New Mexico County Opposes Proposed Anti-Slaughter Bill

Eddy County commissioners oppose legislation banning the transport of horses to other countries for processing.
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Commissioners in Eddy County, New Mexico, have unanimously passed a resolution opposing federal legislation that would forbid the transport of horses to other countries for processing.

In 2007, a combination of legislation and court rulings closed the last horse processing plants operating in the United States. Since then, U.S. horses have been exported to processing plants in Canada and Mexico. In April, U.S. Representative Frank Guinta (R-NH) introduced the Safeguard American Food Exports Act, which would prevent horse processing plants from ever opening in the United States and ban the transport of horses to foreign plants for processing. The bill would also protect consumers from horsemeat derived from animals injected with unregulated drugs and other substances. The bill was co-sponsored by Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and others.

During its June 2 meeting, the Eddy County Commission voted unanimously to oppose the bill and Lujan Grisham’s sponsorship of it on grounds that the legislation would increase equine cruelty by denying owners the horse processing option. The resolution also asks other New Mexico lawmakers to oppose the proposed legislation.

“People don’t want slaughter plants in the U.S., and that’s where this all began,” said Eddy County District 1 Commissioner James Walterscheid

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Written by:

Pat Raia is a veteran journalist who enjoys covering equine welfare, industry, and news. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her Tennessee Walking Horse, Sonny.

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