Horses being slaughtered for human consumption

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Horses being slaughtered for human consumption

12:30 PM CDT on Friday, September 1, 2006

By Brad Woodard / 11 News

Warning: This video contains disturbing images

 

From the Alamo to the open range, the horse is permanently woven into the

fabric of Texas.

KHOU

A cruel fate awaits these horses at the Kaufman slaughterhouse.

 

But this symbol of the west is being slaughtered by the thousands here in

Texas, only to end up on the dinner tables of Europe.

Next week, Congress could change that and for residents of one Texas town it

can¡¦t be soon enough.

In the shadows of a great American symbol, a great American icon quietly

begins to stir. A nearby dumpster and a vulture circling above hint at the

gruesome fate that awaits.

And so begins another day at the Dallas Crown Plant in Kaufman, Texas.

¡§It¡¦s a dirty little secret, that doesn¡¦t benefit the city of Kaufman, the

state of Texas or the United States,¡¨ said Kaufman mayor Paula Bacon.

Americans think there are laws to protect horses. They have no idea that

three foreign-owned slaughterhouses, not American-owned, are operating in this

country, two in Texas, and killing 100,000 American horses.

Also online HSUS: End the slaughter of America's horses

American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act

ASPCA: Urge your representative to end horse slaughter

 

 

They¡¦re being killed for human consumption abroad, primarily in Japan, France

and Belgium. At Belgian-owned Dallas Crown, it¡¦s prime meat day today.

The airline containers are lined up and being readied for shipping.

The common perception in the U.S. is that the only horses sent to slaughter

are old and dying and perhaps destined for the glue factory.

But here at Dallas Crown, neither is the case, and while it¡¦s hard to see

what¡¦s going on behind these walls, the sounds and smells leave little to the

imagination.

The thuds you¡¦re hearing are horses hitting the floor, after a steel bolt has

been driven into their brains.

¡§They deserve a lot more dignity than what they¡¦re getting. Cut up. Hit in

the head by a bolt gun, and served upon French people¡¦s plates,¡¨ said Julie

Caramante, Habitat for Horses.

Caramonta and Jerry Finch of habitat for horses have been documenting the

goings on at the plant for several years.

¡§It¡¦s from a living horse here to three minutes later seeing their skins

over there. It¡¦s heart wrenching,¡¨ said Finch.

A dis-assembly line of sorts, and a video shot by the Humane Society of the

United States at the other horse slaughtering facility in Texas, Bel-Tex of Ft.

Worth, leaves nothing to the imagination.

They see other horses being killed in front of them. They¡¦re terrorized.

The HSUS has had investigators inside the slaughter plants and we see how

inhumanely they are killed.

¡§I think they absolutely know what¡¦s going on. They know. They can see.

They can smell,¡¨ said Caramante.

So can Dallas Crown neighbors.

What¡¦s it like living near a place like this? It stinks.

Neighbors say they live with a putrid stench 24/7.

¡§We¡¦ve seen spills into the street, and carcasses and bones that¡¦s coming

off of the conveyor. Dogs pick up those bones and carcasses and come running

through our yards,¡¨ said Juliene Eldridge.

Citing waste water violations and other environmental concerns, the city of

Kaufman recently ordered the plant to shut down by the end of September. The

matter is currently pending in court.

We wanted to talk to the plant manager about the practice of killing horses

for profit and selling the meat abroad.

He declined, referring us to a public relations firm in Washington. So we

went to the Kaufman attorney representing the plant against the city for some

answers.

¡§You¡¦re going to have issues from time to time, whether it¡¦s odor or waste

water or the appearance of the plant,¡¨ said attorney Mark Calabria, Dallas

Crown attorney.

If you look at 2004 tax records, the plant here paid $5 in federal income tax.

It¡¦s an industry that provides a necessary service whether you agree with

what they do or not. and their industry, we understand is somthing some folks

disagree with, and we also believe we¡¦re a legitimate enterprise.

¡§We¡¦re being held hostage by a company that doesn¡¦t pay its way. That

stigmatizes my community. The development that doesn¡¦t come here,¡¨ said Mayor

Bacon.

But another kind of development is brewing in the nation¡¦s capital, where

Congress will vote next week on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act,

potentially reinforcing the horse¡¦s status as companion animal rather than food

and laying to rest what so many consider America¡¦s dirty little secret.

¡§We don¡¦t slaughter dogs and cats for human consumption for export in Europe

and Asia, we shouldn¡¦t be doing it with horses either, said Wayne Pacelle HSUS

President & CEO.

 

 

 

Online at:

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou060831_cd_horses10.551a315c.html

 

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