RED DEER – Packing plants slaughter 100,000 horses a year in North America for human consumption, but an American equine veterinarian argues that could end if the United States passes legislation to ban processing of horses for meat.
Nat Messer of the University of Missouri told a recent horse industry conference in Red Deer that eight federal plants killed almost 350,000 horses in 1990, but by 1998 that had dropped to 80,000 at three plants.
Changes to tax laws, fewer plants and perhaps a decision among horse breeders to cut back on foals made fewer animals available. Canada handled about 20,000.
A breakdown from the latest figures on slaughter numbers in Canada and the U.S. as of 2003 indicate 42.2 percent, or 24, 712 horses, were geldings while 52.1 percent, or 30,030, were mares. The remainder were stallions or were listed as unknown.
More than 34,000 of the slaughter horses were Quarterhorses or Quarterhorse types.
Reliable data has not been kept on horse exports to Mexico, but 6,500 horses were shipped in 2005. With the possibility of a U.S. ban, Messer speculated more horses were likely shipped to Mexico in 2006.
