GRAPHIC MEDIA: SLICE OF CRUELTY; Hidden-Camera Video Reveals Secret Pizza Topping – Disgusting Animal Animal Abuse

“This is my personal opinion, it should have been posted a while ago, but its taken a while to write, due to pain. If people want to eat meat & dairy, I can’t stop them. But I feel they have a duty as the consumer to demand the meat they buy, hasn’t been kicked, punched or shocked around its genitals to get it moving; so it can go to slaughter! It’s plain to see (on the video) that downer dairy cows, that simply can’t move unaided, due to illness or broken bones are moved by brute force; instead of being PTS on the spot! I want the consumers to demand CCTV around farms & slaughterhouses, at the end of the day, it’s the consumer who pays for the meat & dairy products, they should care how the animals are raised! Consumers should be assured the meat & dairy products, came from animals given the best welfare standards possible!! It has been well documented that stressed animals, like those seeing their buddies killed in front of them or those that have been beaten or abused; affects the quality of their meat!  Have you ever seen a joint of beef in the supermarket fridge, that looks like the skin is bruised? well it probably is bruising; caused by the neanderthals who enjoy kicking & punching the shit out of the animals; because there is nobody to stop them!!” Please read this, regards the above:-http://www.fao.org/3/a-x6909e/x6909e04.htm

“I have seen MANY undercover farm videos showing cruelty before…I find this, the most shocking. The public have a right & need to know how the animals they eat, are actually treated before slaughter!! If there is one video to make you ditch cheese & dairy products…hopefully it’s this one! I became a vegetarian years ago, because I didn’t want to be a party to the abuse, farmed animals suffer daily; although I know not all farms allow their animals to be treated this way! Then a few years later, I saw what happened to the dairy cows, it stopped me immediately drinking milk or eating cheese; all I could see was the images of the animals suffering. I now only drink plant-based “Alpro” milk, I prefer the Hazelnut variety which is made by taking the best whole hazelnuts & blending them with pure spring water (plus a few added vitamins & calcium of course) which I feel is far better for you than milk from a dairy cow; who has been abused her whole life!”

 “Many dairy cows suffer beatings or heinous bodily abuse, throughout their life, especially on the conveyor belt of large mega dairy farms, where cows will never feel the grass beneath their feet! The only thing you can be certain of, is that the poor cow (constantly kept producing milk by artificial insemination) has its babies taken away at birth!! These farmers want the last bloody drop out of these poor dairy cows; before they will let them go to slaughter. I should imagine the cows are actually grateful, for an end to their lives of appalling abuse!  I am a picky eater, but have found Quorn alternatives, to make any normal meat dishes! I love Linda McCartney’s burgers & sausages, they are tastier than the quorn versions….you name the recipe & there will be some produce, able to make it; without harming any living animal; which is the diet I choose to eat!!

Is your pizza topped with horrific animal cruelty? A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation reveals shocking animal abuse at a milk producer for Leprino Foods – the world’s largest mozzarella cheese maker and major cheese supplier to Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s.

PLEASE SIGN PETITION:-https://www.change.org/p/james-leprino-stop-sickening-animal-abuse-at-world-s-largest-pizza-cheese-supplier

Kicked, abused, electricity shocked in gential area, TORTURED BECAUSE THEY CAN!!!!

To maximize profits, the dairy industry keeps cows in a constant cycle of pregnancy, birth, and lactation. Typically, baby calves are dragged away from their mothers within a day of birth so that all of their milk can be sold for profit.

Female calves are either sold for meat or used as replacements for the “spent” cows in the dairy herd. Male calves, since they don’t produce milk, are often chained by the neck in tiny wooden boxes until they are killed for veal.

Like dogs, cats, zebras, and all other mammals, including humans, cows only produce milk when they are pregnant or nursing — and for the same reason: to nourish their young. The dairy industry steals this milk from calves for humans.

An undercover investigator with Mercy For Animals documented horrific animal abuse at Winchester Dairy in New Mexico, a milk supplier to Leprino Foods — the world’s largest mozzarella cheese producer. Leprino Foods is a primary cheese supplier to Pizza Hut, Domino’s and Papa John’s restaurants nationwide. The hidden-camera video footage shows:

• Workers viciously kicking and punching cows, and stabbing them with screwdrivers, causing bloody wounds and injuries
• Cows being violently whipped in their faces and bodies with chains and metal wires
• Workers maliciously shocking sick and injured cows and dragging them with tractors
• Sick or injured cows suffering from open wounds, infections, and injuries left to suffer without proper veterinary care

Expert Opinions

After reviewing the undercover footage, renowned animal welfare experts Drs. Bernard Rollin and Terry Engle and Mr. William Wailes from the animal science department at Colorado State University wrote: “Of all the atrocity videos I have examined on behalf of various animal advocacy groups, this one may well depict the most prolonged, and severest pain being inflicted on innocent, non-ambulatory dairy cattle. … It is clear that the workers enjoy this infliction of pain and suffering, and even make remarks to that effect. … Of equal concern is the overall lack of training in animal care husbandry practices as well as in the importance to the social ethic of these types of unacceptable animal abuse. We all hold the owners/managers equally responsible for this egregious behavior!”

Dairy’s Dark Side

Treated as mere milk-producing machines, cows exploited and killed for milk and cheese endure lives of near constant misery and deprivation.

In order to keep producing a steady supply of milk, the cows are repeatedly impregnated. Several times a day, dairy cows are hooked by their udders to electric milking machines that can cause them to suffer electrical shocks, painful lesions, and mastitis (an infection of the udders). Some spend their entire lives standing on concrete floors; others are crammed into massive mud lots.

