Congress has lifted a five-year ban on funding horse meatinspections. Within one month, slaughterhouses will be open for business. Theban was lifted in a spending bill that President Obama signed on November 18thto keep the government going until December.
No money is being allocated to pay for the inspections, andit is suspected that it will cost taxpayers $3 million to $5 million peryear. The USDA has stated that there are noslaughterhouses in the United States, but that they would inspect any housesthat open in the future.
"If plants open up in Oklahoma or Nebraska, you'll seecontroversy, litigation, legislative action and basically a very inhospitableenvironment to operate," said Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executiveof The Humane Society of the United States. "Local opposition will emergeand you'll have tremendous controversy over slaughtering Trigger and Mr.Ed."
Those who support the slaughter houses say that the ban hasincreased in the abandonment of horses. Theysay that a slaughterhouse could slice through as many as 200,000 horses peryear if opened up. The meat would beshipped to Europe, Asia, France and Japan.
