Posted December 23, 2013
New Mexico’s attorney general, Gary King, filed a
lawsuit on Thursday, to block a horse slaughter facility from opening in the
coming weeks, according to an article by the Associated Press available here.
Horse slaughter in the U.S. has been an ongoing issue
in the courts, with animal welfare groups filing lawsuits to stop plants from
opening. Recently, the 10th
Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued an emergency injunction blocking the
plants from opening, then lifted the order last week, saying the groups
“failed to meet their burden for an injunction pending appeal.”
Owner of Valley Meat Co., Rick De Los Santos, had
planned to open the facility on January 1.
Valley Meat’s attorney, Blair Dunn, said the lawsuit was frivolous and a
waste of tax payer money.
King defended the lawsuit, “saying Valley Meat stands
to violate state laws related to food safety, water quality and unfair business
practices.”
Reuters reports here
that the lawsuit argues that Valley Meat has a history of violating state and
environmental rules. The lawsuit further
argues that since “many horses are administered scores of drugs while alive,
their meat is likely adulterated, unsuitable for human consumption and in
violation of state food safety laws.”
Horse meat is typically not consumed as food in the United States,
but Valley Meat intends to sell it for feed for U.S. zoo animals and for human
consumption in Europe, China, and Japan.
For more information on animal welfare, please visit
the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
