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Here's the dilemma offered to us by Debra MacKenzie over at the New Scientist: since so many horses are being abandoned now should we slaughter horses for meat as a more humane way of dealing with the issue, or should we just let people deal with their own unwanted horses?
The problem is that horses are expensive, and grain prices are at an all time high at the same time that people's real wages are way down. A lot of horse owners are getting rid of the animals, some by dropping them off (the horses don't know how to live in the wild and will die, possibly by walking across a busy road) and others by just shooting the animals and dumping them illegally. As of now, it's difficult to get horses slaughtered in the US, and the Humane Society wants to make it illegal to transport them to Canada or Mexico for that purpose.
So what do you think? Apparently, the rest of the world doesn't have a problem eating horse meat. Should Americans be more open to the possibility of eating horse if it really were the most humane thing to do?
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5-22-2008 @10:37AM aggie_ga said... While the non-hypocritical thing to do would be to chow down on horses, dogs, cats, parakeets, and all of the other pet animals that we keep, it seems we like them too much because they are cute and cuddly, our best friends, our trusted companions, etc. What to do?
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5-22-2008 @11:03AM GL said... I wonder how much meat from those unwanted horses would pass muster by the FDA? Presumably, they are not in the greatest shape.
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5-22-2008 @11:04AM Julie said... What is this world coming to? These types of things break my heart, I do not wish any animal to suffer but slaughter houses are barbaric in their treatment of animals so anyway you slice it the poor animal is screwed.
http://www.noshtalgia.blogspot.com/
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5-22-2008 @11:06AM kevjohn said... Depends. What type of bbq sauce do you have?
I HAVE eaten horsemeat before, and would again. I see no distinction between eating a horse and eating a cow or pig.
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5-22-2008 @11:23AM Laura said... So, because an animal is unwanted - we should EAT it? Is that proposition also for the estimated 5 million abandoned dogs and cats in the US yearly? So, we want to send the message - if you can't afford your horse, don't worry, we'll eat it? Wow.
And to suggest that an animal's spending his/her last few minutes in a horrid slaughter house is humane is unbelievable.
Heck, until the US can stop brutalizing animals with industrial farming methods for our food - I won't even buy chicken/beef/pork/ here from a grocery store.
And no, I'm not a wacko PETA person - or a vegetarian. But I do respect animals enough to not want to eat ones that haven't been treated properly when alive.
I'm not opposed to the concept of eating horse (although I wouldn't choose that myself), but I am vehemently opposed to subjecting abandoned animals to the cruelties of a slaughterhouse for some ground chuck.
L.
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5-22-2008 @11:33AM unclejerry said... If people are hungry, then feed them. If there is nothing wrong with the meat,it's free of disease, then let them eat it, who are you to deny somebody food? Who cares if it was somebody's pet? If the owner doesn't want it anymore and it can be beneficial to another persons survival, then what's wrong with them eating it?
I've never had horse meat, but wouldn't be opposed to eating it if it was an option.
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5-22-2008 @11:34AM jrsygir1 said... of course we should eat threm
or feed them to the tigers we keep locked up at the zoo
or feed them to the humans we keep locked up at the prisons
or send them to north korea aloong with all the unwanted cats and dogs so those people dont starve to death....im sure they can come up with some yummy korean bar b que pet recipes we can all share.
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5-22-2008 @7:41PM Kim said... If we are doing the "humane" thing simply because people cannot afford there horses and there seems to be no other option- then I STRONGLY disagree - there are many programs that accept horses needing homes and care - from rehabilitation to "i just can't affor them anymore" - I'm a meat lover - but meat/animals are raised for the purpose of feeding us - but to take a recreational/pet animal and slaughter it because it is "humane" isnot logical when so many programs exist to help us in this situation.
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5-22-2008 @12:27PM Elizabeth Thompson said... One problem with eating American horse meat is that, unlike European horses, there is no way to determine what drugs American horses have been given in their lifetime. In Europe, horses that will enter the human food chain have equine passports that keep track of drugs administered. And, in fact, many of the drugs we routinely give our horses, including bute and de-wormers, are prohibited in those horses that will be slaughtered for human consumption. Frankly, I think it's very risky for us to be slaughtering our horses for human consumption, when they contain drugs that are carcinogenic. We don't eat the meat, but folks overseas do -- and they don't realize what a risk they are taking. There have been some deadly outbreaks, particularly in France, related to horsemeat. Before we decide to offer our horses as food, we need to implement a program like the equine passport program used in Europe, to protect the consumer.
