I don't know WHAT to write. Guess they'll just treat sick horses in the future the way that the UK now treats infants.
UK doctor testifies that under socialized medicine, sick babies are sent home to die | The Daily Caller
THIS is interesting...
Why the UK Is Ditching Socialized Medicine
Anyway...thanks for keeping up and sharing. I need that drink, now.

 

Does anyone else wonder if this will lead to commercial market farms for horses in the US in the future?? To fit some need for horsemeat in other countries.

I'm not against slaughter in the least, there has to be an outlet for unwanted horses. Rescues just can't take them in and neither can people like us who get dumped with unwanted nags.

BUT the thought of intentionally raising horses for slaughter turns my stomach... Feeding them out like cattle. I'm not sure why, I understand that they are livestock...

 

I actually know of a horse meat farm somewhere in the midwest. It's owned by a Canadian man, but he breeds and raises hundreds of thousands of horses specifically to go to slaughter. They seemed healthy enough...very very few of them were ribby or looked unhealthy. Even their hooves looked fine from the videos and pictures I saw (kind of funny a they were using this guy as an example of bad horse care). What I saw was no different than en-mass pasture living. To me, if they're raised for food it doesn't turn my stomach so much as someone who's selling a companion for slaughter...

 

THe EU countries have had to conform with the passports system for some years now to bring horsemeat going into the foodchain up to the same regulations as any other meat going that route. The rule only affects your passport if you have 'allowed' your horse to go for slaughter for human consumption - the majority of people in the UK have their horses euthanised and cremated - this can be done through a slaughter yard but you have to pay for the service - cannot sell the horse as meat.
The decision on which drugs are allowed is based on how long they stay in the animals system after administeration based on risk to human health in the same way that livestock are treated.
corporal - I have no idea what the two medical notes are - interesting that the one is 'anonymous'. There's nothing new in babies that are deemed to have no quality of life being allowed to die - but the term 'quality of life' and couldnt be made based on physical disability but on a child having no mental capacity to function and how much suffering the baby would be put through to try to preserve its life, it is taken very seriously and it is up to the parents to decide.
I'm not saying I agree or disagree because I've never been in that situation
As for the state of the NHS - Well thats been ongoing for some time now. There are more people taking out of the pot than are putting in. Far too much money is spent on managers and admin. and not enough responsibility for taking care of your own health - people who have health problems from obesity, alcoholism, smoking, drugs etc. There has always been private healthcare in the UK but you dont get a reduction in your NHS contribution if you do take it up. There are problems but the UK population are too used to having the service to give it up now.
No way could its economy be compared to that of Greece, its a surprisingly wealthy country considering how tiny it is

 

I'm surprised this hasn't been done a while ago. I'm not looking forward to see an increase in abandoned horses, but if it isn't safe for humans to it, then it needs to be done.

 

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It is my understanding that the Horses all have a passport. the passport is given to pleasure horses and slaughter horses, a slaughter horse can get a passport change to pleasure horse but a pleasure horse can never become a slaughter horse. This has been on the books for a long time and has been in the making of being enforced also for several years
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Canada has already started its passport system to comply with EU regulations, I did find this fact sheet on the internet which gives details of permitted and non permitted drugs for animals going into the food chain
Fact Sheet: Medications and US Horsemeat : Veterinarians for Equine Welfare
I dont like the idea of horses bred for meat either but its not in a producers best interest to starve them if they want best carcass value - sounds harsh but it is reality.
As long as some low end breeders are producing above market demand they are in fact breeding meat animals.
Interestingly my husband recently spent a week in France on business and ate in the hotels and different restaurants every day and didnt once see horse meat on a menu

 

It's considered poor people meat, in France, in Germany(always was rather regional there, coal mines and steel mills country), Italy also, but there it's doctor prescribed for anemia, and weightlifters eat it for the higher protein.
Breeding for meat has been done for a long time, pretty much all heavy breeds in France are bred thus way, and in Italy, the TPR and Murghese are traditionally bred for meat. Only recently are they being used as driving and riding horses, the latter especially for dressage, since they are a little like Friesians.
The passports: the owner gets to decide if the horse is for human consumption or not, if yes, it can be changed, if not, it can't. The ones declared for human consumption cannot have all medications, and every treatment has to be recorded, signed and stamped by a vet.
Most racehorses are declared not for human consumption, but there are ways to go around that, and they're being slaughtered by the thousands.
As with everything, if there are rules, they're being broken.......

