After it was banned in 2006, a company in Iowa could become the first in the U.S. to begin slaughtering horses again.
Depending on the decision of a federal court in New Mexico on Friday, August 2, 2013, Responsible Transportation in Sigourney, Iowa could resume horse slaughter on Monday, August 5, according to a report by the Des Moines Register.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, animal-rights groups are suing under the National Environmental Protection Act because the agency failed to conduct proper reviews before authorizing the operation of horse slaughterhouses.
If the motion fails, Responsible Transportation will begin processing horse meat “for domestic zoos and for human consumption abroad,” reported the Des Moines Register.
Responsible Transportation is a private company that provides agricultural services to transportation, processing and manufacturing industries.
On the company website, they state that their “mission is to improve the quality of life of the unwanted horse population.”
They say they use innovative handling practices and use supervised and government regulated euthanasia processes.
A poll released in 2012 by Lake Research Partners showed that 80-percent of Americans oppose horse slaughter for human consumption.
The president of Iowa Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association, Deb Leech said she opposes the slaughtering of horses, reported the Des Moines Register.
“It’s sort of like, we’ve bred them, it’s a member of our family,” said Leech, a horse-owner herself. “I just couldn’t do it.”
