Another tribe is calling on the Department of Agriculture to allow horse slaughtering.

President Frederick Chino Sr. of the Mescalero Apache Tribe of New Mexico says the resumption of slaughtering is the only way to address a large wild horse population. Some 4,000 animals are roaming the reservation and many face starvation due to lack of food.

"Tribal members are just turning their horses loose because they can't afford to buy a bale of hay for eighteen dollars," Chino told KOB-TV. He said horse slaughtering could generate employment and economic opportunity for the tribe.

Congress inserted a rider in an appropriations act that prohibited the USDA from inspecting horse slaughtering plants that intended to sell meat for human consumption. The provision lapsed in 2011.

A New Mexico company that wants a permit to slaughter horses has a lawsuit pending in federal court.

Get the Story:
Thousands of horses could starve on reservation (KOB-TV 4/2)

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