Dear Editor:
I have to respond to Wednesday's article "Judge blocks permits for Missouri horse slaughter plant."
Barbara Sink and two Missouri horse rescue groups are parties to a lawsuit against DNR to stop the permit before it can move forward. Sink described herself "as passionate about horses" and would be aggrieved (to make to feel injured or insulted) if the horse slaughter plant was to open.
If she can sue on those grounds then horse owners, trainers, riders and breeders can also sue Sinks, horse rescue, animal right actives, DNR, EPA and other government agencies and officials.
Hundreds of breeders, riders, trainers, show people in Missouri alone have definitively been injured and insulted. If you are in the horse business you live, eat, sleep, breath horses. You have to be passionate about horses to stay in the business.
Another part of the article stated four horse veterinarians provide information that 100 drugs are authorized for horses but not for humans, cattle, hogs, poultry.
If you have or have had cancer you know that only certain drugs are authorized for certain types of cancer.
Let us think about the economy loss to the state of Missouri. For every horse you feed is a $1,000 times that by 1,000 horses. That is $1 million to feed companies and that does not include meds, dewormers, vet care etc.
One hundred riders or barn hands at $20,000 is $2 million. Billions of dollars have been lost revenue to this country with the stoppage of horse slaughter.
The big revenue loss is the sales of trucks, trailers, gas used to run up and down the highway every week for horse shows and horse business.
Six years ago I sold three yearlings at a sale. In the next couple of weeks I purchased a good used pickup and a new 24-foot trailer.
This past November I had seven yearlings at the sale and their total sales dollars were the same dollar amounts as the cheaper colt I sold six years ago. They were out of the same mare stud. Talk about injury and insult.
If people in this country do not want to eat horse meat so be it. There are other countries where horse meat is a delicacy. There are countries that eat armadillos, snakes, grub worms and bugs.
Let the slaughter plants operate and export. They would provide jobs and export income for our country at the same time providing a good meal for the poor and hungry.