Several times during the past 20 years I have visited slaughter houses around North America where I collected, studied, dissected and documented domestic cadaver feet.
While it is nice that overall practices and designs of the plants have somewhat changed over the years, the industry is just that. An industry! Still 'progressing' and growing, behind closed doors, to make bigger plants to take in even higher numbers of equines!
I like to ‘interview’ the workers. I have learned many things that I did not wish to know, and seen many things that I didn’t really need to see.
The workers are generally pleasant and personable, smiling and gracious in their conversations. Women workers shocked me. I know that sounds like a double standard, but I was saddened on so many different levels. I’m not judging them, just seeing women covered in horse blood, who are doing their jobs and trying to make a living, and knowing they are completely disassociated. Totally unplugged and disconnected from what is happening all around them!
A couple of years ago I asked how many horses go through in a day. He said that there was about 250 a day, monday to thursday, but we are in the process of expanding to fill demand. We are raising the quota up to 350 a day and going to go all week. We hope we are able to keep up.
How many horses go through now each day? ” We do about 320 -340 a day, monday to friday. A big day we can do about 370′′ Keep in mind that this is only at one plant. There are more.
Where are the horses coming from? “They come from all over. Different shipments from the USA and within Canada and Alberta. The ones you saw today are mainly from the US and are meat horses”
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