Mister Ed Says “Eat Me”

by Steven Doyle

Through out the world horses are a general source of meat. In Parma you may find pesto di cavallo, or a horse meat tartare, on the menu. In Austria you may find a type of bologna called Leberkäse, which sometimes can be made with horse, sold at hot dog stands. In China you may find a Donkey Burger on the menu, and in Japan it is common to see raw horse meat called basash which is thinly sliced and eaten raw.

In English speaking countries such as the United States, UK, Canada and Australia eating horse is taboo, but you just might start seeing Trigger or Mister Ed show up on your dinner table soon as it is now legal to slaughter horses for a source of food in the United States. 

On November 18, 2011 the House of Representatives and the United States Senate approved the Conference Committee report on spending bill H2112, which among other things, funds the United States Department of Agriculture.

Horse slaughter has been prohibited in the United States since funding for inspections of horses at slaughter houses was non-existent, and horse meat cannot be sold for human consumption without such inspections.

The House version of the bill retained the de-funding language and the Senate version did not. The conference committee charged with reconciling the two opted to not include it. It is now legal to slaughter horses for humans to eat.

Currently there are nearly 500,000 horses slaughtered worldwide for consumption. Popular English celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey serves horse in his restaurants. The French consider horse a perfect alternative to beef since it is lower in fat, higher in protein and cheaper than beef.

The United States and Canada have always exported horses for slaughter, this new bill just allows the meat to actually be produced in the States.

Will you eat horse meat if offered by local butchers? Are we hypocritical for placing a taboo on eating horses?