 

You're right Verona. They breed for meat in some European countries - draft type horses selectively bred in the same way livestock is for top quality
Most of the pathetic creatures that go that way are only used in pet food, feeding zoo animals, rendering plants.

 

July is not too terribly far away. So I have some concerns, who is going to control/monitor/enforce the documents it looks like we need to have? How will we hear about them? Etc.

And then, we still have the problem of our unwanted horses.

 

In the UK its controlled by DEFRA and we had plently of pre warning from all sorts of places though it took a long time to enforce and still loopholes though they are getting harder to find and the fines if caught dont make it worthwhile really. All UK new born foals now have to be microchipped too
Essentially no animals will be accepted for slaughter for meat going into EU countries without the correct documents.
I assume random tests will be done on the meat in the same way it is for other livestock and milk

 

I assume random tests will be done on the meat in the same way it is for other livestock and milk

I'm not sure how much good testing would do. The half life of bute, for example, is less than 8 days. I'm not sure how small an amount a test can pick up, but after 60 days, there would be so little bute left (around 1/5th of 1% of the dose) I doubt it could be detected.

I keep wondering about TB's...it's no secret how many TB's go to slaughter in the US, and in Australia TB's are something like 80% of the slaughter horses if I remember corrrectly. So what is going to happen to them all? In the case of TB's, the new standards could actually change the whole methodology of breeding - that would be good IMO, but an industry changing development nonetheless...

 

So will that mean that only horses who are going to be shipped will need the documents, or all horses?
We don't have any kind of an organized system here, so I have no idea how horse owners will hear about it.

 

Ditto this.

I live in a very rural area, people don't microchip dogs or cats, I"m not sure how one would ever get them to microchip horses.

But if this is what needs to be done to keep our safe... Our horses will never leave the country under our ownership, I can't guarantee that if a new owner gets one.

Will passports be transferable between owners? If I say "no" on a horse and then something happens to me, the horse is sold, can the new owner say "yes"

 

i am totally against horse slaughter and would never eat a horse especially where its against my religion
I dont see the issue with wild mustangs etc.

 

Leaving religion out of it, would you rather horses starve to death in pastures where they are never fed, never have vet care or hoof care or human attention?

I think that is where most people say "But they can be adopted, they can be rescued, they need forever homes." I love animals, always have, but there are just not enough homes for all of the unwanted horses in this country. The rescuers need rescuing at this point.

Horse slaughter has its place (IMO) I just personally don't like the thought of raising them specifically for slaughter. Then again it sounds better than a family's companion having to be sold due to hardships and winding up in slaughter.

 

Anyone science/medically inclined have any idea if there is an alternative to Bute that is acceptable?
Is it possible that Bute could be removed from the market and something else take it's place?

 

Icelandic horses are bred like cattle. The culls are turned out and left wild then brought in for slaughter.

 

This brings to mind another topic...
13,000 horses could be destroyed in 2013 if Ontario horse racing industry collapses - thestar.com
Last I heard there is deffinitely at least one big track being shut down... And here it's not just thoroughbreds that will suffer, it's standardbreds too.. Woodbine is closing for the winter and not opening till April or May... And there are a bunch of owners up here who don't have a lot of money who will suffer because of this and will be forced to get rid of some, or all, of their horses... ontario, especially southern ontario, is big on horse racing, what with Woodbine and Fort Erie just a few hours apart. I can personally tell you of at least 5 racing barns I know of... all within 30mins of eachother

 

My guess is that folks need to think of meat markets other than the EU. Let the prices rise in the EU, as regulation always does. It may be time to think of Asia as a horse meat market, and maybe developing it.

There isn't any good evidence that this will improve anyone's health. This is the EU protecting their farmers, who cannot compete with less regulated producers in America and elsewhere. There is no way most horses out west, at least, will ever have passports. Unwanted horses will end up shot in the wild, or simply released there. Then they will become prey...

 

My guess is that folks need to think of meat markets other than the EU. Let the prices rise in the EU, as regulation always does. It may be time to think of Asia as a horse meat market, and maybe developing it.

There isn't any good evidence that this will improve anyone's health. This is the EU protecting their farmers, who cannot compete with less regulated producers in America and elsewhere. There is no way most horses out west, at least, will ever have passports. Unwanted horses will end up shot in the wild, or simply released there. Then they will become prey...

