The chef and co-owner of an eatery located in the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) PS1 gallery, in New York, N.Y., has abandoned his plan to include a horsemeat dish on the restaurant’s menu after some equine welfare advocates opposed it.

Horse processing has not taken place in the U. S. since 2007 when a combination of legislation and court decisions shuttered the last remaining horse processing plants in Illinois and Texas. Since then, U.S. horses have been shipped to Mexico or Canada for processing. Horsemeat products intended for human consumption continue to be available to U.S. buyers through importers. Workabeba Yigzaw, public affairs specialist for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), said the agency has no jurisdiction over imported horsemeat products.

"APHIS does not have regulations surrounding the importation of horsemeat for human consumption," Yigzaw said.

On Sept. 27, Chef Hugue Dufour along with co-owners Sarah Obraitis and New York attorney Adam Cohn opened M. Wells Dinette inside MoMA PS1. Initially, Dufour announced that the Dinette’s menu would include horse tartare, a dish consisting of finely chopped uncooked seasoned horsemeat that is sometimes topped with a raw egg yolk and served on rye bread