Equine Welfare Concerns

Nearly 105,000 horses were slaughtered for human food in 2006, all in two foreign-owned Texas plants and a third foreign plant in Illinois, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Virtually all the meat was for export, the largest markets being France, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and Mexico. Most of these horses were raised for other purposes, like riding. Although U.S. slaughter has ended for the present, advocates continue to support federal legislation to ban it permanently. This book explores equine welfare concerns with a focus on horse slaughter and the wild and unwanted horse issue.