# Slaughter plant closed



## ponyboy

I know some of you saw the story on CBC that came out last spring about horse slaughter in Canada. If not here's a link:

CBC.ca | The National | Archive | No Country for Horses | No Country for Horses

Just thought you might like to know that the plant featured in that story has been shut down... For food safety violations. Just goes to show that people who don't care about animals often don't care that much about human welfare either.


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## Barebackrider

that is good


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## KatieStanley

I understand that the horse meat industry is a business. But it CAN be done in a kinder way. The rules need to be inforced. It killed me to watch those horses slip and slide around in fear. There has GOT to be a better way.


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## Ozymandias

that's good news


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## Hagane

I hate the thing that people kill horses and all the animals in those conditions - so every information about closing a slaughter plant appears as a great one, but lately I heard and read on a polish magazine that somewhere in America they closed slaughter houses and it made the horses' situation even worse - because they still were going to be killed, but they just had to be tranported to some places many hours away in really poor conditions.. Is it true? 
In Europe it's still kinda common thing - and hundreds of thousands horses suffer awful journey to death..


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## reining girl

i hate the fact that horses are slaughtered, i hate it, but i think we need to open the american ones back up, and close down mexico. i hate to say this, but i think horse sluaghter is necessary, but they need a better way of doing it.


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## Whipple

For sure slaughter, for all animals, needs to be regulated. Not just horses, but cattle, pigs, chickens, ect. I think if I'm going to eat an animal, it makes it easier knowing they didn't suffer. Thats my opinion, and I am not a vegan or whatever, but I have a much easier time eating an elk that was shot clean in the head, over a cow that was held in a feedlot and shipped and dehydrated and tortured. I still enjoy McDonalds though.


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## Maynme

Horse slaughter makes me sick. It is so awful! Here is a link to a place they are sold that is close to me. They are almost in my back yard!


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## county

I've worked in slaughter plants since 72 and I've never seen a case yet of torture regardless of species. And your not going to shut down mex. slaughter plants Beltex spent millions building a new one and its regulated very strictly by EU standards.


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## Trissacar

:-D Yay!


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## ponyboy

Whipple said:


> Thats my opinion, and I am not a vegan or whatever, but I have a much easier time eating an elk that was shot clean in the head, over a cow that was held in a feedlot and shipped and dehydrated and tortured. I still enjoy McDonalds though.


That's a good point.... So many people think that hunting is more cruel which is backwards. But I wouldn't eat deer these days because of CWD.


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## Whipple

county said:


> I've worked in slaughter plants since 72 and I've never seen a case yet of torture regardless of species. And your not going to shut down mex. slaughter plants Beltex spent millions building a new one and its regulated very strictly by EU standards.


You and I have very different definitions of torture then.


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## Brighteyes

I rescued my horse from slaughter... I can't imagine that happening to my poor pony...


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## Whipple

For reference I am referring to the part in red when I say torture, more so the mind, but also the body.

*tor⋅ture*

 tʃər/ [URL="http://dictionary.reference.com/help/luna/IPA_pron_key.html"] Show Spelled Pronunciation [tawr-cher]  Show IPA noun, verb, -tured, -tur⋅ing. –noun 1. the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty. 2. a method of inflicting such pain. 3. Often, tortures. the pain or suffering caused or undergone. 4. extreme anguish of body or mind; agony. 5. a cause of severe pain or anguish. 
–verb (used with object) 6. to subject to torture. 7. to afflict with severe pain of body or mind: My back is torturing me.  8. to force or extort by torture: We'll torture the truth from his lips! 9. to twist, force, or bring into some unnatural position or form: trees tortured by storms. 10. to distort or pervert (language, meaning, etc.).


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## county

Well I would imagine eveeryone has their own definition of turture IMO I've never seen a case of it in a slaughter plant the one in town here kills 850 to 1000 head of cattle a day. Is it pretty? Hardly theres nothing pretty about killing, bleeding, and gutting any animal but if you eat and or buy meat you support it.


