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Horse processing banned  in Snohomish County, Wash.

The governing council for Snohomish County, Washington, unanimously voted to ban the processing of horses for human consumption on
Dec. 19, 2012. The county, located in the northwestern part of the state, was home to a horse processing facility years ago but it has been closed for over a decade, with no plans of re-opening, according to a Dec. 20, 2012, story in the Herald Net. The story also reported that, while most of the two dozen or so testimonies were in favor of the ban, some, including a local veterinarian spoke against the ban. “The question is not whether a horse will be eaten, but by whom?” said Dr. Richard Guthrie of Snohomish. “Is it better to be eaten by hungry people or by hungry worms after burial?”

Guthrie said he owns and loves horses, but believes processing is preferable to having them abandoned or neglected. The money spent to care for these animals could be better used for human welfare, he said.

The Herald Net story also quoted Karen Lee from Snohomish, “There needs to be a good way to get rid of unwanted horses,” Lee said.



According to the Herald Net, Allen Warren, founder of the Horse Harbor Foundation, celebrated the passage of the ban and plans to work with like-minded advocates to push Olympia lawmakers to enact a statewide ban on horse processing. New
Jersey recently enacted a ban, joining California, Texas,
Oklahoma, Illinois and Mississippi in effectively prohibiting the practice.

The county ban will take effect 10 days after being signed by the county executive. F



To read the full story, go to http://www.heraldnet.com.