Residents of a Missouri town packed a city council meeting this week to voice their opinions about a horse processing plant development proposed for a nearby industrial site, and according to one community leader, opposition to the project is strong.

On Feb. 24 the Wyoming-based Unified Equine LLC, announced it was conducting a study to determine the feasibility of locating a horse processing plant in the Twin Cities Industrial Park near Mountain Grove, Mo. According to plant developers Unified Meats LLC, the proposed Missouri plant would be a state-of-the-art facility primarily focused on processing horsemeat for human consumption, but also capable of processing beef and bison. Resulting products would be sold in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

On March 6 Mountain Grove residents packed a senior citizens center to learn more about the plant project, said Glenn Kemper, treasurer of the Mountain Grove Community Foundation, a nonpropfit organization that awards grants and engages in community improvement activities.

Kemper said that during the meeting, opposition to the horse processing plant development was strong enough to kill the project: "From what I saw (at the meeting), it’s a dead issue