Dive Summary:
- New Mexico's Valley Meat Co., which planned to resume domestic horse slaughter next week, was allegedly the victim of arsonists this weekend.
- Owner Rick De Los Santo told the Roswell Daily Record Tuesday that opponents of the company's conversion from cattle to horses "tried to burn the place down," and Chaves County officials have called the blaze "very suspicious."
- The company heads to federal court Friday against The Humane Society of the United State and other groups wanting to block its opening, as well as the opening of another horse slaughterhouse in Iowa.
From the article:
... On Saturday, De Los Santos said someone apparently jumped the fence, then poured accelerant over the compressors to his refrigeration unit. A passer-by alerted authorities.
"The fire inspector was out there," De Los Santos said. "He took samples of the dirt and stuff just to make sure. But he said this was something that was not done by electricity or lightning. He said something was poured on it to light it."
De Los Santos says the company will be unable to open as planned Monday without a working refrigeration unit. ...