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## Brighteyes

county said:


> Well I would imagine eveeryone has their own definition of turture IMO I've never seen a case of it in a slaughter plant the one in town here kills 850 to 1000 head of cattle a day. Is it pretty? Hardly theres nothing pretty about killing, bleeding, and gutting any animal but if you eat and or buy meat you support it.


I like meat. It's really tasty.


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## Trissacar

Brighteyes said:


> I rescued my horse from slaughter... I can't imagine that happening to my poor pony...


Mine too. She was slaughterbound.


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## Maynme

I eat cow, pig & deer that my husband kills, but I don't own them as pets so I guess that makes it easier for me not to think about how they are killed. I love my horse and the thought of someone slaughtering her is very upsetting to me. I wouldn’t want my dogs or cats slaughtered either but I wouldn’t care so much about the chickens.


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## county

Personally I can't imagine slaughtering any of my pets regardless of species I've had pet cows, sheep, horses, pigs, even a pet rooster all lived out their life and get buried in the farm cemetary. But the ones that are livestock doesn't bother me to eat and or sell for slaughter also regardless of species including horses.


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## smr

reining girl said:


> i hate the fact that horses are slaughtered, i hate it, but i think we need to open the american ones back up, and close down mexico. i hate to say this, but i think horse sluaghter is necessary, but they need a better way of doing it.


 
I must agree with reining girl. I hate the fact that they do it but since the slaughter industry was shut down in the US it has done more harm than good. There is a lot of horses that are suffering now.


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## county

How so? The new Beltex plant where the U.S. horses are contracted to is a state of the art facility and under strict EU standards. The majority of U.S. slaughter horses go to Can. where they've always had inspections and most are also under EU standards.

Only horses suffering are those owned by dirt bags that neglect and starve them.


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## reining girl

do you know how they slaughter a horse in mexico how they get there? 50 or more of them are stuffed in trailers without foor or water. many of them get injured or stomped to death. then when they arrive at mexico they are either schocked till they cant stand and they slit there throats, or they cut there heads off with a chain saw while they are still alive. how would you like that done to you? mexico is awful to all there animals, they have the sport were you tie a chicken to a close line then speed buy on a motor cycle and rip there heads off. just because you have not seen torture to animals done at your slaughter house does not mean all palces are nice, most arent. and mexico is the worst.


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## Spastic_Dove

...Wow. 
I have never heard any of that about the Mexico plants...
Where did you get this information?

The AVMA worked with an investigation about the slaughter plants and wrote an article about it...It was really good. Let me see if I can find it...


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## reining girl

i get these letters in the mail form the people who want to stop horse slaughter. ive gotten to the point were i cant even open them anymore cuz i dont want to know what new way of torture mexico has come up with.


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## Spastic_Dove

Here you go: 
Horse slaughter conditions in Mexico explored by AAEP group - March 1, 2009

"*Overall, the group's assessment of the trip concluded that both plants use captive bolt in a humane and efficient manner, and the horses were well-cared-for and properly handled*"

For me, the problem with the closed slaughter plants is not slaughter methods in Canada or Mexico, it is people holding onto horses they normally would have sent to slaughter for whatever reason despite their poor financial situation which results in more suffering than the actual slaughter plants...

Who is the organization? For both sides of the argument, usually there is a bias. I have never heard of and highly doubt horses are getting their heads lobbed off with a chain saw. If it happens, it is in tiny independent and un-regulated slaughter plants and is not the norm.


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## reining girl

my point exactly..


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## reining girl

my point again. WARNING VERY GRAFIC VIDEO !!!


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## Shawneen

OMG... I don't even know what to say. I can't watch the videos - I clicked the link in the first post and chose to view the pictures instead - still graphic 

This just kills me!!!
I was told that the slaughterhouses were closed down in the states, but they still buy them and ship them to Mexico, Canada - I guess I was told the truth.

