United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations governing the transportation of horses to slaughter facilities are, relatively speaking, nearing the implementation stage. The transportation of horses to slaughter issue long has been a focus of animal welfare groups, but it wasn’t until 1996 that the U.S. government took official action. As part of the Farm Bill that year, Congress directed the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and implement regulations that would insure the humane transportation of horses to slaughter facilities.

Ultimately, the job of creating the regulations was passed to Veterinary Services of APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services). Heading up the effort for the Veterinary Services has been Tim Cordes, DVM, Senior Staff Veterinarian, Equine Programs.

It is not the role of the Department of Agriculture either to condone or condemn the human consumption of horse meat, Cordes said, but the department does involve itself with all phases of agriculture. For Cordes, who was in private veterinary practice for many years before joining the USDA, involvement as the Veterinary Services representative responsible for spearheading the effort to fulfill the requirements was a challenging learning experience