A Creatives for Common Sense position paper
The re-legalization of horse slaughter houses within the United States presents a wonderful regional opportunity for public/private partnerships. Fayette Urban County should capitalize on its brand image as the horse capital of the world and create a new publicly elected office, the Fayette Urban County Knacker (FUCK), to manage the slaughter of the region’s horses. Not only will this provide local oversight in dealing with the very real problem of abandoned, sick, and/or dying horses (a potential brand killer), but if handled correctly, a knacker could also unlock an entirely untapped commercial market—the post-mortem market—with great potential to provide new revenue streams for a struggling equine industry.
With this in mind, Creatives for Common Sense calls upon the city and its leaders to create a position of Fayette Urban County Knacker. The ideal FUCK candidate should be proficient in, or willing to learn, a zesty variety of techniques, dispositions and orientations. These include skills related to:
Product transference: Ability to slaughter, disembowel and segment horse into needed or desired cuts. Preference given to candidate demonstrating commitment to wise traditions and cutting edge emerging global trends regarding best practices in meat-slaughter, environmental, health code, etc. etc.
Product development: Develop, test and create new saleable product forms. Such forms might include a Kentucky prosciutto, bratwursts, roasts, backstrap, hoofers, tongue. For inspiration, ideal candidate will have historical knowledge of bluegrass region and its culinary traditions, and of the many global histories (not to mention current trends) of horse meat consumption. Products should reflect renewed interest in funky, quirky and hip.
Marketing: Be the FUC face of Equine Butchery. Promote horse slaughter as public service. This could be messaged specifically to the horse industry, for example through public presentations detailing the horse’s history as a commercially tradable object, or, more parochially, of the local knacker’s beneficial relationship to abandoned and abused horses in the state. Promotion could be scaled up to include the entire ag/food industry , with FUCK takes on industrial agricultural, CSA’s and CSK’s, vacant lot gardening, agriponicos, goat and milk cow economies, etc etc. Outreach opportunities might include: a float in the fourth of July parade, a Bullhorn Will video, children’s demonstrations at the farmer’s market, partnerships with schools and parks, national product placement (ie, Food Network/Iron Chef “horse meat” cook-off held at the newly constructed, public funded, Alltech Pavillion), and/or cooking show on KET. Ideal FUCK candidate will be charismatic, able to demonstrate an ability to lay it on hard for the cameras.
Commercial insertion: Establish clear slaughter-to-fork policy. Begin to create legal, ordinance, health, etc etc. infrastructure to create better knacker market conditions. Sell product to local businesses. Develop and distribute own unique FUCK brands (horse-burger, burgoo mix, breakfast sausage, dog-food) to sell to local venues as chic regional meat. We want FUCK to be our YUM.
Creatives for Common Sense proposes that the position be publicly elected, publicly funded, and come with a part-time aid and access to onsite house at knackery. In terms of allocated funds, we propose that the annual salaries of the knacker and aide not exceed a combined $60,000. In order to get the FUCK up and running, we also propose 1-time outlays of $150,000 for knacker lot and house purchase, and a figure not to exceed $200,000 in knacker-related supplies (knives, cleavers, clamps, sanitary infrastructure, etc. etc.).
Potential income growth areas in product sales, branding, media productions, festivals, etc. etc. should provide revenue streams that project enormous growth potential, with possibilities for the city to realize significant returns on the publicly elected investment.
GEMO
None of us prefer the sentencing to death or slaughter of any animal, regardless of the species; but, the reality of it all, is that we need horse slaughter houses as a practical alternative and solution to govern the horse population. Public Laws forbid burying a horse on your own property these days because of possible contamination of water sources and supplies; so, what’s the practical alternative or solution? I agree that the need of unnecessary suffering needs to be resolved in all slaughter houses, regardless of species . . . cow, pig, chicken, etc. As for horse meat for human consumption, if it is untainted and USDA inspected, it is an excellent source of meat protein and an alternative to beef, pork, poultry, and other human-grade meat sources. If that is too hard for the U.S. human meat industry to consider, use horse meat for carnivorous animal food diets, just as other animal sources are used. The horse industry has crashed since the close of horse slaughter houses, and reopening of the horse slaughter houses is the only resolution to the over population of horses in the U.S. Do you really think that hunter’s get the shot exactly right for an instant kill every time, or slashing the throats of cows and pigs is a quick death, or wringing the necks or cutting-off the heads of chickens is instantaneous demise? Sit-back and give serious thought to all animal slaughter solutions, not just that of horses; if you’re going to sympathize with one species of animal, sympathize with them all; but the end result and reality-check has been the same for thousands of years of animal slaughter for human and animal consumption. Citizens within the U.S. need to ban together and offer better solutions to the overall humane slaughter of animals for whatever the meat by-product use is and not the concentration of one species.
Sinkin' Creek
well-spoken, GEMO.
GEMO
Despite the fact that horse meat is not widely consumed in Canada, over 90,000 horses a year are slaughtered for food there. Its high-protein, low-fat meat is still consumed in many parts of the world, including Italy, Japan and Brazil. The taboo of eating horse meat persists in most of North America, however, and the Canadian horse meat industry remains controversial. If horse meat isn’t your thing, perhaps you would like camel (Egypt), whales (Norway) or monkeys (sub-Saharan Africa).
GEMO
Get real people. Banning the Slaughter Houses has all but ruined the Horse Industry. People are left with no way out of the financial burden of horse ownership once the animal has become disabled. Regulations say you cannot bury a horse on your own property . . . so, what are people suppose to do with them? Every Rescue Organization you call is FULL, every Foster Home is FULL . . . can you not see the writing on the wall? How do the horses fend in the wild when a cougar runs one down for the dinner kill; do you think that being eaten alive is a fast death? It’s a natural food chain. Horses aren’t going to the slaughter houses for our dinner-table. If the meat goes overseas, who cares; if it goes for dog food, so what . . . it’s a food chain! Our Government does not support our horse fancy interests; it is up to each individual owner. With the economy the way it is, why should I be expected to spend what money I have to support my horse, when I need to feed myself? I don’t hear the same outcry for Cattle, Chickens, Pigs, Sheep, etc.; they are used as companion pets as well as any horse; but, reality is reality. The U.S. does not have to slaughter horses for human consumption; slaughter for carnivorous animal diets or dog and cat food! There are far too many horses and not enough individual incomes to cover them and certainly no Grants. You cannot give a horse away these days; come-on get real people!!! Ban together and offer suggestions for a better way to get rid of the unwanted horses, if there is one; but, for right now, the Slaughter Houses are all we got.