Joe Simon is a large scale kill buyer who has been in the horse slaughter business for a very long time. After the closing of the Texas horse slaughter plants, Simon started shipping horses to Mexico for slaughter. He is a steady supplier to the Intermeats plant in Aguascalientes, cashing in .48 cents a pound for the horses he delivers. Simon also has a long history of transport to slaughter violations, most notably shipping severely injured and blind horses to the plants. (To read more about Joe Simon, please click here http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs022/1101655399670/archive/1110611139942.html Scroll down to article 2 “What is the price tag for suffering?”)
Investigators visited Joe Simon’s feedlot in Oklahoma. J S Ranch is located next to the Perkins Livestock Auction. A long, gated driveway leads up to the ranch, which is surrounded by extensive pastures. Several horses were visible, however, they were too far away to assess their condition. According to insider information, Simon also uses the pen area of the Perkins Livestock Auction to hold some of his horses. The auction is right next door to his premises and features a large, modern auction building as well as a small restaurant and extensive pen area. The auction holds a weekly cattle sale on Wednesdays as well as a monthly goat & sheep sale on the 3rd Saturday of every month. Investigators noted a group of horses in one of the pens, gathered around a bale of hay. All of them were in average condition and no injuries were seen. There was no activity, therefore investigators left the premises.
