All horse slaughter closed down in Mexico and Canada today

Yes! It is just what the title says. The European Union has shut down all of its slaughter facilities in Canada and the Mexico until all animals can be tested and traced to their origin prior to slaughter. I have been told that this will be possible before the first of the year. Meanwhile, all the killer buyers will stop buying a single horse.

Since the feed prices have gone up and the drought has been so severe, thy have been shipping 3500 to 4000 horses per week across both borders straight to the processing facilities in Canada and Mexico. 2500 a week have been going into Mexico. All of the horses leaving our local sale barn have been micro chipped and identified for about 2 months now.

While all of the animal rights nut jobs may think this is great, I am waiting for the neglect and abuse to rise to levels we have never seen before. If you think rescues have been overwhelmed before, wait and see just how bad it gets.

Great:(

A 90 lb bale never dropped below $17 this year. I won't be surprised if it hits $25 this winter. At 3, I have one more horse than I use, but I'm sure I could get a bunch for free this winter...

:>(

Hay here is almost to 400$ a ton.. we used to get it for 50.. its getting pretty bad:/

Great...I say we start unloading these unwanted horses into the yards (or mroe commonly, apartment buildings) of these anti slaughter nuts, who've really never even owned a horse. They don't want them going to the killers, then they can take care of them.

And I know Obama has lifted the ban on horse slaughter in Us, but have any actually been opened?

Fact check time ---

There never was a ban on horse slaughter here in the US.

Local laws (actually state laws) shut down every plant that was still open (only 3 of them -- One in Ill and 2 in Texas) in 2007.

About that same time, the animal rights nuts got Congress to 'de-fund' USDA Inspectors for horse slaughter. The slaughter facilities and meat MUST be inspected in order for it to be shipped or sold across state lines or exported to EU countries.

Obama signed a bill (not of his origin) that allowed USDA slaughter inspectors to once inspect horse slaughter facilities. There is still one glitch in the system. The Republican house has refused to fund it. American investors that want to open plants in the US are trying to get permission to pay the USDA inspectors out of THEIR pockets and not from USDA funds. So far that has not happened. If you want US plants to open, try writing your Congressmen and beg them to either fund the USDA inspectors or let the Plant owners pay the bill (which they are willing to do but current laws will not let them.)

There is a 501 c-3 set up to lobby for humane slaughter in the US and to help put investors together with those wanting see slaughter restored. They are called the 'International Equine Business Association'. I am not a member, but I am on their e-mail list and it is their E-mail that told me that the Canadian and Mexican plants were shut down yesterday.

The investors wanting to open plants here in the US have already either purchased existing plants and will convert them to 'fit' processing horses or have found closed or existing plants that can be set up for horses. No one is going to spend the money to get them ready without laws letting USDA inspectors inspect the plants and the meat.

The EU is not the only buyer either. Japan, South Korea and SE Asia are also on board to purchase meat as are Eastern European countries. Within 3 months, laboratories will be set up to test live horses and meat for any drug or chemical residues. It is already set up to micro-chip horses to identify each horse and the meat from that horse.

It is way past due. I just hope it gets set up and done.

It's nice to hear this. I don't support the slaughter houses but I do not hate or blame them either. They are necessary because it's stupid, irresponsible people who continue to breed horses for no purpose other than to "see the cute baby when it's born." that are the problem. There is just no space for them and shelters are expensive to run.
I've had experiences with a few "breeding farms" in the past that had no clue what they were doing but continued to breed a minimum of 10 registered mares a year (none of which were broke or had any show training), halter broke them in the spring & then never touched them.
In the end they got too overwhelmed and ended shipping nearly all their horses to auction, where I can guarentee most went for meat.

The same number of horses were slaughtered each year with or without USA plants. It didn't make some people make responsible decisions. Now maybe this will.

As for anti-slaughter people always being guilted to jump in & save the discards, why should they? Each horse was owned by someone, that someone should be responsible. I don't expect anyone else to take care of my horses.

Status of American horse slaughter trade still uncertain - News - Horsetalk.co.nz

Is it possible to have a true & accurate account of everything that was administered in a horse's lifetime?