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Horse processing is a private property issue, Stenholm saysBy Doug Rich
The horse slaughter issue is a private property issue according to former U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm, D-TX, who was a featured speaker at the 96th annual Kansas Livestock Association convention held Dec. 4 and 5 in Wichita, Kan. Stenholm said he has become the unofficial spokesperson for this controversial issue after working with over 200 horse and livestock associations. Stenholm said most people in the livestock industry know that horses are livestock and that something has to be done with unwanted horses. "We have tried to make it clear to those horse owners that do not believe their horses should be processed and consumed in another country--for human consumption--that we agree with them that their horse is private property," Stenholm said. "No one should tell you what to do with your private property, other than treat it humanely," Stenholm said. The livestock industry has been derelict in its duty by not being more pro-active regarding how they treat their animals. Stenholm said the industry needs to get its message on the evening news a little more often. "We need to at least counter the Humane Society and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) with their view of the world, which is perfectly honest from their point of view, and I accept that," Stenholm said. "I respect the right of people to differ with my opinion." There are groups out there that want to change agriculture, and they are using issues like horse processing to accomplish that goal. Stenholm said these people don't like what has been accomplished by agriculture, which is to provide the most abundant, safest, and highest quality food supply in the world. "Are we perfect? No," Stenholm said. "Do we make mistakes? Yes. Do we correct our mistakes? Yes, we do." Stenholm said if people want to classify horses as pets then they should be ready for Congress to take away the tax deductions for horses as livestock. If horses are no longer livestock, what is the basis for a tax deduction as a business expense? When Congress passed the ban that closed the last three horse processing plants in this country, Stenholm said they were warned about the problem of what to do with all of the unwanted horses. There are 120,000 unwanted horses in this country and that number grows by 4,000 to 5,000 head a year, according to Stenholm. It is costing taxpayers $50 million a year to maintain feedlots full of unwanted horses. Even horse sanctuaries are full and running out of money. "With all due respect to T. Boone Pickens and his wife--who want to save all of the wild horses--they have to be placed on somebody's land at somebody's expense," Stenholm said. "Most of it will be at taxpayers' expense." An unintended consequence of the ban on horse processing in this country has been to cut off a supply of horse meat for zoo animals. Meat eating animals in zoos around the country historically have been fed horse meat. Now zoo managers are forced to import horse meat at twice the cost, just as most zoos are struggling to survive financially. Local officials around the country are struggling with how to deal with abandoned horses. "It is one thing to deal with unwanted cats or dogs. But what do you do with unwanted horses?" Stenholm said. "This is a legitimate issue, but let's talk about it in the realm of common sense," Stenholm said. "Why can't we turn a food resource, that some people in the world do eat, into something they can use?" Doug Rich can be reached by phone at 785-749-5304 or by e-mail at richhpj@aol.com. 12/22/08 Date: 12/18/08
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