USA | Lawler - Iowa | Collecting station of Scott Kurtenbach | Horsemeat import

Scott Kurtenbach frequents all the large auctions known for selling slaughter horses, such as the Billings Horse Auction in Montana and the Kalona Livestock Auction in Iowa. He uses his own trucking company to transport the horses to the slaughter plant “Les Viandes de la Petite Nation” in Quebec, a staggering 1867 km away from his collecting station in Lawler, Iowa.

When we arrive at the Kurtenbach premises at 12:00, there are approximately 40 horses visible in the outside pen area. The horses appear very agitated and there is a lot of movement in the pens. We note that the horses already have the green slaughter tags of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) attached to their hindquarters. Several of the animals observed are extremely thin, with their ribs plainly showing.

Twenty minutes later, Kurtenbach’s truck backs up to the loading ramp. Shortly thereafter, he begins loading horses from the barn and we can clearly hear them whinnying and their feet kicking the metal walls of the trailer. After the loading is finished, the now full truck leaves the premises and starts in a direction that is apparently headed to the plant in Canada.