Big news: according to Agri-Pulse, the first obstacle to the resumption of horse slaughter in the US has been removed. This means that federally funded inspections of horse abbatoirs are once again legal.
A provision allowing for the restoration of USDA-sponsored inspections of horse processing facilities is included in the appropriations bill conference report passed in the House of Representatives tonight. The bill sets the 2012 budgets for multiple departments, including Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Transportation-HUD. The House approved the bill in a 298-121 vote while the Senate voted 70-30 in favor of the bill.