Valley Meat lawsuit transferred to New Mexico court
A federal lawsuit seeking an emergency injunction to overturn the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent permit approval for a horse meat plant in Roswell has been transferred from U.S. District Court in California to the U.S. District Court in New Mexico. The suit was filed July 1 by the Humane Society of the United States, Front Range Equine Rescue of Larkspur, Colo., three other groups and five individuals, four of whom live in Roswell, reports the Albuquerque Journal.
Valley Meat received a permit for federal meat inspection on June 28 and hoped to become the first horse meat processor in the country since 2007. Several other companies have applied for horse slaughter permits, including Responsible Transportation in Sigourney, Iowa; Rains Natural Meats of Gallatin, Mo.; American Beef Company/Unified Equine in Rockville, Mo.; Trail South Meat Processing Co. in Woodbury, Tenn; and Oklahoma Meat Co. of Washington, Okla. Responsible Transportation has also been granted inspection permits, according to the USDA. An additional company is expected to be granted a permit in the coming days, the Department added.