Wyoming investors and politicians are voicing interest in promoting the growth of horse-slaughtering plants in the absence of federal legislation banning the practice.
Since 2007, horse processing has been all but illegal in the United States. The last federal farm bill prevented the US Department of Agriculture from spending money inspecting horse processing plants, a decision that all but banned the sale of horse meat since slaughterhouses cannot operate without USDA inspections.
In 2011, this law expired, prompting some states to consider exploring the possibility of horse processing. According to Wyoming investors, horse processing is needed in a state where many ranchers can no longer afford to support their herds. Wyoming in particular faces a surging population of feral horses, who have been abandoned by their owners due to increasing costs.
According to a local county commissioner, “People are turning out their domestic horses out on tribal land and federal land in Fremont County. And, frankly, horses are starving to death and the ones that aren’t are multiplying, and neither is good.”
At the moment, investors are hesitant to commit their resources. In Congress, legislation has been introduced to ban the slaughter of horses and prevent the shipping of American horses overseas for slaughter.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer