people bring him horses and “they
request the horse be used for animal
food.”
“We are not a rendering plant. We
process [kill and butcher] about five
horses a month and about 90% of them
are donated. They are old or blind or
crippled or buck. As long as the owners
request they be used for animal food, we
are legal,” explains the owner. “We are
one of the last places that do this in the
U.S.”
When asked if he had done business
with or bought horse meat from any of
the three large horse slaughter plants
before they closed, he says that he had
“only occasionally traded hides for
trimmings” with one plant.
Central Nebraska Packing, in North
Platte, Nebraska, is one of the larger
producers of zoo carnivore diets in the
U.S.
Marvin Powell, office manager,
says that the company purchases their
horsemeat in Canada now that U.S.
processing plants are closed.
The horsemeat is inspected by
both the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency in Canada and the USDA when
it crosses the border. The company is
proud of refusing to use what is termed
“4-D Meat,” which stands for meat that
comes from “dead, dying, diseased or
disabled” animals.
“When we were processing
horsemeat for humans, the European
Union inspectors would also come and
inspect the meat going to Europe,”
explains Powell. “They had a little
different standard than the USDA, but
were pretty strict. USDA inspectors
tell us that we are cleaner than beef
processing plants.”
Powell says that Nebraska Packing
has worked closely with veterinarians
and nutritionists to mix the right diet for
zoo animals, and that the company ships
about two truckloads a week to zoos, but
that includes some diets not based upon
horsemeat.
Although many U.S. large zoos may
be attempting to phase out horse meat in
the diets of their large carnivores, most
zoos will follow the recommendation of
their nutritionists and veterinarians in
making dietary decisions. This, in turn,
will keep the small businesses
operating that provide them with
horse meat in the U.S.
RMR
www.rockymountainrider.com APRIL 2009 • ROCKY MOUNTAIN RIDER 19
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