14 DAY TRIAL // The American government has decided to give the green light to horse slaughtering, after it dismissed a previous ban adopted five years ago, that stopped federal money from backing the inspection of misfortunate horses waiting to be slaughtered.
According to a regulation issued by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, every animal whose meat is going to be used in the food industry has to be properly checked through a federal inspection, before it ends up in supermarkets, Huffingtonpost.com reports.
Until recently, this impediment guaranteed that lack of funds would keep horses safe and far away from human threats. As we speak, the ban is no longer valid, so federal inspections are supported once again by the American government.
This situation could have devastating consequences upon the horse population that is experiencing an alarming decline, according to a report issued earlier this year, in June.
The study, entitled "Actions Needed To Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter," indicates that even if the regulations kept horses safe in the US and made markets from Canada and Mexico flourish, yet thousands of such animals have still been murdered for meat last year.
Apparently, the dramatic situation of these creatures is influenced mostly by the present framework.
"The extent of the decline is unknown due to a lack of comprehensive, national data, but state officials attributed the decline in horse welfare to many factors, but primarily to the cessation of domestic slaughter and the U.S. economic downturn," the study reveals.
As expected, this controversial decision made a lot of conservationists angry. The Equine Welfare Alliance, an organization aiming to restore the balance of horse populations, condemns the return of the domestic slaughter.
Its officials are keen on proving that such a harmful verdict comes against the wellbeing of these creatures, talk about "disturbing omissions,” indicating the government is protecting the interests of lobbyists from this sector.