PLEASE anyone thinking of sending their horse to an auction, PLEASE find it a home - call rescues, do something other than take it to the sale!!! 
My 2 newest mares, Chance and Cody are full sister and mother to a horse I bought from this lady. She said they needed a home and she couldn't stand to send them to an auction - I am so thankful I agreed to take them!!!!

OMG I just don't even know what to say....


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## Trissacar

My horse was from New Holland. I can't stand this my horse is my best friend and my partner in showing. I'd like to taser these guys. 
And people say this is appropriate?! I would rather die of starvation then have my spinal cord knifed.
I wonder how many sociopaths work in these slaughterhouse my guess alot.


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## county

ROTFLMAO Now slaughter plant workers are sociopaths? I'll have to tell them at the slaughter plant tomorrow. The U.S. horses shipped to Mex are killed with a captive bolt same as they were here in the U.S. There are a few mex. horses killed by knife same as some cattle, goats, and sheep are here in the U.S. for different cultures and religions. Each Fri. a rabbi or preist of those religions comes to the plant here and blesses the animal before its killed with a knife. Some of you rerally need to educate yourself on the subject rather then beleive all the propoganda some groups put out.


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## Shawneen

So why exactly did they close the plants down in the US then county?

PS - I would have to agree that a person who can look a living thing in the face and kill it, let alone thousands a day like you say, has to be a little "off" 
I am not vegan either, I love steak like the next person, but I'm just sayin...


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## county

BTW theres way more cattle in a load then 50 and they also do not have food or water in the truck. But then neither do my horses when they go to shows or auctions from here in Mn. to Ok. and Tx.


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## Shawneen

You don't give your horses food or water from MN to OK or TX? And how many hours drive is that?

Cattle have to be packed in the trailer or else they will lay down and get trampled, that is why they do that. But horses... cmon man


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## county

18 hours plus. And no thats not why we haul cattle packed in trucks and trailers we haul them that way same as all slaughter animals. The more units on a load the cheaper the hauling costs are. Horses also lay down as does every species of livestock.


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## Shawneen

Well of course the more the better, but that is what I was told by a cattle hauler. I have driven across the country with my horses in boxes and they didn't lay down. Anyway, I can't believe you would drive that far without giving your horses food or water. To each their own I suppose.

Does anyone know why they were shut down in the US?


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## county

I've never had my show cattle lay down while being hauled either even from here to Denver. We don't feed and water in the trailers because the water would just spill anyway. Our horses never want to drink till we off load. If its real hot we just don't haul.

The TX. plants closed down because of a law passed in the 40's that never was enforced. The Il. plant closed because those against slaughter lobbied and got a law passed banning it. Both groups felt it would be better to have horses hauled to Can. and Mex. instead. IMO it wasn't about the horses it was about getting what they wanted. I've never heard a logical reason to ban the selling and or eating of a species of livestock yet.


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## reining girl

this is obvioulsy true county, they have video, DUH!! your the one that needs to educate yourself. Just because you slaughter does not use this does not mena it dont happen obviously it does and it needs to be stopped. how would you like a dagger jab in your spinal cord a few times then lay there and get hung up buy on leg then get your throat slit and let the blood drain out of you??? this is not fair and all that bolt thing does is stun them, they still get hauled up by one leg and hung there and then get there throats slit. They bleed to death!! they dont get a quick death they bleed till they die.


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## Trissacar

county said:


> ROTFLMAO Now slaughter plant workers are sociopaths? I'll have to tell them at the slaughter plant tomorrow. The U.S. horses shipped to Mex are killed with a captive bolt same as they were here in the U.S. There are a few mex. horses killed by knife same as some cattle, goats, and sheep are here in the U.S. for different cultures and religions. Each Fri. a rabbi or preist of those religions comes to the plant here and blesses the animal before its killed with a knife. Some of you rerally need to educate yourself on the subject rather then beleive all the propoganda some groups put out.


Oh believe _I know what goes on._ My horse was a slaughterbound rescue.
And you don't seem to understand that a person able to do those kinds of things have something wrong in their heads. I know this for a fact go look up studies of violence and how it relates to animals and people. Believe me I _know_ what I'm talking about!


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## Midwest Paint

reining girl said:


> i hate the fact that horses are slaughtered, i hate it, but i think we need to open the american ones back up, and close down mexico. i hate to say this, but i think horse sluaghter is necessary, but they need a better way of doing it.


Thank you.. I was worried that I was the only one that felt this way. I am an avid horse lover, and if i had all the money in the world I would love to give every abused and neglected horse a real home, unfortunately there are so many horses and few good homes for them. Atleast if it was run in America, we know the public eye does not stand for indecency and it would be regulated!


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## Whipple

Oh, I also agree RG and MP. They should be opened up, but they should be better controlled so that fewer, if not all, are killed quickly and with little, or no pain. Its probably a tall order, but its worth it if places want this all to be easier. PETA will never back down, but maybe they (and other animal rights groups) would be less annoying.


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## county

PETA had nothing to do with closing the U.S. plants horse owners did.

And I never once said that no horses were killed with a knife go back and read what I actually said not what you want to see. So if its terrable some animals are killed by the knife it Mex. how about the ones killed by knife in the U.S.?


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## reining girl

There arent any horse slaughter plants in AMERICA!!! And those horses arent are killed by the dagger, they are stuned by it, and still alive while they get hung up by there leg. 1,000+ pounds hanging by one leg. So you think thats fair county? You think all animals should suffer? Those mexican slaughter people are nutz, how they can look an animal in the eye then stab in the neck three or four times till its down the cheer afterwards.... you think thats not crazy at all?? you think thats fair to the animal?


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## mls

reining girl said:


> There arent any horse slaughter plants in AMERICA!!! And those horses arent are killed by the dagger, they are stuned by it, and still alive while they get hung up by there leg. 1,000+ pounds hanging by one leg. So you think thats fair county? You think all animals should suffer? Those mexican slaughter people are nutz, how they can look an animal in the eye then stab in the neck three or four times till its down the cheer afterwards.... you think thats not crazy at all?? you think thats fair to the animal?


Stunned by what dagger?

Down what cheer?


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## reining girl

yes, a dagger threw there spinal cord. Then they chear after wards. arent they just awsom... i think they need a dagger thew there spinal cord then see about cheering. MLS watch the two videos i posted, but beware they are not for the faint hearted.


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## mls

reining girl said:


> yes, a dagger threw there spinal cord. Then they chear after wards. arent they just awsom... i think they need a dagger thew there spinal cord then see about cheering. MLS watch the two videos i posted, but beware they are not for the faint hearted.


Videos from a Mexican slaughter house? I'm in the United States. I have no control over Mexico. 

I am a very real genuine animal lover. But I understand the line between humans and livestock. I would never wish ill on any human. That judgement is far beyond my station in life.


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## reining girl

so you think its fair that they get a dagger jab threw there spinal cord a couple of times?


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## Spastic_Dove

What is your solution reining_girl? 
Because while I hate to see horses slaughtered (And yes, I know cows and sheep and pigs get slaughtered too...but I will be honest, horses upset me more because of my closeness with horses over other slaughter-bound animals), I see it as a necissary evil. 
Even if we close off slaughter in canada, mexico, and the US, it's still going to happen because of the high demand for hose meat in European and some Asian cultures. If we can keep it in the USA, we can better regulate it as well as export and make a profit off of it (since after all, this is all a business). 

There aren't enough horse owners who want to or can adopt. People who already own horses are having a difficult time. 

So far, I can't see a solution.


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## reining girl

i know, im saying that they should shut down mexico and just open the U.S. ones back up, because we can keep a closer eye and get a more humane way of doing it. i agree, i hate that horses are slaughtered, but it needs to be done. But the way the mexico ones are doing it is not fair.


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## Spastic_Dove

Do you think captive bolt is okay?

If we open the ones in the US back up (Which I would personally prefer), there still are going to be plants in Mexico and Canada...though, I suppose they wouldn't be filled with American horses...


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## reining girl

i dont like it. I know there is not much a person can do to stop the mexico ones, it just makes me sick knowing what is happening to such a beautiful animal.


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## Spastic_Dove

You don't like captive bolt?
How would you perform it?


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## reining girl

well, i know that it can never be done this way but i wish they could just put them done with the injection stuff the vet uses. but if i had to choose between those to, i would choose the captive bolt. the dagger in the spinal cord is just not fair.


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## Spastic_Dove

Yeah. A barbituate overdose would never be allowed for obvious reason. Captive bolts are generally very effective and painless though. Injections can be done wrong as well. Captive bolt or bullet are the only ways you would be able to do it in America (for a food animal). Why don't you like the captive bolt?


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## Brighteyes

*Shys away nervously* Is it just me, or is this "creative discussion" getting a little... spirited?

Anyway, this is what I think. Argue, disagree, whatever. I really don't care. 

I think that slaughter is nessisary. I mean, face it everyone, there are way too many unwanted horses around here, what else can he do? Sent them all the rescues? No, not enough room.

I think that we should reopen the plants in the US too, so we don't have to ship them. And, it will create jobs; which we need.

My horse was slaughter bound, and I love her to death. Greatest pony ever, but that doesn't change my views.

I do believe that slaughter should be governed by strick laws though. Like, kill box must restrain horses so the captive bolt doesn't miss, floors should have good traction, they should have to stop along the road and give the horses water, etc.


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## Whipple

Good points Brighteyes.


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## reining girl

Exactly bright eyes.


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## reining girl

sapastic dove, i just dont like cuz you can miss and cause the animal seveer pain, but its wayy better than the dagger.


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## Spastic_Dove

I totally agree I am just kind of playing devils advocate  Hopefully I'm not coming of as a jerk.


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## county

reining girl try to at least educate yourself a little on the subject. There are still slaughter plants in the U.S. they just can't prcess any meat for human consumption. And why other then ignorance would you think I would approve of any liverstock suffering for any reason? I see nothing what so ever I've said that would indicate that in any way.


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## county

BTW unwanted horses has nothing to do with slaughter if it did we'd be slaughtering them at a record pace and fact is we kill the lowest % of them in our history. We don't slaughter any species of livestock because their unwanted we do it for two reasons. Demand for the meat and profit. Take away either thing and none would be slaughtered.


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## ponyboy

county said:


> How so? The new Beltex plant where the U.S. horses are contracted to is a state of the art facility and under strict EU standards. The majority of U.S. slaughter horses go to Can. where they've always had inspections and most are also under EU standards.


Hate to disappoint you, but the particular plant I was talking about was breaking every humane treatment rule in the books. Yet it was shut down for food safety violations, NOT animal cruelty. I hear there's a plant in Québec that's the same. We have inspections but they don't really do anything. People seem to have this idea that Canadians are nice therefore we must take better care of our animals or something but that just isn't true.


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## county

Hate to break it to youi but I was talking about the new Beltex plant in Mex. If theres a plant in Can.breaking Can law by all means it should be shut down same as one any where thats breaking the laws. Ban the industry because of it? Hardly, if we banned things because someone breaks a law concerning them pretty much everything would be banned.


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## ponyboy

Spastic_Dove said:


> Why don't you like the captive bolt?


I know I'm not the person you asked but there is a good reason why the captive bolt isn't suitable for horses. Horses have much longer necks than cows and they throw their heads around to avoid the bolt. This means it can take many tries to stun a horse, which means they suffer more terror in the meantime. In the video of the story I posted they showed them trying to stun horse and it's not as easy as you think. The guy missed several times and was hitting the horse with a stick to try and make it stay still (I don't know how that was supposed to help, but anyway). In fact stunning a horse is so hard that two slaughter plants have been caught skipping that step: Horse heads were found without captive bolt wounds. How did they manage to kill those horses without stunning them? We'll never know will we?


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## Spastic_Dove

And so what would be a better solution than the captive bolt. Unless anything has changed, the only approved methods for slaughter/euthenasia in the states is overdose, captive bolt, and bullet. 

