Court challenge to end horse slaughter rejected

WASHINGTON -- A federal judge Tuesday declined to remove government inspectors and halt operations at three meatpacking plants that slaughter horses for sale as food.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied an emergency request by a coalition of animal protection groups that wanted to stop slaughtering while they pursue a lawsuit against the government on the practice.

Kollar-Kotelly said Congress had only taken "a half step" when it passed a bill in the fall to withhold taxpayer funding for meat inspectors as way to eliminate horse slaughter.

"It is clear that the current process is, in many ways, less than ideal, bringing with it significant issues regarding the conditions which these horses face and the humaneness with which their lives are ended," Kollar-Kotelly wrote in a 30-page opinion.

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http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Mar-15-Wed-2006/news/6372396.html

it`s been done before if you get my drift