This law has nothing to do with prices it is to do with horse meat being treated in the same way as any other livestock meat - which also has laws on what animals can and cant be administered by way of drugs. The big difference is that because cattle for eg are bred for consumption extensive tests are done on how drugs effect them and what the withdraw periods are, these tests have never been carried out on horses
It doesnt concern you because you dont eat horse meat but if you did surely you'd want to know what you were eating was safe.
It has nothing to do with EU farmers either - they mostly dont produce horse meat and in the UK most domestic horses are passported as 'not allowed for slaughter for human consumption' so you can give them any medication you like
Also note that in the UK if your horse is registered with a breed studbook that counts as a passport so the same would apply here I imagine.
If people care so little about what happens to their horse when they have no use for it any more then maybe they should think twice about owning one. If all these people in the mid west weigh up the costs of a passport against what they will lose in slaughter sales then I'm sure they will be more than happy to comply - I cant imagine that if they think so little of their horses they ever bother using medications on them anyway
Why should people who do eat horse meat have to risk putting god only knows what into their stomachs just because some countries cant conform or dont want to conform with food safety standards. Asia is already a prime market for horse meat sales - why do you think people there are any less fussy about what goes on their plate than they are in Europe, horsemeat is not cheap.
List of top horsemeat producing countries

 

The group of investors that is trying to get slaughter houses for horses set up here in the US (same group that has been working in Missouri) has been working on markets in Eastern Europe, Asia and in Africa (where good protein is almost non-existent.

They have also conducted surveys among non-horsey people and ethnic groups here in the US and there appears to be a pretty good potential market here if the price is kept below beef. It is actually more healthy to eat than beef or pork. Horse-meat is called 'cheval' and will be marketed as such herein the US.

I am on this group's mailing list and have spoken many times to one of the organizers. I have been invited to become a member of this organization and invited to their meetings but since I have no actual business connections to horse processing, I have had no reason to join. One must be 'invited' and pass a background check that shows no ties to AR organizations. As a private group they have the right to screen members. I hope they succeed.

I also was sent results of a recent study conducted by Universities that studied the residue of medications that have not been tested in accordance with USDA standards. Bute is not allowed NOT because it persists in animal products but because it has not had official withdrawal times as recognized by USDA and is not labeled with withdrawal. They are trying to correct that now.

If this will copy and paste, here are the results of these studies.

Subject: The public health risk of horse meat from American racehorses is unsubstantiated by the 2010 Dodman et al. paper published in the Journal, Food and Chemical Toxicology.

In their paper,” Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: A public health risk”, the authors Nicolas Dodman, Nicolas Blondeau, and Ann Marini assert that human consumption of horsemeat following the administration of therapeutic amounts of the anti-inflammatory medication phenylbutazone (PBZ) could hold health risks similar to the direct consumption of the drug. Examples they included were case studies reported 25-62 years ago in which adults and children administered multiple human therapeutic PBZ doses experienced severe and sometimes fatal outcomes, most notably from aplastic anemia, a precursor to Leukemia.

Direct human administration of PBZ was discontinued in the US as a result of these findings. No studies on the risk of these serious side-effects developing from significantly lower (parts per million or less) exposures – such as those that could conceivably occur from consumption of horsemeat products produced from animals recently treated with PBZ – are present in the scientific literature. Experimental Pathologist and Toxicologist, K.N Woodward, author of “Surveillance of Veterinary Residues” in the book Veterinary Pharmacovigilance (1990) states that “it is difficult to associate human health problems with residues of veterinary drugs”. In other words, there is no cogent frame of reference for the authors’ arguments.

The Dodman et al. 2010 study did not actually measure PBZ levels in any of the horses that were used in this report. Therefore, no conclusions can be drawn – particularly conclusions linking the meat produced by these subject horses and the possibility of human risk. The authors assume that the consumption of horsemeat produced from animals treated with PBZ one week or longer prior to slaughter is unsafe for human consumption. As we consider the millions of pounds of horsemeat consumed each year and the length of time horses have been treated with PBZ we might ask: Why has this risk never been proven?
Indeed, no cause-and-effect relation between consumption of meat products (from horse or other species) from PBZ-treated animals and a single case of aplastic anemia in any child worldwide has ever been reported.

