Slaughtering of wild horses for the sake of food isn't a viable option for receding herds that have strained public lands throughout the West, as stated by the director of federal Bureau of Land Management to the supporters of horse processing plants on Tuesday.

In its place the agency has plans to give mares birth control in hopes of reducing the need for controversial horse roundups, as stated by Bob Abbey at the Summit of the Horse conference that took place in Las Vegas. The BLM, according to him will also continue to promote adoption and look for locations to place captured horses other than its holding pens.

He stated that horses deserve to be treated the best way that we can treat them and people should be aware of that to quite a number of people who support the commencing of a horse processing plant in Wyoming.

According to horse trainer Dave Duquette, who is the president of conference sponsor United Horsemen, rejected the view of view BLM terming it shortsighted and a waste of government money.

What's tasty to public opinion and what needs to be done are two different things, he said after Abbey's hour long appearance.

To show that how touchy the long-running debate has turned out to be, Abbey's presence at the summit dubbed the "horse slaughter summit" by critics angered activists who eulogize the animals as icons of the American West.

The BLM, according to Abbey is obliged to initiate talks with various stakeholders in the debate, in which people who are suspicious of the agency are included. Those people consider the agency as an ineffective land owner of federal lands.