It’s almost easier to find foie gras in the 49th Ward than it is to find someone someone willing to go on record defending the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Now, on the heels of the Illinois House voting to shut down DeKalb slaughterhouse Cavel International, which exports horse meat to Europe, there’s an eloquent argument against the ban in a letter to the editor published in today’s Sun-Times. The writer, an Ottawa breeder, points out that that banning horse slaughter in the U.S isn’t going to stop domestic animals from being exported on longer, more inhumane road trips to Canada and Mexico. Horse slaughter, she writes, is an economic reality, and its prohibition will have a trickle-down effect that will impact every level of the equine industry and force small family operations out of business.
“If you, as an individual, feel that horse slaughter is cruel or unnecessary,” she continues, “I challenge you to put your money where your mouth is: Purchase and care for a few of these horses that have nowhere to go, or volunteer time or goods at a rescue facility that will be stressed past its capabilities if this bill passes.”
Now, who’s actually eaten horse meat? I had it on a sandwich from a street stand in Sicily once. Delicious. Anyone else?