The authors have taken one serious human health threat, in the form of treatment of humans with pharmacological doses (averaging 100 mg) of PBZ - a threat that has since been eliminated - and erroneously extrapolated it to the consumption of horsemeat. It is important to note that this study produced not one thread of scientific evidence supporting the supposed threats to human health resulting from horsemeat consumption. No reference was cited - in fact, no reference exists - to human disease or death associated with the consumption of horsemeat. In short, this study was specifically designed to be inflammatory, not scientific. The authors had political agendas that were promulgated by this publication. The level of scientific rigor both in the design of the study as well as in the peer review
process was lacking. It is indeed surprising that a study of this caliber should make it past the reviewers of this journal. To better understand the level of possible PBZ residue in horses we suggest the following explanation (this applies to PBZ levels in blood, where it is primarily sequestered – levels in muscle would be far less than those calculated below) …

The half-life for PBZ in horses is 5 to 6 hrs (MERCK Veterinary Manual). This is the time needed for a horse to naturally remove 50% of the drug from its system. So, by 6 hours post-administration, half of the PBZ has been eliminated from the horse; by 12 hours, half of this remaining half-concentration has been eliminated, and so forth.

Human PBZ dosages of 100mg were reported in the 1960’s to increase the risk of bone marrow depression disorders. Considering the half-life of PBZ in the body of the horse, in order for a human to consume a 100mg dose of PBZ, assuming that PBZ is evenly distributed throughout the horse, that person would need to eat at least 100lbs of horse meat produced within one hour after that 1000 pound horse was administered a normal therapeutic dose of 1000mg PBZ.

If the same horse were slaughtered the following day, a person would have to consume 1000 lbs of its meat – in other words, an entire horse and about 2/3 of a second horse (assuming a dressing percentage yielding a 600 pound carcass). For horses processed after 2 days withdrawal, 10,000 lbs would need to be consumed. After 3 days, 100,000 pounds. After 4 days, 1 million pounds. After 5 days, 10 million pounds. After 6 days, 100 million pounds. So then, after just a single week of withdrawal, the shortest holding time reported in this study, a person would have to eat 1 billion pounds of horsemeat to consume 100mg of PBZ.

In effect, an adult would need to consume about 1.5 million horses to receive a single, potentially toxic dose of 100mg. That would be more than the total number of horses than have been exported since US horse processing ceased in 2007.

The authors skirt this issue by claiming that any amount of PBZ, even those that cannot be measured by current toxicological screening methods, has the potential to produce aplastic anemia in children. Where is the evidence for such a bold statement? The authors point to the EU regulations prohibiting PBZ administration at any time in the life of a horse intended to enter the human food chain as their “proof”. This doesn’t prove a health risk, it merely highlights a regulation created because there have been no studies on a withdrawal period for this drug.
As reported by Dodman et al., PBZ and its metabolite, oxyphenbutazone, are not distributed evenly throughout the horse. Instead they accumulate in the kidneys and liver as they are naturally and continually removed or degraded from the animal. PBZ is not permanently retained by muscle or fatty tissues, thus its concentration in these edible tissues would be far less than in the blood that is drained away. Also noteworthy is that other potential causes of aplastic anemia include toxic chemicals in gasoline and some pesticides, autoimmune disorders and some types of viral infections. Aplastic anemia: Causes - MayoClinic.com
As indicated in the 11th paragraph of the Dodman et al. 2010 discussion section, the FDA has set no safe levels of PBZ in livestock carcasses. A safe drug withdrawal period can be attained even in animals that have been administered PBZ at some time during their life, as there is a time following administration of PBZ where it has been completely eliminated from an animal’s system with absolutely no detectible residues in any tissues. Perhaps the FDA should work to establish a timeline for withdrawal that results in zero PBZ levels in these carcasses.

If the FDA were to establish a withdrawal period, this would appropriately release an implied and unsubstantiated ban on this important veterinary NSAID for horses. Related public educational programs on drug residues in meat could help provide public assurance on food safety issues and make known how such issues affect food prices and animal agriculture.

