drugs given to many horses that are only meant for animals not for human consumption. Either way it doesn't matter. The Fed would have to live a ban on the FDA certifying the meat (horse meat is written as being under their jurisdiction). So, Schweitzer, go ahead sign the bill. Nothing will happen. And life will go on, even for those horses until they starve to death after being donated to retirement pastures.

Horse Processing

HSUS is a terrorist organization...their video footage was shot in MEXICL in a UNINSPECTED plant.....NOT IN THE US or CANADA.

Pacelle is a joke and a terrorist. One of his VP's was a former president of the ALF......they blew up research clinics and killed people.....yea send your money to a terrorist Wayne Pacelle........while your at it send some to Bin Laden ...they are the same!