By AP
Oklahoma City, OK – A ban on slaughtering horses for meat has been lifted after a federal report showed that the prohibition had unintended consequences.
A provision that prevented funding for horse slaughter inspections was dropped from a spending bill Monday, opening the way for the slaughter to resume.
The ban had been in place since 2006.
The General Accounting Office produced a report that says the welfare of horses has declined since 2007, with more abandoned horses and more cases of abuse and neglect.
Backers of the ban say those numbers are up because of the recession.
The ban was put in place in response to American revulsion at the notion of eating horse meat.