Cows have a natural lifespan of nearly 25 years, but the stress caused by factory farm conditions leads to disease, lameness, and reproductive problems that render cows worthless to the dairy industry by the time they are four or five years old.

These highly intelligent and social animals suffer unimaginable abuse from the time they are born and ripped from their mothers’ sides until they are so physically worn out from repeated pregnancies and constant milk production that they are sold for slaughter.

Although unconscionable cruelty and violence are standard practice in the dairy industry, caring consumers can help end the needless suffering of cows by choosing vegan alternatives to milk, cheese, and ice cream. Please visit ChooseVeg.comto learn more.

VIEWER DISCRETION STRONGLY ADVISED

SLICE OF CRUELTY

Published on 16 Sep 2014

Is your pizza topped with horrific animal cruelty? A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation reveals shocking animal abuse at a major pizza cheese supplier — Leprino Foods. Workers were caught viciously kicking, punching, and stabbing cows with screwdrivers, and violently whipping them in their faces and bodies with chains and metal wires. Take action at SliceOfCruelty.com

News Link:http://www.sliceofcruelty.com/

Cruelty Critics:-

“The video shows workers hitting, kicking and punching cows with hands, boots and sharp objects to get them into the milking parlor. The workers are clearly abusing the cattle and causing distress for no reason.” Dr. James Reynolds

“The handling of the dairy cows and calves by workers in this facility is unacceptably rough and overtly abusive. … This facility should cease operations due to severe animal welfare deficiencies and overt animal cruelty.” Dr. Debra Teachout

“Of all the atrocity videos I have examined on behalf of various animal advocacy groups, this one may well depict the most prolonged, and severest pain being inflicted on innocent, non-ambulatory dairy cattle.” Dr. Bernard E. Rollin, William Wailes and Dr. Terry Engle of Colorado State University

“The handling of the cows in this facility is inexcusably harsh, vicious and inhumane. The cows are kicked, beaten, jabbed with electrified prods and struck with sharp objects. … This behavior is gratuitous and unnecessary, as the workers go out of their way to beat the cows…” Dr. Lee Schrader

“I recommend that charges of animal cruelty be brought against the workers and managers involved, and that the facility be shut down. Such despicable cruelty to animals is beyond sickening and must not be tolerated.” Dr. Armaiti May

“The actions of the barn staff in this video are unacceptable, willful acts of abuse. … The callous acts depicted in this video footage do not meet expectations for humane animal handling.” Dr. Sara Shields

“The use of the hip lifter to drag and hoist a cow above the ground was definitely abusive. … Management should be partially to blame for the abusive handling because they failed to provide both training and appropriate equipment for moving downer cows.”  Dr. Temple Grandin

“Seriously after watching this, I just don’t understand how any humans with a heart, can contribute to this torture; by purchasing the meat or milk?? It actually breaks my heart that the public don’t know or if they do, don’t want to watch this…but these poor animals suffer from the day they are born…FOR GODS SAKE… PLEASE HELP THEM BY SIGNING THE PETITION BELOW: OPEN YOUR EYE’S!! PLEASE ONLY PURCHASE ORGANIC DAIRY PRODUCTS OR THOSE WITH THE RSPCA LOGO ON, STAND UP FOR THOSE THAT GIVE THEIR LIFE FOR YOU, TO STOP THE ABUSE…IT’S NOT A LOT TO ASK!!!

TELL WORLD’S LARGEST PIZZA CHEESE SUPPLIER TO STOP ABUSING COWS:- http://www.sliceofcruelty.com/

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION…IF NOT FOR YOU, THEN FOR THE ANIMALS THAT SUFFER DAILY…SIGN AT THIS LINK:- http://www.sliceofcruelty.com/#petition

 “Seriously, if you have had the balls to view this video or any other farm animal video (good for you); can you truly eat or drink animal products, knowing what happens?? Knowing they are tortured throughout their short lives?? Please just give it a go, swap your normal diet slowly, i.e milk, swap it for Alpro (probably the Almond milk is the easiest to try first) Look for enriched soymilk, too, which is also fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Then use Quorn mince to make a spaghetti Bolognese, lasagna, shepherds pie & other meat dishes. Try the Linda McCartney sausages & burgers…I’m sure you will be surprised, at how good they actually taste!!!”

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Went Vegan:-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-frazier/vegan-diet_b_3996646.html

Top 10 Eco-Friendly Reasons to Buy Organic Meat & Dairy

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/why-buy-organic-dairy-meat.html#ixzz3EkMTxdct

Animal Welfare Groups Plan Suit in Response to USDA Decision to Support the Slaughter of Horses for Human Consumption

“Scroll to the end of this post, to see a gallery of some of the worlds most beautiful horses…how could anyone even think, about killing one; let alone eating one??”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given the green light for the grisly practice of horse slaughter to resume on U.S. soil. The agency approved an application for horse slaughter inspections under federal law at a plant in New Mexico.

This news comes on the heels of the U.S. House and Senate appropriations committees’ votes to halt all funding for horse slaughter in FY 2014. The decision means that the federal government could potentially spend millions of taxpayer dollars to start up inspections at horse slaughter plants, only to have Congress terminate the process in the coming months.

In response to the USDA’s decision, The Humane Society of the United States and Front Range Equine Rescue plan to file suit immediately against the USDA to put a stop to this agency decision. The two groups previously informed USDA that they would take aggressive legal action against the agency, in light of the serious unresolved environmental and food safety issues surrounding horse slaughter.

Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president and chief counsel for animal protection litigation at The HSUS, said: “The USDA’s decision to start up domestic horse slaughter, while at the same time asking Congress to defund it, is bizarre and unwarranted. Slaughter plants have a history of polluting their communities and producing horsemeat that is tainted with a dangerous cocktail of banned drugs.

“We intend to hold the Obama administration accountable in federal court for this inhumane, wasteful and illegal decision.”

Hilary Wood, president of Front Range Equine Rescue, said: “America’s horses are not raised as food animals, and they receive numerous substances during their lives making them unfit and illegal for human consumption. Adding insult to injury, the suffering of the horses in the slaughter pipeline and the danger to humans makes this action more than inhumane. Horses bound for slaughter have many alternatives open to them including re-training, re-homing, and humane euthanasia. We remain committed to stopping this insult to justice and our sense of justice.”

The USDA’s approval is particularly surprising, considering the recent scandal in the European Union, where horsemeat was discovered in food products labeled as beef.  The operation of horse slaughter plants in the U.S. will make it more difficult to prevent the commingling between horsemeat and beef products that occurred in Europe.

Horses are raised as pets and for use in show, sport, work and recreation in the U.S. and are regularly administered drugs that are expressly prohibited by current federal regulations for use in animals intended for human consumption. For example, a common pain reliever routinely administered to all types of horses, Phenylbutazone, is known to cause potentially fatal human diseases, and if the animal has taken the drug, the meat is adulterated and should not be eaten. There is also no system in the U.S. to track medications and veterinary treatments given to horses to ensure that their meat is safe.

Any facility slaughtering thousands of horses will necessarily be processing the blood, organs and remains of animals whose tissues and blood may contain significant amounts of dangerous substances, which are either known to be dangerous, or which have never been tested on humans and therefore present completely unknown dangers. At least six applications for horse slaughter inspections have been filed with the USDA.

Background:

• This month, the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations committees voted to block funding for inspections of horse slaughter plants. President Obama’s proposed FY 2014 budget also included a request for Congress to prevent tax dollars from supporting horse slaughter.
• The HSUS and FRER also filed petitions with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to declare horsemeat unfit for human consumption. USDA denied that petition.
• According to a national poll conducted last year, 80 percent of Americans disapprove of horse slaughter.
• “Kill buyers” gather up horses from random sources and profit by selling healthy horses for slaughter that bring the best price per pound for their meat. USDA reports show that approximately 92 percent of American horses going to slaughter are healthy and would otherwise be able to go on to lead productive lives.
• The methods used to kill horses rarely result in quick, painless deaths, as horses often endure repeated blows to render them unconscious and sometimes remain conscious during the slaughtering process. When horse slaughter plants previously operated in the U.S., the USDA documented severe injuries to horses in the slaughter pipeline, including broken bones and eyeballs hanging from a thread of skin.
• The Safeguard American Food Exports Act, H.R. 1094 / S. 541, introduced this year by U.S. Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Reps. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., is a bipartisan measure that would outlaw horse slaughter operations in the U.S., end the current export of American horses for slaughter abroad, and protect the public from consuming toxic horsemeat.

News Link:-http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2013/06/usda-horse-slaughter-suit-062813.html

Some of the world most beautiful horses – should not end up on a dinner plate!

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DA Declines To Prosecute Horse Shooter: Videoed Himself Shooting Horse To Annoy Animal Activist

In an April 12 letter to the New Mexico Livestock Board, the Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, which covers Chaves, Eddy and Lea Counties, said it won’t seek charges against Tim Sappington – the man who created uproar after filming himself shooting a horse last month.

District Attorney Janetta Hicks explains that’s because “Mr. Sappington’s conduct was not a violation of New Mexico law.”

She writes that Sappington killed the horse for his own consumption, which is a commonly accepted agricultural and animal husbandry practice; it’s also excluded from the state’s extreme animal cruelty statute. The state also reviewed federal laws, and determined that Sappington also acted in accordance with those slaughtering standards.

“The was verified through the interview with Mr. Sappington, video clips of Mr. Sappington actually processing and storing the horse after shooting it, and recovery of horse meat packaged for human consumption,” Hicks writes.

Even so, Hicks, in her letter, also pointed out the video clip featuring Sappington’s incendiary comments and the abrupt manner in which he killed the horse “demonstrated infectivity as well a poor judgment.”

The shooting incident came after Sappington, an employee of Valley Meat Company outside of Roswell, said he and his family was fed up with the threats they had received from animal activists because the company was seeking United States Department of Agriculture approval for a domestic horse slaughtering plant.

Link to:–Horse Shooting Letter

News Link:– http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2996640.shtml?cat=504

Related articles

• Horse-killing Video Draws Wide Reaction: Sappington Dismissed (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)
• New Mexico’s Valley Meat employee’s horse killing video spurs investigation (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)

Pro-Horse Slaughter: A Man Actually Kills His Horse To Send Message To Activists Then Puts It On YouTube

“WTF…the video is at the bottom of this post. I can’t & refuse to believe that he can get away with shooting a horse dead; just to make his fxxxxxg point!! If ever I saw a cowardly piece of shit…there one stands. Just who the fxxk does he think he is? above the law obviously…talk about a fxxxxxg turd; his shit isn’t good enough to be on my boots!”

“You can bet you bottom dollar, that if that scenario was a guy that worked in a 

Tim Sappington Kills Horse

kennel, who took a dog out, shot & filmed it to use for or against something…he would be in jail faster than a horse kicks! The video posted on YouTube, is Tim Sappington, who is employed by the Valley Meat Company in Roswell, New Mexico!

