Would you, could you, eat a horse?

[SpAmRaY]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/11/01/judge-clears-way-for-domestic-horse-slaughter/3360471/

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) — A federal judge on Friday cleared the way for horse slaughterhouses to resume operating in the U.S. as early as next week.

U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo in Albuquerque threw out a lawsuit by The Humane Society of the United States and other animal protection groups that alleged the Department of Agriculture failed to conduct proper environmental studies when it issued permits to Valley Meat Co. in Roswell, New Mexico, and an Iowa company to slaughter horses for human consumption.

The decision ends, for now, a two-year battle by Valley Meat to open the slaughterhouse.

The issue of horse slaughter has divided horse rescue and animal welfare groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes about what is the most humane way to deal with the country's horse overpopulation and what rescue groups have said are a rising number of neglected and starving horses as the West deals with persistent drought.

The plants would become the first horse slaughterhouse to operate in the U.S. since Congress banned the practice by eliminating funding for inspections at the plants in 2006. It restored that funding in 2011, but the Department of Agriculture did not approve the first permits for horse slaughter plants until this summer.

The companies want to ship horse meat to countries where it is consumed by humans or used as animal feed.

The Iowa company converted to cattle because of the court fight. But attorneys say Valley and Rains Natural Meats of Gallatin, Missouri, are poised to open as early as Monday.

A temporary order blocking a return to domestic equine slaughter had expired Thursday night. Attorneys for the groups that sued the Agriculture Department over its permitting procedures then filed a motion Friday seeking an extension of the restraining order.

Blair Dunn, who represents Valley Meat and Rains Natural Meats, said he would fight any further attempts to keep the plants closed. He said he had calls into the Department of Justice, which represents the Department of Agriculture, to get inspectors dispatched to the plants.

"Rains Natural Meat in Missouri will be ready to go on Monday," he said.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[vun]

I have actually eaten horse meat, not on its own, but as part of a type of salami. They stopped using horse meat in them a while back, though.

Personally I don't have any problems eating horse meat, but I have no specific desire to eat it either.

[Tym]

Apparently ive been eating horse burgers for years instead of beef.

Doesn't bother me too much. People always go on about "urh meh gawd, this chicken had a sad life I can taste it" and I'm just like, "Yum"

[Malphas]

Same as vun, I could without issue, but have no particular desire to either. On a broader note, I do think the meat industry in general is unethical, regardless of species and if I wasn't so nihilistic and apathetic I'd make the effort to adopt a pescetarian diet.

[zenuty]

I have experience eat a raw horse meat when visit to japan
Its was horse sushi.

Taste is similar to with others beef.

[Tym]

Its was horse sushi.

 ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

[zenuty]

           

[metalliqaz]

Lots and lots of people have eaten horse meat in hamburgers when they thought they were only eating cow.  look it up

[CPTBadAss]

Yes I would and could.

[tipo33]

I have, It's pretty good, widely available in Europe.

[naokira]

Horse is meh. Try frogs. And I'm serious frogs can be eaten.  )

[Tym]

Horse is meh. Try frogs. And I'm serious frogs can be eaten.  )

Frogs legs, stereotypical french delicacy?

[SpAmRaY]

Horse is meh. Try frogs. And I'm serious frogs can be eaten.  )

I love some frog legs!! Turtle meat is also very good.

[naokira]

Horse is meh. Try frogs. And I'm serious frogs can be eaten.  )

Frogs legs, stereotypical french delicacy?

As in the whole frog. Here, they cook it in Adobo style (I don't know the translation of it)

Like this:

More

I think some would be disgusted so I made it like a spoiler.

[SpAmRaY]

^^ I'd eat that, of course I would eat a horse to....I mean so long as I wouldn't die I'd eat most any animal that was properly cooked

[Tym]

^^ I'd eat that, of course I would eat a horse to....I mean so long as I wouldn't die I'd eat most any animal that was properly cooked

Could you?

 

[naokira]

Even a dog or cat? HAHA

[SpAmRaY]

^^ I'd eat that, of course I would eat a horse to....I mean so long as I wouldn't die I'd eat most any animal that was properly cooked

Could you?

 

Rabbit taste like chicken...my gramps used to raise them when I was a kid!!

Even a dog or cat? HAHA

Probably only if the zombies were coming....

[dante]

As long as you can turn it into a burger I'd give it a go

[BucklingSpring]

I would only eat horse meat if it was not killed for its meat. (Had a normal horse life then died)

I'm against horse production for food

[nubbinator]

I would only eat horse meat if it was not killed for its meat. (Had a normal horse life then died)

I'm against horse production for food

I'm in a similar place, but you wouldn't want to eat a horse that died of natural causes or was slaughtered when it was old.  It would be nasty and unsafe meat.

I'd only eat horse if it was a free range horse that was pasture raised, had a natural diet that was not stuffed full of antibiotics and things given to fatten it up like they do with factory beef and chicken, and it was quickly and humanely slaughtered.  That last one is harder than it sounds since a lot of slaughterhouses aren't perfect and will have some animals that aren't yet dead when they go to slaughter and fill the animals with fear as they're waiting to be slaughtered.  Of course, I'm like that with all meat.  I'll only eat meat that's from animals that were either hunted as part of population control measures in order to maintain balance in nature or animals that lived a wholesome life and were slaughtered humanely.

