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RE: [RC] Federal Inspection - Smith, DaveDonna: Thanks for what appears to be solid information about the status of humane conditions at meat plants where horses are slaughtered. What do you know about the allegations that slaughter horses are crammed into trucks and spend long hours in unbearable conditions while being transported to meat packers who handle horses? If this is a practice of the horse meat industry, do you think it would be lessened if there were more horse-meat packers in the country? -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Donna Coss Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2007 11:50 AM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Federal Inspection "Point taken. . . Why hasn't the method of slaughter been addressed instead of outlawing the practice altogether? I ask out of ignorance, not malice. The answer I remember from my reading was that it would be so very expensive to pay for government regulators to physically inspect on a level that would curb the bad habits in force at these plants THE ABOVE STATEMENT is very inaccurate! The horse facilities are manned by Federal Meat Inspectors and they come under the EXACT SAME RULES and regulations enforced at any Federal plant in the U.S. Cattle, hogs etc. The Federal Inspectors oversee all the post- mortem and Anti-mortem processes in these plants. They are in charge of seeing that the animals are comfortable and have feed and water when they are in the holding pens. This is strictly enforced and ANY violation can shut down the plant instantly! Any meat that is shipped across state lines MUST be inspected by Federal meat inspectors!! Their job is also to oversee the actual stun bolt process and make certain this is done in a humane way. Many of the Federal Inspectors are veterinarians--they must pass difficult testing in order to be licensed. How do I have knowledge of this? I was close friend of a state/federal inspector and he described in detail his job. He shut down the plants more then once and ruled over the plant with an iron fist! These regulations have since then been tightened! Of course if the U.S. plants are closed, horses will be subjected to Mexican slaughter houses where one doesn't even want to think of what happens down there, without any rules that are enforced. In an Utopian world it would be wonderful IF humane groups would combine their resources and perhaps have a watch group that would be able to purchase sound, good horses directly from the slaughter plant, and then have a holding facility where one could go and purchase them. By the way, the most cruel and inhumane practice seen in slaughter plants are those that do kosher slaughter. Picture, prime, 1800 lb. steers being lifted by ONE leg, held there for too long a time period to even think about, waiting for the rabbi to cut their throats. This practice is one image that goes on daily all over the world. Why isn't there outrage over this?? They cannot be stunned because of religious reasons! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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