“If he thinks he can shoot a horse in cold blood & get away with it, he is very wrong. I’m not the least bit surprised he has had to beef up his security, & is getting hate & death calls…I hope they carry on for long time yet! What he did was just sadistic & very wrong…if I was him I would be keeping a very low profile, because there are a lot of people who take great offence at people who purposefully hurt an animal then video it. That is one cold hearted MF who doesn’t give a crap about horses or any animals!!”

“We’re horrified by the video, and we are glad to hear that there’s an investigation going on,” said Keith Dane, director of equine protection for the Humane Society of the U.S. in Washington. “It appears this was made for publicity’s sake and to taunt animal lovers.”

A video posted on YouTube has sparked outrage among animal activists and left death threats against a Roswell meat company.

In the video, an employee at the Valley Meat Company out of Roswell, NM – which is working with the USDA to get a horse slaughter plant in the area – brings a horse out of its pen, swears at activists and then kills the horse with a single gunshot.

“To all you animal activists, f**k you,” Tim Sappington, a maintenance contractor with Valley Meat Company, said in the video.

He then shoots the horse point blank in the head. The horse falls to the ground and dies.

Sappington has received several death threats for the video. People who operate the plant, who contend they had nothing to do with the video, are also receiving threats.

Now, the FBI is involved.

“You know what people should be slaughtering? You f***ing s***cs, should never have been allowed in this country,” one caller said.

Rick De Los Santos, a part-owner of Valley Meat Company in Roswell, has been slammed with hate calls and death threats since a video hit the Web.

“I didn’t have anything to do with that video, that’s the honest truth, but like I said, people will make assumptions,” De Los Santos said.

De Los Santos said Sappington shot the video on his own time and at his own home. The De Los Santos’ say people have also stolen “no trespassing” signs off their property.

They’ve hired a private security firm and installed new surveillance cameras. The family says they support Sappington’s right to kill and eat horses, but not the video.

“He shot a horse, that’s what he eats, it’s not against the law to slaughter your own horse,” De Los Santos said. “Now, putting it on YouTube, I would not have done that.”

They just wish the calls would stop. “I hope you — die and your whole — family, you —in —hole,” another threat said. “This isn’t the last time you’ll hear from me —head.”

News Link:–http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S2971822.shtml?cat=500

You have read what this guy does, but it is still not nice to see, so viewer discretion is advised

Tim Sappington Murders Horse On Camera with Message ‘Fuck You‘ ARA’s

Published on 21 Mar 2013

A shocking video of Tim Sappington shooting a horse to make a point against all animal activists who might get in his way.

He stated “All you animal activists, f$#% you” and then shot the horse at point blank range.

Timothy C Sappington, Roswell, NM, 3673 Spring River Rd, 88201

This should be considered a hate crime against all of us who have spoken out against the Roswell NM horse slaughter house. The owner of the slaughter house intends to hire 40-100 people, and Tim is the first employee of Valley Meat Co.

What do you expect from, TIM SAPPINGTON; a narcissist, self righteous, bully coward and animal murderer who makes his living from the suffering of horses?

He does this everyday; it is nothing to this piece of shit. He is as cold as they come. Obviously ARA’s are getting under his skin. Good!! Im am soooo sorry this horse had to be the pawn in the ugly. That horse would have died at his hands anyway, on camera or not.

This subhuman is a psychopath. He has no remorse for what he does. Karma is coming his way…. I feel it. He will pay…. some how, some way…..some day. I hope I am alive to witness it.

To see the edited, (no violence or foul language) visit this link: http://tinyurl.com/cylvdxpBelow you will find a list of phone numbers to call in Chavez County where the slaughter house is planning on opening. Send the link to these people, remember be polite with whom ever you speak to!Chaves County Manager – Stanton L. Riggs, Esq. – Phone: 575-624-6602 – Email: sriggs@co.chaves.nm.us

Janetta B. Hicks, District Attorney – Phone: (575)622-4121 – Email: 5thDA@da.state.nm.usNew Mexico Livestock Board: (575) 623-3031

Sheriff – Non-Emergency 575-624-7590 – Administration 575-624-6500
New Mexico Attorney General’s office: (505) 827-6000 – psisneros@nmag.gov

Food Safety Inspection Service at 202-720-9113.The Office of Governor Susana Martinez – Phone (505) 476-2200 or web contact: http://tinyurl.com/4olx7lv

The Humane Society of the United States – Phone: 202-452-1100 – email:http://www.humanesociety.org/forms/contact_us/contact_equine_protection.html

PETA 757-622-7382, option 2 email: http://www.peta.org/about/contact-peta/email-form.aspx

Contacting the news may generate interest in this story, yesterday Fox News put out a poll on horse slaughter, so they may be very interested in the story:FoxNews Hotline – Phone: 888-369-4762 – Email: foxnewstips@foxnews.com.Please make a brief, polite phone call to your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators to urge co-sponsorship of H.R. 1094 S. 541, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act that ends the cruel slaughter of America’s horses as well as their export for slaughter abroad.

You can find your representative at this link:
http://action.humanesociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=electedOfficials_federal.

You can say something like: “I would like you to please co-sponsor and support H.R. 1094/S. 541, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act to protect our nation’s horses and keep the food supply safe for consumers.”

The slaughter of horses for meat is not only unnecessary but it is also harmful in many ways. 
Sign the petition: http://tinyurl.com/bcp7unr

I was hoping to find more petitions but as yet none, I would do one if I had the time to sit at PC, do my usual work & write a petition…hopefully won’t be long before there are some then people can tell  the world how disgusted they are with this pig of an inhumane dick!

