Horse Slaughterhouses Shut Down By Congress

<p>Flickr, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aigle_dore/">Moyan_Brenn</a></p>
<p>Flickr, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/aigle_dore/">Moyan_Brenn</a></p>

A bill that will cut funding required for horse slaughterhouses to operate passed Thursday night, effectively banning the practice in U.S. for the next year. The bill prevents the USDA from spending money on inspections for the plants which prevents the slaughterhouses from opening at all. Opponents of the industry have applauded the move, AP reports:

"Americans care for horses, we ride horses, and we even put them to work. But we don't eat horses in the United States. And we shouldn't be gathering them up and slaughtering them for people to eat in far-off places," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, one of a number of groups involved in litigation that has blocked proposed horse slaughterhouses from opening in New Mexico, Missouri and Iowa.

Horse slaughterhouses haven't been open in the U.S. since 2007, although the funding was cut in 2006. The funding was again restored in 2011, prompting one New Mexico cattle slaughterhouse called Valley Meat Co. to attempt to process horses -- a case that has has been vehemently opposed by the state's Attorney General, Gary King.

President Obama will sign the $1.1 trillion budget bill on Thursday.