http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/editorialsletters/story.html?id=2f96d62b-db48-41de-aaab-3744c7a982f2
Should we be eating equine?

National Post

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Re: Go Ahead, Take A Bite, Robert Fulford, Sept. 8.

Robert Fulford's column opens up more than a closet full of horse skeletons. Primeval instincts have long prompted us to serve our stomachs rather than questioning where our food comes from. Inherited from our Neanderthal ancestors, the eat-or-be-eaten mentality has been drummed into human society by prolonged exposure to food chain morals. All things considered, is there any good reason to evolve?

Mr. Fulford's reference to a $60-million industry is another interesting reflection of challenges faced by modern humans. Money makes the world go around ?or does it?

Let's look at this even more objectively. Accordingly to a May, 2004, Ipsos-Reid poll, nearly two-thirds of Canadian respondents stated that they do not believe in the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Could it be that the majority of Canadian citizens are not fixated on having horse for dinner? Are the collective palates of our nation becoming more interested in ethical dining?

As for the monetary value of the horsemeat industry, $60-million is a far cry from the billions of dollars of revenue that horses in their living state bring to our economy.

We are not Neanderthals, and we don't need to eat our companions. Horses, our loyal and noble friends, have served humankind for centuries and continue to fascinate and draw the human heart. They deserve our respect, not a grisly end to life in Canada's equine slaughterhouses.

Sinikka Crosland, Westbank, B.C.
© National Post 2007