Sincerely,

Dr William Day, PhD
Assistant Professor
Morrisville State College Equine Institute
Morrisville, NY

Dr Sheryl King, PhD, PAS
Professor
Director of Equine Studies
Southern Illinois State University
Carbondale, IL

Dr Don Henneke, PhD
Professor
Director of Equine Science
Tarleton State University
Tarleton, TX

Dr Pat Evans, EdD
Director of Equine Science
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale, AZ

 

The group of investors that is trying to get slaughter houses for horses set up here in the US (same group that has been working in Missouri) has been working on markets in Eastern Europe, Asia and in Africa (where good protein is almost non-existent.

They have also conducted surveys among non-horsey people and ethnic groups here in the US and there appears to be a pretty good potential market here if the price is kept below beef. It is actually more healthy to eat than beef or pork. Horse-meat is called 'cheval' and will be marketed as such herein the US.
These markets have already been systematically explored by European producers - they are close to Europe or already a part of so transportation costs are lower. The meat would still have to conform with the same standards as any other livestock so the same rules would apply - it would be unethical for any respected country to supply potentially harmful meat to anyone regardless of how 'needy' they might be
Horse meat tends to be more expensive than other livestock meat as they dont utilise grass and grain as well as other animals so the meat costs more to produce - especially against chicken/poultry which is the more staple diet of poorer countries
The reason horsemeat prices are high enough for the slaughter to be worthwhile is because its a delicacy. If sold as cheap meat to third world countries then the cost of producing would likely outweigh profits

 

jaydee, I eat chicken & beef & McDonald's hamburgers. The military has given me shots for anthrax and diseases that don't exist anymore outside of laboratories. I'm banned from donating blood because of when I lived in England. I don't give a rat's rear if someone gave a horse or steer a shot of bute at some point in its life. And do you think the dogs being butchered in Korea had 'passports'? I doubt it.

People squawk about drugs in meat, but we live longer than ever eating it.

The EU doesn't want cheap imported meat entering its markets. That is farmer driven. I remember the riots in the early 90s, as European farmers protested foreign meat coming in and underselling them. This is all about politics, not health. I feel safer eating a McDonald's hamburger, pink slime and all, than I would eating some of the meat I saw hanging in shops in Oxford England. When meat stinks, I don't eat it. Botulism is more dangerous than some bute shot given 3 years earlier.

 

jaydee, I eat chicken & beef & McDonald's hamburgers. The military has given me shots for anthrax and diseases that don't exist anymore outside of laboratories. I'm banned from donating blood because of when I lived in England. I don't give a rat's rear if someone gave a horse or steer a shot of bute at some point in its life. And do you think the dogs being butchered in Korea had 'passports'? I doubt it.

People squawk about drugs in meat, but we live longer than ever eating it.

The EU doesn't want cheap imported meat entering its markets. That is farmer driven. I remember the riots in the early 90s, as European farmers protested foreign meat coming in and underselling them. This is all about politics, not health. I feel safer eating a McDonald's hamburger, pink slime and all, than I would eating some of the meat I saw hanging in shops in Oxford England. When meat stinks, I don't eat it. Botulism is more dangerous than some bute shot given 3 years earlier.

I dont get your argument at all.
Just because you dont care what you eat why do you expect other people to feel the same way?
Surely the US has food safety standards on livestock produced for consumption and what drugs are considered safe?
The blood donating ban is down to 'mad cow disease' - what has that got to do with anything - its no different to people with any other risks of blood borne diseases not being allowed to donate blood
As for the various vaccinations you've had - these are done on the basis of the risks of the vaccine outweighing the risks of getting the disease
Presumably you are not intended to go into the food chain
No one is refusing to accept US horsemeat - it just has to conform to the same standards as any other meat.
What is wrong with that?
What happens to meat after its left the slaughter yards is an entirely different matter - you could store it badly yourself. If I saw suspect looking meat in a butchers shop I'd call the relevant authorities and complain - these people are also under food safety laws too so have to comply, its up to the public to be vigilant and report things not just allow them to go on

 

Let me explain the slaughter market to you (not just the horse slaughter market). You do not seem to understand the economics of it and how the 'free market' system or the slaughter market works.

There is a 'floor' or 'set in' price at all livestock auctions. If an old cow comes into the ring that is 12 years old, nearly toothless and Pg checked open, she will sell for $40.00 to $90.00 per cwt depending on how thin or fat she is and what she will 'dress'. They are called 'canners and cutters'. Fat steers coming out of a feedlot will bring as much as $130.00 cwt right now. They are called 'fat cattle'.

