Noxious
drugs are not only present in the meat intended for human consumption
overseas but also in the waste water and sludge produced during
processing.
HISTORICALLY,
the negative environmental impact of horse slaughter plants has been
well documented.
In 2007, all three of the foreign owned horse
slaughter plants in the United States were shut down under Texas and
Illinois state laws. The two Texas based plants, Beltex in Dallas and
Dallas Crown in Kaufman, were closed in February when the 5th
District court ruled that a 1949 law against selling horse meat was
valid and in force. The remaining plant, Cavel International in
DeKalb, Illinois, closed in mid-September of the same year under a
new state law making horse slaughter illegal.[1]
It
was community administrators and local residents who actively
petitioned to have horse slaughter plants shut, citing the extreme
disregard for the welfare of the people and locales where they
existed as well as the merciless suffering of the horses sent to
them.
NUMEROUS VIOLATIONS PLAGUE COMMUNITIES
All
three horse slaughter plants amassed numerous environmental
violations and overwhelmed the waste water infrastructures due to
dumping of blood, entrails, urine, feces, heads and hooves.
The
Dallas Crown horse slaughter facility had been in operation in
Kaufman since the late 70's and from the beginning had caused
problems both economically and environmentally. "The
slaughterhouse constantly flooded the town’s drinking water with
blood and tissue – literally coming out of the taps – and had
never complied with city water standards, or paid
fines."[2]
Furthermore,
in May 2002, the City noted that another public health hazard "was
the vector attraction due to bones and horseflesh falling off your
bone trailer" and that "dogs were carrying the bones into
the community."[3]
In
fact, in an open letter to state legislators considering pro-horse
slaughter resolutions, the town’s mayor at the time, Paula Bacon,
referenced Public Works reports regarding effluent and waste water
violations "decaying meat [which] provides a foul odor and is an
attraction for vermin and carrion," containers conveyed
"uncovered and leaking liquids," there are "significant
foul odors during the daily monitoring of the area," and "Dallas
Crown continually neglects to perform within the standards required
of them."[4]
Beltex
was a Texas Corporation with European shareholders that had been
slaughtering horses for human consumption for 27 years.
As
with Dallas Crown, Beltex had a non-unionized workforce. OSHA records
revealed that since the plants' inception in 1977 until its last
inspection in 1997, Beltex had committed 29 violations of which 28
were deemed serious. OSHA records show that an ammonia leak occurred
in 1996, but no one (fortunately) died or was permanently disabled.
In 2000 the facility "accidentally pumped blood into the creek"
and "in 2001, they were notified that waste water was flowing
into adjacent properties and into the creek."[5]
Of
particular note, the Sanitation Group of DeKalb, Illinois, where
Cavel International was located, identified the incomparable hazard
associated with the discharge from horse slaughter facilities.
"This
hazard is uniquely acute for horse slaughter because of the wide
range of drugs given to horses that are clearly labeled NOT FOR USE
IN HORSES INTENDED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION."[6]
These
noxious drugs are not only present in the meat intended for human
consumption overseas but also in the waste water and sludge produced
during processing. This runoff has the potential to contaminate
down-stream water intakes, including groundwater used for human
consumption, and can enter the food chain via sludge distribution on
crops.
Unlike the aforementioned, decades old horse slaughter
plants in Texas, Cavel International in Illinois was a sparkling new,
purpose built facility that re-opened in June, 2004 with a
state-of-the-art pre-treatment system.
Additionally, Cavel
International had special Industrial Waste Permits that allowed much
higher (8 times higher) contamination levels for waste water leaving
the slaughter house. But Cavel was still out of compliance, and not
just a few times. This facility was in significant non-compliance
hundreds of times. In one report, a Cavel employee acknowledges
"chunks" from slaughtered horses were oozing out of tanks.
This does not include the numerous safety violations documented by
the FSIS.[7]
As
a final point, these practices and findings are not limited to the
US.
In Canada,
Natural Valley Farms in Neudorf, Saskatchewan, was shut down by the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency in 2009 for food safety concerns. NVF
went into receivership on September 22, 2008, yet horses continued to
be slaughtered at the facility by Velda Group, an international
Belgian-based company. Velda was infamous in Illinois for numerous
environmental charges and convictions at their Cavel International
horse slaughter plant that closed business in September 2007.[8]
"Blood
disposal appears to have been equally problematic for NVF as with
other horse slaughter plants. Not only do horses have twice the
quantity of blood as cows, but the blood is notoriously difficult to
treat. The bacterial agents used in standard cattle digesters fail to
provide acceptable discharge levels because of antibiotics often
found in horse blood. As a result, pollution follows the horse
slaughter industry where ever it goes."[9]
Former
mayor of Kaufman, Paula Bacon, comments "In Canada they have
apparently become even more blatant, dumping huge untreated piles of
entrails onto open ground and even using a tanker truck to discharge
blood and refuse into a local river."[10]
In
any case, the negative environmental impacts and the chronic
inability of the facilities to comply with local laws pertaining to
waste management and air and water quality far outweigh any
benefits.
This quote by Henry Skjerven, an investor and former
director of NVF, sums it up: "Natural Valley Farms died the day
the decision makers chose to kill horses . . . ."[11]
Environmental
issues continue to plague the horse slaughter industry. On December
3, 2010, the Bouvry Exports horse slaughter plant in Fort MacLeod,
Alberta closed operations to complete renovations related to
sanitation.[12]
_________________________
[1]
Holland, John; Horse Slaughter Trends 2006-2010; Equine Welfare
Alliance; http://tiny.cc/jscti
; Feb. 2010.
[2] Testimony of Congressman John E. Sweeney;
H.R. 503 – American Horse Slaughter Protection Act;
http://republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/108/hearings/07252006Hearing1992/Sweeney.pdf
; Jul. 25, 2006.
[3] Sorg, Lisa; Violations Dog Beltex, Dallas
Crown; http://tiny.cc/ag62l
; Jun. 19, 2003.
[4] Bacon, Paula; Open letter to state
legislatures considering pro-horse slaughter resolutions; Animal Law
Coalition; http://tiny.cc/2wrx6
; Feb. 13, 2009.
[5] Sorg, Lisa (http://tiny.cc/ag62l).
[6]
DeKalb Sanitary District; DeKalb Sanitary District Board meeting
Minutes; http://tiny.cc/31y3m
; Jan. 18, 2006.
[7] Allen, Laura; Animal Law Coalition;
“Sacia introduces new bill to support horse slaughter,” ;
http://tiny.cc/ufjo4
; Jan. 14, 2010.
[8] Holland, John; Canadian Horse Defense
Coalition, Summary of Cavel International Violations – Non
Compliance and Response; http://tiny.cc/sjwwj
; undated.
[9] Holland, John; Horse Slaughter Dream a
Financial Nightmare; Harnesslink Newsroom; http://tiny.cc/tq5o6
; May 14, 2009.
[10] Holland, John
(http://tiny.cc/sjwwj).
[11]
Holland, John (http://tiny.cc/tq5o6).
[12]
Press Release; Canadian Horse Defence Coalition; http://tiny.cc/n6nx7
; Dec. 10, 2010.
