I am sick to death of the
pro-horse-slaughter people decrying the demise of the foreign-owned
horse-slaughterhouses that provide horsemeat for human consumption
in Europe and other locales (HCN, 4/30/07). The best argument that
these people can rally is to point out the prohibitive cost of
euthanizing an animal that is no longer useful, or keeping it until
it dies a natural death. In isolated cases such as these,
wouldn’t the cash-poor farmer or rancher just be better off
shooting old Dobbin in the head? It sounds barbaric and cruel, but
this is a quick and acceptable form of euthanasia. This method is
commonly used in Britain, where veterinarians are some of the only
licensed handgun possessors (specifically for euthanizing horses
and cattle). A large-caliber handgun bullet costs approximately $3,
so cost is no longer an issue. There is no “carcass that has
been saturated with a toxic substance” left over.
And it is far more humane than subjecting a horse to the auction
process, the long truck ride, and the final indignity of ending up
on a Frenchman’s plate.
Serena
Carlson
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline You want pommes frites with that?.
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