Likewise, thin horses going to slaughter right now only bring $50.00 to $100.00 per head. [Very thin ones are not accepted by the auction co.] That is about $15.00 or less per cwt at the better sales (like the one here in Sulphur, OK). An 1100# pound 'decent' horse (like a 5 or 6 body score) will bring $300.00 to $400.00 here. That would be around $25.00 to $30.00 per cwt. -- still much less (about 60% to 70% less) than even Holstein steers bring at market and they will not 'grade' choice or prime and usually become hamburger. Then, there are the few horses that are called #1s. These are 1300# + horses (not draft stock) that are 8 or higher body score. Even now, they will bring $600.00 to $700.00 here locally. They are the high priced 'premium' meat producers. This is the meat that is considered a 'delicacy' in Europe or Asian countries like Japan. Right now, fewer than 5% of the loose horses going through local sales will grade #1.

Because of the high feed costs and low conversion rates of feed to meat, horses will NEVER be raised for meat here in the US. But, it is not a bad 'salvage' market for horses that are not useful for any other reason and are 'unwanted'.

Back in the 80s when we had the last great horse sell-off, #1s were bringing $1000.00 to $1200.00 here (just a little less than fat beef). The main difference was the hauling to Texas versus hauling to Mexico. There were a lot more #1s back then and LOT fewer thin horses then. They had so much more value. Even in a recession, they were a lot fatter when they were sold.

Anyway, the thin and medium fat horses will become the 'cheap' meat for the poorer countries and poor people in other countries. The #1s and those close to that good a shape will become the premium meat. It will be no different than the cattle market. There are 'prime' steaks and then there is cheap hamburger, stew meat and bologna. Just like all beef is not the same -- all horse meat is not the same, and it is ALL market driven. As it gets more acceptance, the price will go up.

Personally, I hope it succeeds. It will mean horses will have better care and the markets for good horses will be driven up with the better 'floor' market.

 

Cherie - I'm not sure who your post was directed at but since my husband & I are both from agricultural backgrounds I know exactly how the livestock market works and it doesnt seem to be any different here than it is in the UK
Maybe I need to point out that I have no problem with slaughter yards and if people want to eat horsemeat or any other meat then thats their choice
Provided countries have no laws restricting them on what drugs etc they will accept in meat then there's nothing to stop anyone from exporting to there and as long as the meat is cheaper or at least comparable to anywhere else they'll buy it but its not just the cost of the animal its also the cost of slaughtering it and shipping it. Australia already has a huge stronghold on the asian market and horses in europe are selling for as low & lower prices than in the US - as long as they are 'allowed' for slaughter for human consumption thats where they go - no shortage of them.
What no country can do however is dictate to another one what it has to accept - the US certainly wouldnt allow that to happen here. They make their laws and other countries wanting to import have to abide by them
If you want to export to another country then you have to comply with their laws
There's nothing to prevent drug companies from doing drug withdraw tests on horses so the meat does comply - if it were to be sold in the US then it would have to comply with the same FDA standards as any other livestock.

 

If you want to export to another country then you have to comply with their laws
There's nothing to prevent drug companies from doing drug withdraw tests on horses so the meat does comply - if it were to be sold in the US then it would have to comply with the same FDA standards as any other livestock.

Absolutely.

However the problem for me at least is how is this going to be enforced here. How will horse owners hear about it? How many of the people reading this thread were aware of these changes coming in July before I shared them, probably very few.

And then none of that addresses what will happen to unwanted horses in the US.

 

"Just because you don't care what you eat why do you expect other people to feel the same way?"

Because I really am not that weird or unusual. I've lived in Korea (1 year), Taiwan (2 years) and the Philippines (3.5 years). Lots of folks are like me, and believe in a "Don't ask, don't tell" approach to food. Heck, I only refused the open air markets selling meat in Oxford, England because their hanging birds and chunks of meat smelled bad enough to gag a maggot on a gut wagon. But it wasn't cheap, so I guess someone was willing to pay for smelly (oops, sorry, aged) meat.

Ever thought about haggis? "Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!" And you think I'm being picky?

It is kind of like the rabies quarantine England used to require. 6 months in a kennel, regardless of vaccinations, because England needed to make sure the dogs didn't have rabies. Right. Folks were making a killing off of that stupid rule, and it did nothing to keep England safe. But I remember the posters showing foaming-mouthed wolves leaping out of forests to get little girls on a picnic - nearly died laughing at that one! It was all politics and money, not safety. Same with the EU food rules.