Equine Welfare Alliance: US Horsemeat Banned in EU

CHICAGO, (EQUINE WELFARE ALLIANCE/PR Newswire) – Since Congress lifted the ban on USDA inspections of horse meat, several small shuttered cattle slaughter plants have clamored for the USDA to provide horse meat inspections.

Ricardo De Los Santos of Valley Meats, a New Mexico plant, went as far as to sue the USDA for not providing the service. The attorney for Valley Meats has announced it will be opening in three weeks.

Unfortunately for those wishing to bring horse slaughter back to the US, they will have to do so without the ability to sell to the EU, the main market for US horse meat. The Equine Welfare Alliance has received confirmation from EU authorities that “by virtue of Commission decision 2011/163/EU the US is not authorized to export horsemeat to the EU.”

The decision was made in 2011, when the USDA neglected to comply with new regulations requiring submittal of a drug residue control program. Approval of such an application requires extensive review as well as audits and can take up to several years to complete.

The EU authority (SANCO) went on to say “Our Directorate General, up to now, does not record a recent residue monitoring plan on horse meat submitted by USDA.”  In other words, the process has yet to begin.

The scandal over horse meat being substituted for beef in a myriad of products, as well as the finding of the banned drug phenylbutazone in some of those products has further dimmed the prospects for a lifting of the ban.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, in an interview with Reuters, said sequestration could cause sporadic food shortages if inspectors aren’t available to examine meat, poultry and egg products. Obviously, providing inspectors for horse meat would further exacerbate the need to protect US consumers. Vilsack shocked many today when he was quoted as saying he hoped that Congress could come up with an alternative to horse slaughter.

EWA’s John Holland explains the bleak prospects for private horse slaughter plants in the US, saying “these plants will have no access to the markets even if the EU ban is lifted because the distribution is controlled by a few multi-nationals, and those expecting to contract with these companies should heed the story of Natural Valley Farms (SK Canada) which lost millions trying to do so.”

News Link:-http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/21225

USDA Says Horse Slaughter Plants May Open After Ban Lifted: Petition Letter To Email

“Why the hell do we need to keep talking about killing horses for food…for Christ’s sake!! We already kill more than enough cow’s, pigs, sheep & poultry, all classed as livestock. These days the demand for high-end meat products, at good retail prices, mean livestock are modified, to produce the maximum end product! With the introduction of specific genes to the male species, breeding via artificial insemination & intense farming methods, which often use genetics & growth hormone drugs, to give the best profitable products; I think the USDA & the Health & Safety dudes have plenty to occupy themselves!!!

Especially since the recent scare of horse meat contaminating meat supposed to be fit for human consumption…when it clearly isn’t& probably hasn’t been for a while! 99% of horses have drugs, wormer’s, fly repellents etc. administered within their bodies even at young ages; meaning their meat is totally unfit for human consumption!

 Horses are not intensely farmed, they do not take growth hormones to make them fatter in the rump to make better steaks…because first & foremost, THEY ARE NOT LIVESTOCK ! Horses are & always will be considered companion animals. Horses are pets, as much a  part of the family as cats & dogs; therefore they should be classed as such; PETS! I for one would no more see my horse as edible, than any of my dogs; could you eat your dog??

If there is an abundance of horses that can not be cared for, then kind euthanasia is the answer; providing a gentle, painless death, in order to prevent suffering. Horse slaughter is a death fraught with terror, pain, & suffering, which often starts before they are even loaded onto a trailer; many hours or days before they get to the slaughter plant!! 

“There is a template at the end of this news post, kindly written by Julie Jo (Facebook) along with an email address. Could everyone please copy & paste the letter & send it to the address below: please don’t let them kill our pets, horses belong in a stable…not the bloody table.”

The U.S. will be legally obligated to inspect horse-slaughtering plants if Congress doesn’t act to reinstate a ban on the killing of the animals, which would only be used in meat for export, the Department of Agriculture said.

Congress last year lifted the ban established in 2006 that prevented horse slaughter in the U.S., Michelle Saghafi, a USDA spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement today. While no plants are currently authorized to slaughter horses, “several companies” have asked that the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service re-establish inspections, the agency said.

“These companies must still complete necessary technical requirements and FSIS must still complete its inspector training, but at that point, the department will legally have no choice but to go forward with inspections, which is why we urge Congress to reinstate the ban,” according to the USDA statement, which did not give a time frame on when inspections would occur.

The first horse-slaughtering plant may be approved in the next two months, according to A. Blair Dunn, a lawyer for Valley Meat Co., owner of a plant in Roswell, New Mexico. The New York Times reported the possible approval earlier today.

Lawsuit Filed

Valley Meat filed a lawsuit against the USDA and FSIS in October and alleged that the USDA was violating the Federal Meat Inspection Act by failing to offer inspection for horse meat, Dunn, who is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said in a telephone interview. The law states that the USDA must appoint inspectors to examine “all amenable species,” which include horses, before slaughter, Dunn said.

This week, the Justice Department asked for another 60 days to respond to the lawsuit, Dunn said. The request was made so “USDA can make sure all the components are in compliance in order to issue a grant of inspection,” according to Dunn. The USDA has notified Valley Meat that the company has completed all of its requirements to move forward, Dunn said.

Once approved, Valley Meat will sell the horse meat for export, Dunn said. They’d be open to selling domestically if there is a market, he said.

FSIS doesn’t allow imports of horse meat from other countries to the U.S. for human consumption, Cathy Cochran, a spokeswoman for USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, said in an e-mailed statement. Also, none of the countries or companies in the European Union that have recently recalled beef because of non-disclosed horse meat ship beef to the U.S., she said.

