(Horses held … to be transported and slaughtered) (Temperatures 79º 69º 76º)
Musick Livestock has been in the business of shipping horses to be slaughtered for a very long time. He’s violated the Commercial Transport of Equines to Slaughter Regulation several times. (Case# SD03005; SD09005; TX03114; TX03229; TX05153; TX05258) All these violations were resolved by settlement agreement. He was fined only a combined amount of $1,600.00. Documents obtained via Freedom of Information Act Request also show on (Norval Meats Receiving Report) Musick is responsible for:
- Transporting draft horses w/insufficient headroom (36 hour-long transport)
- For loading a *Chestnut with a Body Condition Score of 1.
* The poor horse was so emaciated that it was condemned post-mortem at the plant.
There is no indication of any punishment for these violations. Musick Livestock stopped transporting horses to Canada in 2009 and is now shipping horses for slaughter, to Mexico via the Eagle Pass export pen. Musick Livestock LLC (DOT 844) operates five trucks. A review of available DOT data revealed several violations:
Musick Livestock is next to apartments and a golf course. “Musick Properties” operates at the same location. A large statute of a beautiful horse and sign “Horses Bought Daily” is out front. On the property is: an office building, barn, pen-area, a loading ramp next to the pen area and some surrounding fields.
Investigators arrived at the premises and about 50 horses were in the pen area and adjacent fields. Large piles of manure in and around the pen were observed, discarded household items and other trash. Musick’s Semi and a double deck-trailer with a boarded-up lower level, was parked on the premises, along with several single deck-trailers and pick-up trucks with stock trailers. The horses visible were gathered around low-grade quality hay. Several were thin and had scratches or bite marks.
Investigators monitored for several hours but there was no activity. The next morning, the semi with the double deck trailer was gone. There were fewer horses in the pen area.
Action: Animals’ Angels will continue to monitor the premises.