Issue: The Nevada Board of Agriculture minutes reveal a discussion on how to open up a horse slaughter plant for the Virginia Range horses.Date: January 3,2013For some months horse advocates have predicted two things. That the Nevada Department of Agriculture’s claims that they aren’t trying to sell horses for slaughter is the pure nonsense that it is, and that the end game is to test public opinion to see if the public would stomach having our free-roaming horses go to the slaughterhouses.In reality advocates apparently underestimated theactual situation. After struggling to get documents from the Department of Agriculture, Carrol Abelhas been going through the minutes of meetings of the Board of Agriculture and is discovering that some startling conversations have taken place.The minutes also reveal that the Department of Agriculture is flat lying to the public when they put out statements that horses that they dump off the livestock auction aren’t at risk of going to the slaughter buyers.
The following text is from the December 6th, 2011 meeting of the Nevada Board of Agriculture. A complete copy of the minutes can be downloaded here. We chose to print the entire discussion about the Virginia Range horses in order to provide more complete context. The slaughterhouse issue, and references to discussions with Governor Sandoval, start in the 5th paragraph. (Typos that appear below are the same as they appear in the minutes.) |
Name of Organization: Nevada Board of Agriculture Date and Time of Meeting: December 6, 2011 Place of Meeting: Nevada Department of Agriculture 405 S. 21st Street Sparks, Nevada 89431 775-353-3601 Minutes December 6, 2011 Board Members Present: Board Members Absent: Alan Perazzo, Chairman Ramona Morrison Paul Anderson Dean Baker Charlie Frey Grady Jones Paul Noe Jim Snyder Boyd Spratling Dave Stix, Jr. Hank Vogler Staff Members Present: Guests: Jim Barbee Don Alt,NLSA Bryan Stockton Jerry Lentz Mark Jensen John M. Wildlife Jay Ludlow Trish Swain, Trail Safe Joann Mothershead, Elko Joey Hastings, Governor's Office Jodi Protopappas Audry Spratling Doug Busselman, NV Farm Bureau Don Molde Billy Howard, Trail Safe (Jump to item in Director's Report, bottom of Page 3.) October 4, 2011- conference call meeting with Board to go to workshop. Met with Dept. of corrections and worked thru Gov office dealing with VR Horse issues. Horses up for sale at the Stewart Correctional facility we are giving the horse advocacy groups an opportunity at the horse we have collected first come first serve, identified cost to Agriculture to collect horses in traps take horses to prison, feed, processing, branding on left hip if they do not buy horses today then horses will be transported to fallon on Wednesday can't afford to hold and feed horses with the budget restraints we are in. We will continue to keep horses off the roadway for public safety. We continue to have horses hit on the highway. Don Alt shared that along 95 route looking at completing fence line by dept. of transporation. Word from DOT putting in a horse underpass past moundhouse around stagecoach area that will hopefully help with the horses coming across the roadway. October 13,2011- met with Amy Lueder, USDA re: V. Range issues felt there is a connection between the pinenut herd and the Lahontan herd areas. They are adamate there is no genetic connection between those horses and Carson river keeps horses from moving back and forth. I have walked across the Carson river when things are pretty dry, Director questions that stand. They are willing to support us with equipment, traps but they believe they have no responsibility or liablility with the horses that are on the Virginia Range. Dave Sticks Jr. comment: -for the record can you tell everyone where the funding is coming for for state personnel to do this? Barbee answers: Animal identification which is fee based thru Brands, and registrations, certificates, trip permits is the fee source. Advertised price for this mornings sale is 90.00 per head. Charlie Frey comment, question: for the record: - Have you had meetings with Governor re: the slaughter of horses, how is public conception being changed? Jim Barbee: Briefly talked about it. Have not seen it as huge impact relative to VR horses immediately. Charlie Frey: Thought if we could create demand it would take some of the responsibility off this dept. and open up a market place. I think it is something for the general public to consider in view that overseas some of that meat is real good delicacy. Jim Barbee: response: We are continuing based on motion you guys passed 2 meetings ago to look at other opportunities to the dept of Ag managing the VR horses, working with AG's office regarding statutes and what option we have there and continuing to work with Gov office on ideas and ways we could more appropriately transfer that authority to a better place. Dean Baker for the record: Put on agenda to say ability to slaughter horses because we are agriculture and it is an important thing to do. It would cause up controversy and problems there are many putting that out. I am not pushing this just putting idea out. Jim Barbee: As I understand it with the uplifting of the band it is anywhere that you have a slaughter house it is legal now. Dean Baker: But if we supported it, legislators couldn't do anything in legislation about wild horses like the water thing, they got hammered in the ground. We would not get hammered the same way it would be a subject we could put out. Boyd Spratling: Financial strategy on getting slaughter house going because that is when the river is going to meet the road is when they slaughter the first horse. Think looking at putting facilities on Indian reservations which takes legislature and everybody out of the equation. Dean Baker: I would hope it might some help to some of the legislators if the Board of Agriculture would take a clear position. Just throwing it out. Dave Styx Jr: I think we should trust that the private sector will handle this eventually if slaughters increase, need to talk with Gov office have to be careful where this Board goes with that because it may take care of itself, however brings up issue you need to be prepared as well as the Governor that prior to today there has only been 1 buyer at the sale yards purchasing horses and that is why market is so bad. This could increase more buyers at the sale like 10 years ago. If we take VR horses to the sale we need to be prepared for that. Right now with 1 buyer everyone knows where those horses are going. Jim Barbee: I think you are right about how it will play out in private industry but one would assume that it would affect that issue and we have to make justifications one way or another. |
Paragraph Eleven in This discussion serves as a good exampleas to why members serving on any policy making bodies need to be elected and be directly accountable to the voters! Those whoare appointed to secure positionsappear to get the sense that they can do anything they want.Carrol will likely file a more complete report once she goes throughadditional documents.
demonstrate how to bring in an approx. 3 week old foal. (NOT!) |
Get twine aruond its neck.
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Choke it and drag it.
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Then shove it when it resists.
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Where they go…
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