Recently and very quietly the government has effectively lifted a measure cutting off funding for horse meat inspections which essentially banned the practice. The measure was passed through Congress in 2006 after other efforts to pass outright bans on horse slaughter failed. By removing funding for federal inspections the horse slaughter houses couldn't operate in compliance and had to be shut down.

Congress lifted the ban in a spending bill President Barack Obama signed into law Nov. 18 to keep the government afloat until mid-December.

According to local published news articles "The USDA issued a statement Tuesday saying there are no slaughterhouses in the U.S. that butcher horses for human consumption now, but if one were to open, it would conduct inspections to make sure federal laws were being followed....But pro-slaughter activists that they are scrambling to get a plant going — possibly in Wyoming, North Dakota, Nebraska or Missouri. They estimate a slaughterhouse could open in 30 to 90 days with state approval and eventually as many as 200,000 horses a year could be slaughtered for human consumption. Most of the meat would be shipped to countries in Europe and Asia, including France and Japan. "

Lets show congress that we want to move forward in humane animal rights - not backward! Lets ask them to re-enact the ban on funding for inspections and save these intelligent and beautiful animals!