A New Mexico company's plans to convert a cattle plant into a horse slaughterhouse have hit another roadblock, this time over an environmental permit.
The company's attorney says the Obama administration is putting politics over policy.
Valley Meat Co., of Roswell, has been fighting for more than a year to get approval to slaughter horses. It says the U.S. Department of Agriculture keeps changing the rules because it opposes horse slaughter.
Administration officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The application by Valley Meat to resume domestic horse slaughter has ignited an emotional, national debate over whether horses are livestock or domestic companions. The company wants to ship horse meat to countries where it is consumed by humans and sold for things like zoo food.