European Withdrawals

In Europe, retailers withdrew products such as frozen beef burgers, lasagne and meat balls from the shelves after the discovery of horse meat in products in several countries, after the initial case in Ireland in mid-January. The European Union has ordered immediate testing across the region for equine DNA in beef products and the veterinary drug phenylbutazone in horse meat.

“The meat and poultry inspection process in the U.S. puts FSIS inspectors carrying out our mandatory inspection requirements in U.S. plants every day they operate and at ports of entry inspecting products that come into our country,” Cochran said in the statement.

The agency also conducts “port-of-entry re-inspections  for imported products, and that offers evidence on how other country’s inspection systems are working, she said. In addition, there are yearly reviews of countries that export to the U.S. to make sure they are “at least equivalent” to the U.S. process, she said. FSIS also conducts on-site regulatory system audits at least once every three years in nations that ship to the U.S.

News Link:-http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-01/usda-says-horse-slaughter-plants-may-open-after-ban-lifted-1-.html

“Many Thanks to  Julie Jo for creating this template letter,  in objection to the opening of a horse slaughter plant in Roswell, New Mexico.”.

“Please copy & paste the letter into an email & send to:-  AgSec@usda.gov

To Whom It May Concern:

I have learned that you are likely to approve a horse slaughtering plant in Roswell, New Mexico in the next two months and I do not set well with this. New Mexico has served for years as a gruesome funnel for horses going to slaughter in Mexico. A horse slaughter facility in Roswell, New Mexico, will only increase the traffic of horses coming into our state for slaughter.

In the midst of drought and economic difficulty, New Mexicans have rallied around humane solutions for horses, including an emergency feed assistance program, subsidized gelding program, and a humane euthanasia program. I understand 120,000 U.S. horses/year are sent to slaughter — actually a number that we can do something about. With less breeding and more support for a basic infrastructure to support horses, America‘s horses will be provided with some basic compassion and decency, which they deserve.

I understand that the applicant for the Roswell license had previous USDA violations when they were operating as a cattle slaughterhouse. Documented evidence of egregious violations and a lack of enforcement by the USDA in U.S. slaughterhouses led to the de-funding of USDA inspections in 2007, but in the absence of a federal ban on horse slaughter, America’s wild and domestic horses continue to be shipped across federal borders where they are slaughtered just as inhumanely to this very day. If horse slaughter plants are reopened in the U.S., horses will undoubtedly suffer torturous agony on U.S. soil again.

This is evidenced by cruelty violations and lack of enforcement of the and lack of enforcement of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act that have been documented in GAO reports. U.S. undercover surveillance footage shows horses being whipped, beaten and electrically prodded and repeatedly bludgeoned, resulting in fully conscious horses being dragged, hung, bled out and dismembered alive. Established research indicates that there is no data to support the inflated number of horses reported as abandoned in the U.S. Countless unsubstantiated reports and articles are circulated by proponents which create the misconception that abandonment is out of control. It’s a crime to abandon, neglect or abuse a horse, and history clearly shows that crime rates increase during times of economic downturn.

The substantiated data shows there is an increase in horses in need that is tied to the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Investigations have revealed some of the horses found abandoned were rejected for slaughter and were simply dumped by kill buyers. This would not have happened if slaughter was illegal. The “unmanageable surplus horses” is an artificial crisis created by the proponents to justify slaughter as “a necessary evil”, but slaughter is not driven by a surplus of horses; rather it is driven by a foreign market for horse meat.

On average, less than 1% of the 9 million horses that exist in the U.S. are “surplus or unwanted”. This tiny fraction of the horse population can easily be managed and reabsorbed back into the equine community just as it has in the past. The “surplus” of horses created by the industry can simply be kept longer, sold or traded, retrained in new disciplines, donated to retirement and rescue facilities, humanely euthanized or they can provide a public service such as equine therapy.

When the market for horsemeat dropped, and the number of horses sent to slaughter went from over 300,000 in the 1990’s to less than 50,000 in 2003, the industry was forced to take responsibility for the surplus of horses. The country was not overrun with “unwanted” horses; rather they were reabsorbed back into the equine community.

Horse owners that are unable to provide continuing care for their horses can have them humanely euthanized for the cost equal to one month’s care. Humane euthanasia clinics are often times available to horse owners that cannot afford to have a qualified veterinarian administer the lethal injection.

Slaughter creates a salvage or secondary market that enables and encourages over breeding and contributes to any excess horses in the market. U.S. horses, whether used for competition, recreation or work are treated with many substances known to be toxic to humans; substances that can be lethal when ingested by humans, and many of which have been banned from the human food chain in most countries. Horse slaughter is NOT desirable economic development. As evidenced from the past 30 years of operation in the U.S., these communities have been devastated by slaughter’s negative economic and environmental impacts. The government paid out over five million dollars in tax payer money a year to subsidize three foreign-owned horse slaughter plants in the U.S.

Horses have an established total impact on the US Gross Domestic Product of $112.1 BILLION and if “surplus’ horses are not sent to slaughter their absorption back into the equine community can instead provide a boost to the economy. Millions of dollars in losses are attributed to horse slaughter by those that have come forward from within the slaughter industry.

The majority of equine industry and community members OPPOSE horse slaughter.

Horse slaughter benefits a relatively small number of powerful stakeholders within the U.S. equine industry that stand to profit from the exploitation of irresponsible excess breeding practices.

You will see in the video below exactly what happens to these slaughter horses:-

Viewer Discretion Is Advised

I trust that upon examination of the above facts you will find it in the best interest of the USDA and the state of New Mexico to not approve of this.

Yours faithfully

Your Name & Country

 Please – take the time to read the following facts about horse slaughter, don’t be fooled into thinking horses will die of starvation; if horse slaughter plants don’t re-open!! Satisfy your own knowledge, please, read the facts below from the HSUS:- 

• Horses are our trusted companions and have never been raised for human consumption in America.
• Owner responsibility is the answer.
• Horse slaughter and even transport to slaughter are abuses.
• Slaughter is not a humane form of euthanasia.
• Slaughter is not a “necessary evil.
• Drugs given to horses are dangerous to humans.
• The foreign-owned plants in the U.S. are not a better alternative than horse slaughter plants over the border.
• Ending horse slaughter won’t lead to an increase in unwanted horses and result in horse abuse and neglect.
• Banning horse slaughter will not undermine private property rights.
• Ending horse slaughter will not cause environmental harm.
• Ending horse slaughter will not cause the federal government to face the financial burden of care for horses no longer going to slaughter.

Link:- http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/horse_slaughter/facts/facts_horse_slaughter.html

Governor Christie signs law banning horse slaughter in New Jersey

Governor Christie signed A.2023/S.1976 on Friday making it illegal to slaughter horses for human consumption in New Jersey. The law also prohibits the sale of horse meat for human consumption, bans the transport of live horses for the purpose of slaughter, and bans the transport of horse meat for human consumption.

Governor Christie signed a New Jersey law that now prohibits the slaughter of horses and the sale and transport of horses and horse meat for human consumption.
Credits: Photo by Liz Lamont

According to The Political State, Governor Christie stated:

“This bipartisan measure is a nod to our decency and respect for horses in our state, ensuring that no horse is slaughtered in New Jersey for human consumption. It also ensures that our highways will not be used to transport horses to slaughter in other states which have not enacted a similar ban on the practice.”

The bill was introduced by Assemblyman Ronald Dancer(R) of Ocean, Burlington, Middlesex and Mercer Counties and Senator Raymond Lesniak (D) of Union County.

In May, Assembly Dancer stated:

“New Jersey does not eat horse meat and our horses will not be taken from stable to a table.”

More than 80 percent of Americans are against the slaughter of horses for human consumption, and even though there are no horse slaughter plants in the United States, over 100,000 American horses are still exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.

Horses are not raised for human consumption and are commonly treated with carcinogenic drugs prohibited by the United States Food and Drug Administration.

The law now imposes a fine of $100 and imprisonment of 30 days for anyone convicted of slaughtering or selling horse meat for human consumption. Civil fines ranging from $500 to $1000 will be applicable for each slaughtered horse.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Advocacy Center states:

“Now more than ever, it is critical that we do all we can to get Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. If passed, this legislation would achieve two things: It would prohibit the export of our horses to other countries for slaughter, and it would completely ban horse slaughter for human consumption in the United States. While there is currently no commercial horse slaughter occurring in the U.S., proponents are working to resume it. Unless citizens object, horses may soon be commercially slaughtered in our communities for human consumption overseas. A slaughter facility in New Mexico has already applied for government approval to slaughter horses.“

Animal protection organizations and humane supporters continue to support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 – HR2966/S1176 which will prohibit the transport and sale of all horses in the United States.

For more information how you can help, please click here.

News Link:–http://www.examiner.com/article/governor-christie-signs-law-banning-horse-slaughter-new-jersey

Guilty plea in case where dogs head cut off with chainsaw

(New Mexico, United States) The second man accused of cutting a dog’s head off with a chainsaw pleaded guilty Tuesday in district court.

Corey Bowen, 32, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cruelty to animals, a step down from the fourth-degree felonyextreme cruelty to animals charge Bowen initially faced following the September 18 incident.

Corey Bowen

Bowen and Teddy Sexton, 32, were charged after they allegedly cut off a pit bull’s head, Thor, with a chainsaw after the serrated kitchen knife they first used didn’t work.

“He made an error in judgment and he feels bad about what happened,” said Eric Morrow, Bowen’s attorney. “He had no idea Teddy was going to use the chainsaw.”

Speaking for his client, Morrow clarified the error in judgment was “not calling the authorities immediately and being swept in the emotion of yet another child bitten by this dog.”

The two men claim they killed the dog after it bit a child in the neck. Sheriff’s deputies determined Thor previously bit a 7-year-old boy in the leg and on the day of the incident nipped a girl in the neck. The girl was not taken to the hospital.

The plea agreement comes 10 weeks after a hung jury resulted in a mistrial for Bowen. The jury was evenly split March 8 over reaching a unanimous verdict.

Sexton testified during Bowen’s trial that Thor “attacked my niece, bit her in the throat, and I killed him.”

He told the court that he acted alone when he severed the dog’s head with the chainsaw. Sexton pleaded guilty October 18 to the felony charge and because of his criminal history was sentenced to a mandatory eight years in prison.

The state, during Bowen’s trial in March, failed to prove in the trial that Bowen was present when Sexton used the chainsaw.

Testimony, however, indicated Bowen initially helped cut the dog’s throat with he kitchen knife. He argued during the trial that he helped kill the dog to protect his children.

News Link:-http://global-chronicle.com/video/guilty-plea-in-case-where-dogs-head-cut-off-with-chainsaw/

Slaughterhouse owner defends plan to butcher horses

(CBS News) Wild horses that roam America‘s prairies are the very heartbeat of the old west. While some see majesty in their freedom, others see profit. Not in what horses bring to wranglers and ranchers, but to slaughterhouses for their meat.