[Tym]

I would only eat horse meat if it was not killed for its meat. (Had a normal horse life then died)

I'm against horse production for food

You also against cattle production for food and if so why?

[Asininity]

I don't understand why people are somehow alright with going to Wendy's and gobbling down a butchered cow but not horse. Cows and horses are very similar, they're both livestock. I think social stigma probably has a lot to do with people's views.

[SpAmRaY]

I don't understand why people are somehow alright with going to Wendy's and gobbling down a butchered cow but not horse. Cows and horses are very similar, they're both livestock. I think social stigma probably has a lot to do with people's views.

I don't understand why people are somehow alright with going to Wendy's and gobbling down a butchered cow but not horse. Cows and horses are very similar, they're both livestock. I think social stigma probably has a lot to do with people's views.

People tend to treat horses with much more respect than cows, they treat them like pets. They brush there hair and give them names and even spend the night with them when they are sick.

And if more people saw where most cows actually come from (in the usa) they probably wouldn't be eating beef either, the cow we had butchered than came from the field next to our home was much tastier, cooked better etc than ground beef you buy in the store.

[nubbinator]

And if more people saw where most cows actually come from (in the usa) they probably wouldn't be eating beef either, the cow we had butchered than came from the field next to our home was much tastier, cooked better etc than ground beef you buy in the store.

Meat production as a whole is pretty horrendous with poultry and cows being some of the worst.  Goats and sheep tend to be raised in somewhat better conditions, but poultry are in overcrowded pens and often live with dead and rotting animals before they get discovered, and just all around deplorable conditions.  I'm vegetarian, but I'd eat free range, pasture raised, hormone and antibiotic free beef or poultry.  Like you said, it tastes better.  Even their eggs taste better (chickens, not cows).

[vun]

And if more people saw where most cows actually come from (in the usa) they probably wouldn't be eating beef either, the cow we had butchered than came from the field next to our home was much tastier, cooked better etc than ground beef you buy in the store.

Meat production as a whole is pretty horrendous with poultry and cows being some of the worst.  Goats and sheep tend to be raised in somewhat better conditions, but poultry are in overcrowded pens and often live with dead and rotting animals before they get discovered, and just all around deplorable conditions.  I'm vegetarian, but I'd eat free range, pasture raised, hormone and antibiotic free beef or poultry.  Like you said, it tastes better.  Even their eggs taste better (chickens, not cows).

You got something against cow eggs?

On a more serious note; I'd probably eat less meat if I lived in the US, but from what I've seen the conditions are a bit better here.
Some of the footage I've seen from the US meat industry is horrendous, and while I'm sure you'll find cases of neglect everywhere, I am under the impression that the industry holds a higher standard in Norway.

[Malphas]

You also against cattle production for food and if so why?

I don't understand why people are somehow alright with going to Wendy's and gobbling down a butchered cow but not horse. Cows and horses are very similar, they're both livestock. I think social stigma probably has a lot to do with people's views.

To be fair, cows have been bred to be docile; simple livestock; whilst horses have been bred as an intelligent working/companion animal that responds to human instruction. As a result there are differences between the two intellectually.  It's not that I disagree with your sentiment (I don't), but the hackneyed argument of "well you'd eat a cow and that's basically the same as a horse" is overly simplistic and flawed.

[tp4tissue]

^^ I'd eat that, of course I would eat a horse to....I mean so long as I wouldn't die I'd eat most any animal that was properly cooked

Show Image

Could you?

 :eek:

NO.. I couldn't eat it... it's too cute.....   Hollywood programmed me such that it's only Ok to eat ugly animals and ugly people are almost always the bad guy...

[kolonelkadat]

its meat, so why not really? I think its probably more wasteful to raise horses just to be eaten, but as a secondary function of their existence, I dont have a problem with it.

I think the more interesting question is whether or not you would eat human meat.

[noisyturtle]

Had some horse in Italy. It was good, almost a bit of sweetness to the meat although it's a weird color. Like an off yellowish red meat.

[rowdy]

I thought this was going to be some kind of Dr Seuss.

Would you, could you, eat a horse?
Would you, could you, without remorse?

[iri]

horse meat is healthy, so yes. most likely i'd do this in kazakhstan, which has some tasty horse meat dishes.

[Findecanor]

I wouldn't eat a horse, because I am a vegetarian.

But I have heard that horse meat can be pretty good meat.  Plus, it is better for the environment than eating beef or mutton, because horses are not ruminants.

[Morwrath]

No problem eating horse-meat at all.

[agodinhost]

Horse meat is very common in Switzerland. The cow meat is very expensive there then the horse meat is what the "normal" poor guys have to eat ...

I eat it once there and I didn't liked - dunno how to explain, dunno if it was the sauce or the meat itself.

[Elrick]

Had some horse in Italy. It was good, almost a bit of sweetness to the meat although it's a weird color. Like an off yellowish red meat.

I was in Viareggio about 15 years ago and I was staying at my friend's place, were she was living behind a horse slaughterhouse.  Funny to see them herded into the shed and all get quiet (no screaming) at the end.

She actually buys about 15 kgs of their meat every week (very cheap and extremely fresh).  I wish I could live near a slaughterhouse, beautiful place were animals become our instant food  .

[Melvang]

I would try about any kind of meat on a menu so long as what they have on the menu is what they are serving.