We commend Chief Judge Christina Armijo of the Federal District Court of New Mexico for her ruling on Friday that will allow horse meat processing plants to reopen in the United States.

This is a common-sense ruling that puts aside both the completely emotional arguments of those opposed to the processing of horse meat as well as the disingenuous legal arguments of the Humane Society of the United States. HSUS argued that the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) needed to first issue an environmental impact statement when it directed its meat inspectors on how to do the best possible job and to ensure that horses were handled properly in a manner that complies with federal laws and regulations directing for the use of humane methods of slaughtering livestock.

The judge clearly debunked these illogical HSUS proposals. By law, horses are considered livestock and the longstanding regulations and laws of this country specifically allow for the processing of horsemeat and apply the Federal Meat Inspection Act to horses. The animal rights advocates behind this litigation contend that horse slaughter is inhumane under any circumstances but that is their opinion and not one that they should be allowed to foist on all Americans. Certainly, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is an authority whose professional members love animals and make their living working with animals but they are also called on to put horses down.