For my senior project, I decided to write about the connection of U.S. slaughter auctions and Mexican slaughterhouses. Below is one of the sections of my paper translated into English. These posts are better read in order. This is Post #6.
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In 2009, Mexico became the biggest producer of horse meat in the world. The majority of the meat is saved for exportation to Europe and Japan (Spears, 2017). Once the horses are sold at slaughter auctions in the United States, they are transported to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. According to Osborn, in 2008, 80,000 horses crossed the Mexican border and were killed in Mexican slaughter houses (2009). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said that more than 90% of the horses sent to slaughter are less than eight years old and more than 95% of horses are in good or excellent condition (Finch, 2012). The owners of the many of the Mexican slaughter houses are European (Spears, 2017).
In the fall of 2008, two members of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) went to two slaughter houses in Zacatecas, Mexico. The two slaughter houses were inspected by the Mexican federal government. One slaughterhouse follows European regulations and the other, which is earned by a Mexican business, follows Mexican regulations. The European slaughterhouse had eight veterinarians and processed a thousand horses each week. Half of the horses were from the United States. The horses were separated by origin and the slaughter house euthanized injured horses at arrival. The AAEP said that the horses then spent a week in paddocks. The paddocks appeared to be clean and the horses seemed healthy but skinny. The workers used flags in place of whips. The horses would enter the stocks alone and were secured so they couldn't move their heads. The workers then used a captive bolt gun to render them unconscious. The captive bolt gun doesn't kill the horse. In theory, the horses don't feel anything. The AAEP determined that the workers were accurate when administering the captive bolt (Osborn, 2009). The European companies require that the horses receive the captive bolt before their blood is drained (Spears, 2017). After the death of the horses, the body is examined for drugs and parasites. In the part of the slaughter house that the meat is processed, the employees wear hats, gloves, overalls, masks, boots and hair caps. Before entering or leaving the processing area, the employees have to clean their clothes.
On the other hand, the Mexican slaughter house only had Mexican horses and were much smaller. There wasn't an on-site veterinarian there but one came to the slaughter house one day a week. The slaughter house used the captive bolt gun as well. After the inspections, the members of the AAEP that went to Mexico said that the slaughter houses used the captive bolt gun with humanity and that the horses were healthy (Osborn, 2009).
Although the AAEP group said that the slaughter houses killed the horses with humanity, other sources tell another story. According to the article Igualdad animal: Caballos, otros victimas de la ganaderia industrial, the horses do not have water or food for many days and sometimes, the horses are conscious during slaughter and that they could feel everything (2017). The Horse Fund says that the slaughter houses do not use the captive bolt gun or a bullet in every case and that in 2007, the San Antonia News-Express said that the Mexican slaughter houses used to a knife to cut the spines of the horses. Also, the Horse Fund said that there are videos that show the workers puncture the horses in the neck and that only two slaughter houses are regulated by European companies. After the captive bolt, the lower the horses to the kill floor and there they hang them from the ankle and cut their necks open to drain their blood. In addition, they cut their feet and head off. The horses are dismembered and cut up for processing (The Horse Fund, 2018).
As you can see, there are inconsistencies between the two versions. Some sources say that the slaughter houses use humane methods while other sources say they do not. So, do the slaughter houses slaughter horses humanely or not? What is the real story? Is it possible that both stories are true?
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There are thousands of horses that go for slaughter each year and the numbers aren't slowing. If you would like to donate to save horses, please go to this link: gofundme.com/saved
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References
Finch, J. (2012, Aug 08). Horse slaughter: revealing the truth, part-two-the process. Retrieved from http://www.habitatforhorses.org/horse-slaughter-revealing-the-truth-part-two-the-process/
The horse fund (2018). Retrieved from http://horsefund.org/horse-slaughter-images.php
Igualdad animal: Caballos, otras víctimas de la ganadería industrial. (2017) Retrieved from https://cronicadesociales.org/2017/01/20/igualdad-animal-caballos-otras-victimas-de-la-ganadería-industrial/
Osborn, M. (2009, February 15). Horse slaughter conditions in Mexico explored by AAEP group: Debate over the practice continues in Congress. Retrieved from https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/090301h.aspx?PF=1
Spears, T. A. (2017). Mexican horse slaughterhouses: Bloody work: Mexican slaughterhouses. Retrieved from http://www.ontheroadin.com/mexican-horse-slaughterhouses/
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