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5-22-2008 @12:36PM Katie said... Slaughtering horses in the US has been banned. I, for one, think it is a shame. I know all you tree-hugging PETA supporters out there have rejoiced, but you aren't thinking in terms of real people. Sure, grain prices are high. And Farmer McDonald may have bought some horses that now he can't afford to feed. So instead of being able to take Old Betsy to the slaughter house and make a few bucks, Farmer McDonald doesn't feed his pony and she dies in the pasture of starvation. Or worse yet, he deals in shady business and sends her off to Mexico, where, just across the boarder, is a slaughter house that is not regulated by the FDA or any sort of animal welfare organization. I am an Animal and Veterinary Science Major with a concentration in Equine Business, and I say "Save the tail for me." Slaughtering horses is a humane and economical way to get rid of horses that would otherwise die some horrible death because they are unwanted.
So yes. I would eat horse meat. If it tastes good, why not?
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5-22-2008 @12:57PM lizandrsn said... Elizabeth Thompson:
Your reply was well thought out and without emotional overtones. Well Done.
I one thought is that horse meat will need good P.R. and a name change. We now eat "dried plums" not prunes. And isn't Porpoise called something else so as not to confuse dinner with "Flipper?" What should we call it, I wonder?
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5-22-2008 @1:20PM Juan said... I dont know about eating a horse they are like your friend, it would me like eating your own pets. I guess other people maybe Ok with that but not me.
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5-22-2008 @2:30PM ouj said... It's interesting that horse meat is such a taboo for many people who have absolutely no problem eating chickens, pigs and cows which have been "produced" in really disgusting meat factories.
I'm sure that every horse which ends up in a supermarket has had a better life than any (non-organic) chicken, pig or cow. As far as I know, horses are rarely kept *just* for the meat.
Anyway, good thing about living in "western world" is that we can choose what to eat. If you don't feel like eating something, then you can simply stop eating it and eat something else instead. Many people in the world don't have that choice!
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5-22-2008 @2:58PM Monika said... I find this rationale silly. Slaughter horses for meat because some jerks can't take care of their animals properly? (If, in fact, those rumors are even true?)
Eating tossed aside animals doesn't make the whole scenario humane. It gives crappy owners an out.
Besides, like a commenter mentioned above, there's no way to monitor or guarantee what has gone into the horse. Even if people could get over the stigma, it's not financially smart to start a meat business where the product could be tainted by any number of factors, and each and every horse would have to be thoroughly tested.
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5-27-2008 @7:39PM Adriane said... I think there is a difference between eating an animal that was raised for the sole purpose of consumption and quite another to take abandoned animals that were once 'pets' to offer up to the market.
Maybe if horse meat was already available in the states this would present less of a stigma.
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5-22-2008 @4:22PM Derek Jones said... This is a very good question. Difficult to say but begs the question of just how to deal with unwanted animals in a humane way. Can horses be donated to science? How about charities working with kids. Or sent off to the large open grasslands to semi-fend for themselves while they detox. Then can they be introduced into the food chain but not necessarily for human consumption? As someone said earlier, how about zoos? How about pet food?
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5-22-2008 @5:21PM Schuylar said... So when it's not convenient to have a horse around, we should slaughter and eat it?? How about not breeding so many when times are good? If the current problem is that we "temporarily" have an over supply of horse meat because some people need to get rid of their horses to "save money," then those meat should go to feed carnivorous animals in captivity. Human beings don't need to eat horse meat. We do not need to start breeding horses for food if god forbid, people develop a taste for it. We eat enough.
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5-22-2008 @8:29PM totoro said... Do fries come with that?
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5-23-2008 @3:28AM organicmatter said... Yes, Seabiscuit comes with fries.
Horse tallow fries: http://www.hungryinhogtown.com/hungry_in_hogtown/2007/06/the_horse_crisp.html
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5-23-2008 @8:33AM christopher said... @GL - Its not like industrial farms take good care of their cows/chickens/pigs. Their life is pretty much stress, pain, and suffering until they are fat enough to slaughter. I'd bet peoples horses are in much better shape.
@kim - I grew up with edible pets and loved their company but also loved knowing where my food came from and what went into it. You say that "meat is raised to feed us"; horses are made of meat despite the feelings of some in the States. "Meat" that is raised out of sight and out of mind may help you sleep better but its coming from animals that have as much right to live as any horse. However, I agree that eating horses wouldn't be more humane even in their current homeless situation.
I don't think that the general public eating peoples unwanted horses is the best solution but I've never understood all the fuss over eating them in general. It is a fairly arbitrary line we've drawn as to which animals are food and which are pets. Most do well in both roles.
The wonderful thing about this place is we can all make up our own minds and do what we think is best.
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