Speak Out: Would You Eat Horse Meat?

To some it's repulsive, to others it's a way of life.

Eating horse meat is a cultural issue that has cropped up in the United States recently, as the ban on horse slaughterhouses has ended and a new slaughterhouse is slated to open in New Mexico. There don't appear to be any plans for a South Carolina horse slaughterhouse. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., introduced legislation in 2011 to prevent horse slaughter in the United States, but in 2012, the six-year-old ban was lifted. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., was a co-sponsor of Graham's bill. 

“Horses have been raised for sport, transport, security and companionship, but never for slaughter and consumption,” Landrieu said in a statement. “There are very few regulations on the drugs given to horses, and we cannot risk introducing dangerously toxic meat into our food supply here at home or abroad.”

Toxic meat, slaughter practices ill-equipped to deal with equines, and the cultural practice of treating horses not like livestock but like pets has put a sour taste in many people's mouths as horse slaughter may begin again in the nation.

But there are many arguments for the slaughtering of U.S. horses. Some argue there are unwanted horses that would starve without a way to humanely dispose of them. Others argue that slaughtering horses would provide a new boon to the economy and provide jobs. 

The horse meat produced here wouldn't go to U.S. consumers, but would be shipped to other countries. 

Speak out: Would you eat horse meat? Is horse slaughter a good option?