What Happens if the Slaughterhouses Close?
One Man’s Opinion by Jerry Finch The writing is on the wall. Recent closing and consolidations have reduced the number of horse slaughterhouses in the US from fourteen down to two, both located in Texas, and a new one in Illinois. Those Texas plants are now under pressure from both Texas and Federal lawyers to shut down their operations. How quickly it will happen is anyone’s guess, but the future of legal horse slaughter is definitely looking grim. The question from people on both sides of the issue is, “What are we going to do with all these horses when the slaughterhouses close?” The number of horses slaughtered in the US has decreased every year since 1989, when it reached a peak of 342,877. In 2001, the total fell to 56,332, less than one percent of the estimated US horse population of 7 million. In a 2001 Animal Sciences Research Report by the Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, titled, “Characterizations of Horses at Auctions and in Slaughter Plants,” state
