The Rural Voice, 1980-10, Page 46Fleece
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Horsemeat industry
Continued from page 12
U.S.A. prohibits all shipping of live
horses by sea.
In North America the meat is hung for
10 to 15 days before cooking. Europeans
like it fresh and suppliers rush their
products to market to obtain the best
price. This is a reason for using aircraft
for shipping.
Horses are delivered to the Owen
Sound supplier from Ontario and
Manitoba, and from Michigan, Ohio and
Indiana in the U.S.A.
Although there are very few wild
horses left, there are more horses now
than in the days of the one horsepower
buggy.
Horses sent to the abattoir are
unwanted: draft horses, rodeo horses,
riding horses, circus horses, balky, old
and sulky, or a $100,000 race horse that
can no longer run. Some animals arriving
at the factory have obviously been
mistreated and the butcher is doing it a
favour by putting it out of its misery.
Top money is paid by slaughter house
owners for livestock weighing 900 pounds
or more and well filled out. Work horses
are second grade.
A quiet profile is kept by the suppliers
as many people look askance at eating
horse meat and consider it contemptible
and unsavoury.
Yet people from some countries like
dogs and cats for food, and it has been
said that our groundhogs are tasty if
cooked properly, so opinions certainly
differ.
The processors take pride in their
work and exercise great care. They are
aware that people are against their
operations but the plant is always open to
the public.
There is absolutely no horse trading
after delivery because resale might
spread infection. If an animal is found
dead on arrival in the truck -trailer there is
an immediate autopsy to control disease.
Horses from the U.S.A. are killed within
72 hours after crossing the border. No
serious diseases have been found since
the plant visited started in 1967. If there
were one found, tracing to the source
would begin at once.
Although parts of the foregoing seem
rather gruesome, this industry, in one
case, projdes work for between 15 and
20 employees, as well as for farmers,
truckers, and related serivces.
And so the world turns.
MITCHELL HENSALL GRANTON
348-8433 262-2527 225-2360
0 Receiving Pits for faster unloading
of your harvest
cialists in White Beans"
rs of HYLAND SEED WHEAT
)ur Hy ana seed corn now for 1980
Fall Ploughdown Fertilizers
delivered Bulk or Custom spread
r Crop Advisory Headquarters is at, s
H
0 m pso
N
THE RURAL VOICE/OCTOBER 1980 PG. 45