 

"Just because you don't care what you eat why do you expect other people to feel the same way?"

Because I really am not that weird or unusual. I've lived in Korea (1 year), Taiwan (2 years) and the Philippines (3.5 years). Lots of folks are like me, and believe in a "Don't ask, don't tell" approach to food. Heck, I only refused the open air markets selling meat in Oxford, England because their hanging birds and chunks of meat smelled bad enough to gag a maggot on a gut wagon. But it wasn't cheap, so I guess someone was willing to pay for smelly (oops, sorry, aged) meat.

Ever thought about haggis? "Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!" And you think I'm being picky?

It is kind of like the rabies quarantine England used to require. 6 months in a kennel, regardless of vaccinations, because England needed to make sure the dogs didn't have rabies. Right. Folks were making a killing off of that stupid rule, and it did nothing to keep England safe. But I remember the posters showing foaming-mouthed wolves leaping out of forests to get little girls on a picnic - nearly died laughing at that one! It was all politics and money, not safety. Same with the EU food rules.

My husband works for a company where they frequently have to travel to the sorts of countries you refer too - no one ever risks eating much at all there that isnt tinned or dried and recognisable.
I would personally never eat haggis as I'm not a fan of offal but anything in it has to come from an approved source
The UK still has rabies laws - it had everythingto do with keeping people safe which is why its still rabies free and no one has to have rabies vaccinations as they do in the US so - that saves money for the majority. If you take your pets abroad now you can use the pet passport system and avoid quarantine
My horses had to spend a month in quarantine when they came to the US in accordance with US laws. My dogs didnt because the UK is rabies free and the US isnt
I think you will find that the US also has its own food laws and other laws regarding what you can and cant bring into the country - my decorative dried flowers and grasses were all confiscated at customs
The birds you saw hanging would have been game birds - pheasants etc, again not my taste but I've never heard of anyone dying from eating them that way - if someone was ill they'd soon have a legal action going

 

"The UK still has rabies laws - it had everythingto do with keeping people safe which is why its still rabies free and no one has to have rabies vaccinations as they do in the US so - that saves money for the majority."

About 10 years ago the UK figured out this isn't 1903 and updated the laws for dogs coming from the US & Canada. It recently did likewise for a much larger group of countries. A dog that had a history of vaccination and that had a clear blood test NEVER needed a 6 month quarantine to protect the UK. It was about making money.

And frankly, rabies isn't a very big deal. If in doubt, take some shots. In the US, it results in about 2-3 deaths each year.

And as Cherie pointed out, there is no evidence that 'tainted US meat' has ANY negative health consequences. If they start slaughtering horses in the US and the price is right, I'll buy horsemeat. If I don't like the taste, I'll hang a slab next to the corral as a warning to my horses...

 

And frankly, rabies isn't a very big deal. If in doubt, take some shots. In the US, it results in about 2-3 deaths each year.

Big deal or not, the UK is an island which does not have rabies. As an island it is easier to prevent diseases entering it's lands. To me it is common sense to take measures to prevent any disease not native to any country - whether that disease is big deal or not.

 

For some reason the the misconception that all at the unwated horses are old and used up is totally falsified! here are some horses that have recently been saved from the kill pens by and small non profit called The Starlight Sancuary. Most of the horses that go to slaughter are your and fit, otherwise they do not bring in very much profit. The real problem, at least I think, is over breeding in the US. I feel there should be some sort of certification you should have to apply for if you are going to breed more than 4 horses a year. Studs should be officially registered, and and same with small breeding operations. That way it will be mostly educated breeders, and the prices of horses may go up, but the majority of horse owners would be those that can afford good managment of their animals. But that is just my opinion. Any ways, the fallowing are pictures of horses that have been saved just this past week by the Starlight Sancuary. The paint and the sorrel mare are around 2, just saved from the kill pens. The appy and black morgan mare are from the newest set of kill pen horses destined for Canada unless bailed out. None in my opinion are "nags."

 

Larood, it's not only the old and sick horses, I think most educated horse people know that. It's the unwanted horses.

And (no offense) as cute as those horses are, what can they do? Are they any better than $500 or less horses on craigslist?
They are not nags, but are they anything special either?