Unified Equine Chooses Rockville MO for Horse Processing Plant

(Rockville, MO) -- Unified Equine, a company that abandoned plans earlier this year for a horse slaughter facility near Mountain Grove, is now moving forward with plans in Bates County.

In a news release Thursday, the Wyoming-based company -- now registered as "Unified Equine Missouri" -- said it's going to reopen an existing USDA-inspected meat processing plant by summer's end. It says Rockville, Missouri was recently hit hard by job losses when the plant closed almost a year ago.

The facility would kill horses to get meat for human consumption. Sue Wallis, company CEO, spent some time in the Ozarks earlier this year, and was met by protestors when outlining plans for Mountain Grove. They had concerns about the effect a site will have on property values and the environment.

"Our whole business model is based on horse industry realities," she said. "And we have been working with scientists, experts, horse industry experts, meat industry experts."

In March 2012, plans were scrapped (see story below) for Mountain Grove. Wallis now says the new facility in Rockville will undergo renovations and will be reequipped to "humanely process horses."

The company says the facility will be regulated and inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture to "ensure all horses are humanely transported and slaughtered under federal humane slaughter regulations, which provide one of the highest standards in the world. USDA will oversee and verify the food safety of all products."

According to a fact sheet, the primary product will be fresh and frozen meat. The various cuts of horse meat are similar to beef or bison, ranging from high-end roasts and steaks, to ground meat, and specialty meats.

Click here to read Thursday's news release

"We believe this is a win-win-win for both horses and people," says Wallis in the release. "By ensuring every horse has value we ensure they are handled appropriately at every stage, that they are used for good purposes that contribute to the overall economy, that owners have the option of selling a horse they no longer want or need for a good price, and that as many as fifty good jobs that were lost almost a year ago are restored to a deserving rural community."

See Also:
Unified Equine Looking For New Location For Horse Processing Plant
Horse Slaughter Plant Proposed in Mountain Grove MO
Standing Room Only at Meeting on Proposed Horse Slaughter Plant