Perhaps if we had better stocks, the captive bolt would be more effective. I would never claim using a captive bolt on a struggling, scared, horse would be easy. I couldn't do it though with proper training, the instances of missing or unsuccess lowers. Given the options, to me, captive bolt is the most effective.


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## county

For sure running a captive bolt is not easy and operators should be trained to use one. USDA regs require a 90% first time kill rate for horses but 87% for cattle for sure its harder to do right with a horse. But the captive bolt has been proven to be the safest system on a kill floor for human life.


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## ponyboy

county said:


> Hate to break it to youi but I was talking about the new Beltex plant in Mex.


My apologies, the plant in Manitoba is the only one I was talking about in this thread. I disagree that just because laws are in place makes industrial slaughter OK though.


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## county

Without industrial slaughter how would you propose feeding 300 million people say in the U.S. Or the number in Can.?


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## Spastic_Dove

You could always suggest a vegan or vegetarian diet to answer that question.


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## county

You could but I was looking for real world type answers, I don't see the vast mahjority of people in the U.S. or Can. giving up meat in say oh the next 100 years.


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## Spastic_Dove

It's not a probable solution at all, but it is a possible solution. Of course, I doubt you were asking me that as I have yet to put forward a "close all slaughter houses down" attitude.


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## county

Theres nothing glamourus or pretty about slaughter never has been and never will be. But the whole idea that it should be banned is lost on me. I suppose if your a control freak and don't want someone else eating things you don't eat you'd want something banned but I can't get into the whole deal about controling what species of livestock someone else likes for dinner. I think all slaughter should be done humanly and certainly regulated. But banned?


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## Kentucky

county said:


> BTW theres way more cattle in a load then 50 and they also do not have food or water in the truck. But then neither do my horses when they go to shows or auctions from here in Mn. to Ok. and Tx.


I have sent allot of cattle to a slaughter house and have never loaded more than 40 head on a trailer. They were finished steers and heifers each weighing between 1000 lbs and 1400 lbs. 




Midwest Paint said:


> Thank you.. I was worried that I was the only one that felt this way. I am an avid horse lover, and if i had all the money in the world I would love to give every abused and neglected horse a real home, unfortunately there are so many horses and few good homes for them. Atleast if it was run in America, we know the public eye does not stand for indecency and it would be regulated!


I agree with you allot of this subject, some horses for whatever are too dangerous for any use and to other horses 



mls said:


> Videos from a Mexican slaughter house? I'm in the United States. I have no control over Mexico.
> 
> I am a very real genuine animal lover. But I understand the line between humans and livestock. I would never wish ill on any human. That judgement is far beyond my station in life.


allot of people seem to have a problem with that theseday and if it is in Mexico over of my sight out of my mind. right or wrong 



county said:


> How is it humane? How is it not, after being off loaded they pass vet inspections, look, and perform well. And like I said I never once said theres no inhumane slaughter in fact I said there is. And I do beleive you need to educate yourself on how the vast majority of slaughter plants operate and the fact that there are still some horse plants that operate in the U.S. To be honest you don't seem to know many actual facts just emotional ones.


18 hours in a trailer, that is amazing. I can think of very few reason to haul stock for that long. most people advice on long hauls (for horses) allow them off the trailer every 6 hours to stretch their legs. In humane slaughter can happpen when things go wrong and that can happen when the person doing it misses up or the animal is not in the extract right place. Guess what, that can happen if the animal is put down for any reason or by any means.

Any time any animal is used for meat or for any use for that matter. it use for treated as humanely as possible. and the species of the animal doesn't matter. You will get a better result form it I have no doubt of that.


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## county

Kentucky many people haul more then that in DD's but certainly not all.

Many many people haul 18 hours from here to Ok. nothing illegal horses pass inspections. 

I totally agree about the slaughter statements and humane treatment of all animals.


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## Mike_User

This thread has been truncated to remove several pages of arguing that offered little to no additional information or insight and has been closed.


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