Is Horsemeat Just Too Much to Stomach For Most Americans

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
-Mahatma Ghandi

About 20 years ago, on an extended trip through Vietnam, I stumbled upon a vista of human resourcefulness that was so startling and taboo that it rocked my world. While the site of chickens and various birds crammed into a bamboo cage is very much commonplace in much of Asia, a stack of baskets, piled one on top of another, loaded with kittens and puppies seemed like something ripped from the pages of some twisted fairytale. These very unfortunate dogs and cats were not just suffering mistreatment and harsh conditions while on their way to a happy home in a loving house, no, they were very clearly intended for human consumption. This is an idea that is very much unthinkable, as well as socially and culturally prohibited, in western culture, as dogs and cats have become our beloved pets and family, but not so much in Vietnam.

While dogs and cats are less likely to be on the dinner table than at the foot of the dinner table begging for scraps in the majority of the world, horsemeat is a fairly common source of protein in more than a few corners of the globe. In places like Mexico, Argentina, and Central Asia, horsemeat is a customary staple. But certainly not here in the U.S. where horses are nearly as revered as cats and dogs, and perish the thought of slaughtering one of our equine friends for dinner. But the fate of some unlucky American horses is about to change.

In November, President Obama signed a bill that included a provision to reopen American slaughterhouses for horses after a five-year ban on inspecting the facilities, which forced their closure (yes, there was horse slaughtering being done in this country as recent as 2006). But there a few things to note on this development: first is that congress did not allocate any new money to pay for horse meat inspections, which opponents claim could cost taxpayers $3 million to $5 million a year, which will force the already cash-strapped U.S.D.A. to come up with the funding all by itself. And, even though Time.com reported that the lifting of the horsemeat ban could mean plentiful amounts of horsemeat for all Americans, there is no indication whatsoever that any of this meat will make it to the American market. The intent behind renewing this stalled industry is to provide a valuable export to horsemeat loving countries that are willing to pay for imported grade-A American horse.

Regardless of whether horse slaughtering will ever resume in earnest or whether the intended purpose of the slaughter brings horsemeat to American consumers remains to be seen, but to be sure the issue is very polarizing. It is not just Americans who hold a distaste for horsemeat. Many other cultures, including many devout Catholics and Jews, find the practice of slaughtering and eating horses to be extremely taboo. Even French actress and animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot has spent years crusading against the eating of horse meat. That said, there are some practical rationalizations for slaughtering horses, according to some. Some of those in favor of regulated slaughter argue the practice is more humane than letting horses languish and suffer in old age. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, agrees that the ban had unintended consequences and led to additional suffering, according to the L.A. Times. Recently, many horses that would have been slaughtered in the U.S. have instead been shipped under inhumane conditions to Mexico and Canada, PETA told the Times. Some industrious ranchers frequently sold their unwanted and free-roaming horses to slaughterhouses. It helped cull the population, gave a seemingly purposeful ending to an animal’s life, and provided a few extra dollars to keep the ranching business going. Despite the practical arguments, the slaugher of horses is not likely to go over well with animal rights advocates or horse-lovers. In your opinion, is horse slaughter something best left in the 20th century, or to countries in dire straits? Is the taboo strong enough to overlook the practicality of the venture? Or do we currently have such a surplus of meat, that the slaughter of horses seems just excessive?

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Lucia T.

5:13AM PST on Dec 22, 2011

What the hell? Horsemeat is NOT a "customary staple" here in Argentina. In fact it's as rare and frowned upon as in the US or elsewhere in the Western world. If anything, Argentina is famous for its (cow) beef, and it has the highest per capita consumption of (cow) beef in the world.
Seriously, whoever wrote this article should do some research.

send a green star

Lori E.

7:21AM PST on Dec 20, 2011

I will never ever eat horsemeat. Disgusting.

Sarah M.

3:37PM PST on Dec 18, 2011

First of all, I have spent a lot of time in Mexico with locals over the years and I have NEVER seen it there. The idea is so twisted and unethical, especially the thought that it's going on in the US of all places!---there is absolutely no need for it, tons of beef, poultry, and fish go to waste uneaten in the US every year (not to mention everything else that's wasted). It's not humane or a better ending--is that what these people would do to the sick, elderly, and poor if given the opportunity?!--Read Jonathan Swift's satire "A Modest Proposal". And I am outraged every time I hear some idiot say that slaughtering animals is necessary in order to "cull the population"!-- if any population needs to be "culled" on this earth it is people!--7 Billion & counting & people think they have the right to drive every other species on this earth to extinction?!

peggy p.

3:53PM PST on Dec 14, 2011

again, another tear shed for another life destroyed by mankind

Miriam N.

3:38PM PST on Dec 14, 2011

I can't read through the article after the first paragraph, with its horrendous description, nor can I read the comments, for the same reason. I could never eat horse meat.

Michaela G.

12:31PM PST on Dec 14, 2011

Oh really? I know Kant to have said that the cries of pain from an animal don't mean more than the screech of some unoiled machine. And he did believe animals had no soul.
I mean - the age of "Enlightenment" - the German Aufklärung - was not a good time for soul matters, nor for children that "should be seen rather than heard" and were supposed to behave like small adults - and certainly not for animals.

Vera Y.

6:06PM PST on Dec 13, 2011

Actually that quote belongs to Inmanuel Kant. Gandhi used it a lot and that is why he made it famous but it was Kant who said it first.

Sharon B.

11:00AM PST on Dec 12, 2011

Va H. Thank you for your post. I feel you are absolutely correct about the suffering and terror horses suffer, not just at the slaughter house but in transport to the slaughter house. The AQHA, I assume is the Quarter Horse Association. Shameful that they make their living with horse breeding then wish to discard them in such a manner.

We must end horse slaughter in the US, as well as transport to other countries for slaughter. Horse slaughter should be ended all over the world.

And, it isn't as if those of us in the US would be eating horses.

Va H.

10:04PM PST on Dec 11, 2011

It doesn't matter whether or not horses should be eaten. The simple but accurate fact is that there is no such thing as a humane death for horses if they go to slaughter. Period. The technology used for cows does not work for horses and so they suffer horrendously cruel deaths in slaughterhouses. Anyone who believes otherwise has not done enough research to unveil the secrecy behind the closed doors of these tortuous death chambers.

The only kind death to a horse is thru veterinarian-administered euthanasia. Even if you transport horses, one at a time, in air-conditioned comfort and safety, once they get into the slaughter shute they are panicked and terrified and most often still alive and very often conscious at the hands of uncaring and incompetent kill technicians. So when they are strung up by one leg they are often alive and regain consciousness as their throats are cut and they are carved up, still alive and feeling the final pain of death.

All this to support what the horse industries deny as being the equivalent of puppy mills but for horses (horse mills!). The argument used by pro-slaughter horse breeders (like most in the AQHA) is that slaughter is a more humane method than letting all the "unwanted" horses suffer and starve to death. But that argument fails when faced with the facts of the cruelty of inhumane slaughter, for horses, or for any animal.

Penny T.

7:19PM PST on Dec 11, 2011

WE show our absolute disregard for any kind of ethics by eating horses the very animal we owe our country to, the very foundations of agriculture grew from the horse. Now we turn around and eat the icon that has given us so much. I would rather eat tree bark. The suffering they do in the slaughter houses makes it even worse. They smell death, they feel fear, they know betrayal. We are as a race crap!!!!