Congress, stop horsing around

If Congress permits the resumption of horse slaughter in the United States, it will be a difficult start-up.  For one thing, companies will need to make investments in an industry that could be defunded again in a few years.For another, horses aren’t raised for meat.  FSIS recognized that horses had the highest level of residue violations of all the slaughter classes.  As we were looking at regulatory options, Congress made further considerations unnecessary with the ban.  If horse slaughter resumes, expect FSIS to take a stronger regulatory posture than before the ban.So, the abandonment and misery of horses will continue in this country.  Economic uncertainty due to the whims of Congress, and tight regulatory enforcement by FSIS cloud the future of horse slaughter in the United States if the “yeas” have it.  Shipment of live horses over long distances to other countries for slaughter will continue if the “nays” have it. It doesn’t matter whether the House or Senate wins, because the “neighs” will continue to lose.