Video Link:–slaughterhouse-owner-defends-plan-to-butcher-horses

Rick de los Santos of Roswell, New Mexico has spent tens of thousands of dollars to retrofit his slaughterhouse hoping to become the first meat plant since 2007 to butcher horses and export their meat.

The tough economy took its toll on de los Santos. He and his wife Sarah run this family business together. They’ve lost more than $200,000 over the past two years.

But they saw a new opportunity. Upon the recommendation of its accountability office, Congress reversed a five-year-old ban on American horse slaughter, agreeing it had made conditions worse for the animals. Many of them were trucked over the border to Mexico for slaughter under horrible conditions as documented by the Humane Society.

“So, these horses are going into Mexico to be slaughtered there,” de los Santos said. “And all we want is to take care of ’em here.”

De los Santos applied for a license and began to retrofit his plant to meet the new USDA requirements. He was delighted to learn his would be the first American slaughterhouse cleared to sell horsemeat to Mexico, Belgium and a host of other countries where it is considered a delicacy. Now relief has turned to frustration.

“It’s cost us about $75,000, that’s what it’s cost us, just to get ready to slaughter horses,” de los Santos said. “It’s sitting idle.”

Believing he’s fulfilled the USDA requirements, he’s been anxious to get his final government inspection and license. But it’s been nearly four expensive months of waiting for the USDA to pay a visit. “It’s very frustrating for when, when you send your paperwork to the USDA and get it back, and we get, “It’s incomplete.'”

De Los Santos thinks the delay is deliberate since he’s become a focal point in the anti-horse slaughter movement. A bill has been introduced on Capitol Hill to ban horse slaughter for good. And even the governor of New Mexico released a statement about his business, saying “…creating a slaughterhouse in New Mexico is wrong.”

Over a hundred thousand of these animals are already rounded up every year and slaughtered across the border – the meat shipped to Europe and Asia. It’s a thriving international business, but still barely making a dent in the U.S. horse overpopulation problem. Domesticated horses are abandoned and wild horses simply left to breed unchecked.

Still, animal rights advocates insist more regulated and supervised horse slaughter here in the U.S. is not the answer. “Horse slaughter can never be done humanely, partially because of the nature of horses,” said Lisa Jennings of Animal Protection of New Mexico. “When you have an animal that’s what is called ‘fractious,’ where they wanna run, they wanna be safe, you can’t humanely slaughter them.”

Advocates say there are other ways to manage horse overpopulation – including finding more funding for places like The Horse Shelter – a non-profit that takes in, treats, and occasionally euthanizes abandoned animals. The shelter’s Jennifer Rios says Americans have an emotional bond with horses making it impossible to think of them simply as livestock.

“I think they represent freedom,” Rios said. “You see a horse running, and there’s nothing more freeing-looking than a horse.”

But to De los Santos’ horses represent economic freedom. They point out there are too many unwanted horses to be sheltered. Besides, they just want to put their employees back to work.

“Why continue to outsource,” Sarah de los Santos asked. “I mean, this whole election is gonna be about jobs.”

The USDA says it’s not preventing the de Los Santos’ from providing jobs. The agency just needs more time to train inspectors. Now the couple is also being threatened with fines for alleged improper composting and both fear the threat they face from activists who have targeted them.

“They yell and scream and picket and do everything else,” Rick de los Santos said. “And, for a small voice out here, in Roswell, New Mexico, you know, how loud can we scream? You know, those organizations are very powerful, very wealthy. And you know, how long can we go on?” But he has faith. “And I believe things will work out. I really do.”

De los Santos knows it’ll be easy selling horsemeat to foreign markets. But it’ll be much more difficult to sell the American public on a simple idea: Horses can be your friends, but they can also be your food.

News Link:-http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57441487/slaughterhouse-owner-defends-plan-to-butcher-horses/

Related articles

• State Officials, Humane Groups Oppose Proposed Horse Slaughter Plant in New Mexico (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)

Chained-dog cruelty case prompts reward

LOS LUNAS, N.M. (KRQE) – An animal-protection group is offering a reward for information on a cruelty case where an underweight dog was found dragging 25 pounds of chain.

The 3-year-old shepherd mix was found in the El Cerro Mission area east of Los Lunas last week dragging 25 pounds of heavy chain wrapped around his neck.

The dog was about 15 pounds underweight, and the chain had worn the fur off his neck.

Now the Valencia County Animal Shelter and Animal Protection of New Mexico (APNM) want to find the person who did this to the dog.

APNM is offering a $1500 reward for tips that lead to an arrest.

Valencia County Animal Control Officer Erik Tanner said they had to call in firefighters with rescue tools to cut the chain off the dog because bolt cutters couldn’t handle the job. The dog was tranquilized and the chain cut off.

The dog is now at the shelter, but Tanner said he is not adoptable now because he is fearful and possibly aggressive.

There is good news, though. The animal rescue group “Almost Home New Mexico” has agreed to take in the dog and put him through rehabilitation.

Janelle Chavez with Almost Home said they will evaluate the dog and then work to earn back his trust. That could happen almost immediately or take some time, she added.

Her group is looking for donations to help pay for the training and care for the dog.

Chaining dogs is legal in Valencia County, but Tanner said the chain had been on so long that it had worn away the dog’s fur. They consider this cruelty, he said.

In Valencia County, animal cruelty carries a $300 fine and up to 90 days in jail.

Anyone with information about the dog or its owner can call the Valencia County Animal Shelter at 866-2479.

News Link:-http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/chained-dog-cruelty-case-prompts-reward