Last week I posted about the recent reinstatement of federal funding for horse slaughter inspection. As a a member of the horse industry, I can attest to the fact that many horse owners are very excited about this development. For more of my thoughts and the facts behind this issue, read last week’s post by clicking here.
A lot of people have said, “We don’t eat horsemeat in the U.S. so why slaughter it here?” My question is, “Why don’t we eat it here?” A 100 gram serving is a good source of iron and protein and it has less fat per 100 gram serving of beef sirloin.
I am expecting the run of the mill responses; horses are pets, my religion prohibits it, horses are majestic, it’s wrong etc etc. Who are we to judge what others should eat? Aren’t we as consumers constantly saying how much we appreciate having food choices? This is just another choice that American agriculture can provide to a struggling economy. Furthermore, the U.S. is small percentage of the world population and what we eat doesn’t dictate the eating habits of the rest of the world. For example: you’d think things like bacon or grape jelly were pretty run of the mill products, right? Wrong. The U.S. should not condemn those who choose to investigate alternative sources of protein due to income, religion, morals or taste preferences.
For the record, I have NOT tried horse meat but in my defense I’ve only been presented with the opportunity once while in Germany. Mark my words, I’ll try it the next time I have a chance.
If you too would like to try horse meat here is a simple chart that gives a breakdown of the meat cuts.
Comments
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bbuzzard13@gmail.com
Well put Amanda. I totally agree. As a society we need to be less judgmental, more accepting and not jump to conclusions or down someone's throat every time news breaks about agriculture.
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Justin Matthews
Totally agree with you, there was a store selling horse meat in Australia and it just turned into a complete media circus. Who are we to judge what people/cultures eat. It would good for people to realize just (as you guys so rightfully said) how many beneficial products are derived from horses and that they are not wasted.
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bbuzzard13@gmail.com
Thanks for the comment, Justin. I totally agree. We need to think outside the box if we're going to feed 9 bill. people in 50 years and we definitely don't need to be judging other on their culture. The United States does NOT do everything right – not even close to half, actually.
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bbuzzard13@gmail.com
p.s. Justin – was that store that sold horse meat in Perth? Because I think I know which one you're talking about.
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Anonymous
http://www.humanesociety.org ! No ! We don't eat our pets or horses in an economic crisis.S 1176 on go and try the frog-gig-in people. 70% of Americans are not going for this ! We may have 1 out 45 kids homeless and millions on food stamps and that just went up in percentage but we will not eat our pets and horses.Who are the PETA people ? Dog and cat lover's ? Kick in the "Down Home Shake Down" on HR 2966 ! Horses dancing in the barn ! Rock and Roll ! Flip,Flop and Fly !Call the technology wizards ! Beam a horse into CNN wearing a straw hat that says http://www.humane society.org ! Take your multi-million dollar horse slaughtering idea and stick it where the sun doesn't shine and keep the change.Re-wind Mr. Ed !
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bbuzzard13@gmail.com
This has not come about because of an economic crisis. It's a welfare decision that is good for the horse industry.
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Justin Matthews
Hey Brandi,
Umm I'm not sure whether it was in Perth I had a feeling it might have been down south, but I could be wrong. -
Irene
Agree with you, Brandi. People are irrational about it. Americans eat cows, which are sacred to Hindu culture, eat pigs, which are unfit for consumption by Islamic culture, so who is to say which cultural norm is right? I am vegetarian but that's my personal choice.
Comments are closed.
Amanda
Just a thought to add: whether we consume horse meat in the U.S. or not, all of us benefit from horse byproducts. Glue and gelatin are just a couple of things we're afforded by being able to slaughter horses in this country. I don't know about you, but those are two things I'm kind of a fan of.