Help Pass the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act
The Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act has been re-introduced in the House as H.R. 503 by Reps. John Conyers (D-MI) and Dan Burton (R-IN). The Senate version introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) is S.B. 727.
The same bill was introduced late in the last session of Congress in the House and passed the Judiciary Committee, but did not receive a vote by the full House before the end of the session in 2008.
Under this bill it would be illegal to "possess..., ship..., transport..., purchase.., sell... deliver..., or receive" in interstate or foreign commerce any horse "with the intent that it is to be slaughtered for human consumption". It would also be illegal under this bill to trade in horse flesh or carcass for the purpose of human consumption.
Violators face fines and jail time up to 3 years. If, however, the violator has no prior convictions and is moving 4 or fewer horses or less than 2,000 lbs of horse flesh, the jail time is only a year.
This section would be added to federal laws specifying crimes involving animals in Title 18 Chapter 3 of the U.S. Code.
Because this bill involves the federal criminal code, it has been assigned to the House Committee on the Judiciary chaired by Rep. John Conyers.
Anti-horse slaughter bills have typically been treated as agricultural legislation. In the last session, for example, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, H.R. 503/S.B. 311, was stuck in a House agriculture subcommittee. (The Senate version was on the calendar for a vote, but then Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) (yes, that Larry Craig...) threatened to put a hold on it if the bill came up for a vote. (Craig is now gone from the Senate....) Two thirds of the senators are needed to co-sponsor or support the bill to override a hold.)
This bill, H.R. 503/S.B. 727, proposes to amend the criminal code which means it is assigned to the Committee on the Judiciary, not Agriculture. If the Committee on the Judiciary can pass this bill as it did in the last session, it can proceed to a vote on the House floor.
Horse slaughter has been stopped in the United States by court decisions and state legislative actions. Horses are, however, still being transported to foreign countries, primarily Mexico and Canada, for slaughter. Only a federal law can stop this tragedy.
Chris Heyde, Animal Welfare Institute, states, "Horse slaughter advocates have been ratcheting up their misinformation campaign so we must make sure our elected officials hear the facts from the majority of Americans who support an end to horse slaughter."
WHAT YOU CAN DO Write (letters or faxes are best) or call Judiciary subcommittee members found here (just click on their districts for contact information). Urge these subcommittee members to vote yes on H.R. 503, to prevent cruelty to horses used for human consumption. If one of them is your representative, please let him or her know that. Also, please call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your U.S. representative. Ask your representative to contact the Judiciary Committee and push for the passage of H.R. 503 to prevent cruelty to horses used for human consumption. Or fax or email your representative. Click here to find and write your U.S. representative. WHAT ELSE YOU CAN DO Also, tell your representative to vote YES on H.R. 305, the Horse Transportation Safety Act, which will put an end to all transports of horses on double decked trailers. _______________________________________ Resources
Go here to read about Animal Law Coalition and Animals Angels' request that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate the ineffectiveness and lack of enforcement of laws in connection with the slaughter of horses.
Also, listen here to a discussion on WFL Endangered Stream Live Talk Radio about horse slaughter by Laura Allen, Executive Director of Animal Law Coalition; John Holland, journalist and consultant for Americans Against Horse Slaughter; Dr. Nena Winand, DVM with Veterinarians for Equine Welfare and Paula Bacon, former mayor of Kaufman, Tx and leader of the fight to shut down the horse slaughter facility that operated there until 2007. (Download this broadcast!)
Go here and also here for information about bills and resolutions introduced this past year by pro-slaughter forces.
Read Frequently Asked Questions About Unwanted Horses and the AVMA's Policy on Horse Slaughter
Read Veterinarians for Equine Welfare's Horse Slaughter - Its Ethical Impact and Subsequent Response by the Veterinary Profession
horse slaughter
Y the hell r we killing these poor horses wen at the end of the day all theyve dun is b ere 4 r own use they serve us wiout moaning they do wot we ask them 2 do. Their love bk 2 us is unconditional and thats ow r love shud b 2wards them and every ova animal.
Horse Slaughter issue
We can not keep treating these domestic animals like livestock,their were are freind's are loyal companions. If there must be Horses for consumption, then we must change the rules. Raising Horses as livestock for comsumption only,and raised humanely and treated with respect. Most farmers that raise cattle treat them with respect,because they know only good healthy cattle can bring money. All domestic horses should goto rescues where they have a chance at a new life. We can change how we do things and make things better for everyone. Horses should not have to stand waiting days to be slaughtered,in pits or on trucks, it is cruel, and inhumane, neither should any animal. We should have plants with accomidations for horses and cattle, to live till the day they are slaughtered. And if they are sick they should be able to be rescued by rescues. Or put down humanely not left in a pit to die of starvation. I know we cannot change people who have consumed horse meat in this country or europe. But we can change how we do it. If we have farmers raising horse's for consumption, and plants closer to keep from horses having to be on trucks for days even weeks,it's cruel, we can work it out. I'm not for slaughtering of horses, but I also know I can not stop it. We also should not slaughter the wild horses. they are our heritage, taking them from their freedom, is as bad as taking away ours! We should also be more aware of the breeding of animals in this country you must have a license to breed, i think that will help slow down the abundance of animals in this country, right now anyone can breed anything, their are no laws to stop it. Auction's should have to take better care of animals at their auctions, no dirty pens or sick horses or cattle allowed. We do census on people what about Animals, if that job comes up I would love to do that. Sincerely a Concerned Rescue
Horses
No horses should ever be slaughtered for food. And the whole idea is to save them all from that night mare. Right now we are fighting Ken Salazae and the BLM tooth and nail, trying to save the Mustangs and wild burros. So saving only the domestic ones will not get it. The wild horses are a part of our heritage and that heritage is being abused and trampled upon.
Horses have served humans
Horses have served humans throughout history, carrying us on their backs, tilling our fields, drawing wagons and carriages, and enriching our lives as friends and companions. In the United States, horses have never been raised for human consumption, yet for decades, our horses have been bought and slaughtered by a predatory, foreign-owned industry for sale to high-end diners in Europe and Asia. In 2007, the slaughter of horses on US soil came to an end when a court ruling upheld a Texas law banning horse slaughter, and similar legislation was passed in Illinois.
However, failure by the US Congress to pass legislation banning horse slaughter means that American horses are still being slaughtered for human consumption abroad. Tens of thousands are shipped to Mexico and Canada annually, where they are killed under barbaric conditions so their meat can continue to satisfy the palates of overseas diners in countries such as Italy, France, Belgium and Japan.
Additionally, without the federal law, there remains the threat that horse slaughter plants may set up shop in states that have no laws against the practice. In the beginning of 2008, unsuccessful attempts were made to open a horse slaughterhouse in South Dakota and overturn the Illinois ban. It is likely that pro-horse slaughter organizations will try again elsewhere in the United States, including Texas and Illinois.
Ironically, while the most vocal opponents of the effort to end horse slaughter decry the closure of the domestic plants and subsequent increase in the export of horses for slaughter, some actively partner with the very slaughterhouses that are shipping our horses to Mexico.
While a handful of horses are purposely sold into slaughter by irresponsible owners, most arrive at the slaughterhouse via livestock auction, where unsuspecting owners sell the animals to slaughterhouse middlemen known as “killer buyers.” Despite the fact that the US plants are no longer in operation, killer buyers continue to purchase and haul as many horses as possible from livestock auctions around the country to the slaughterhouses that have now relocated to Mexico and Canada.
Wild horses are also slaughtered, since a 2004 backdoor Congressional rider engineered by then-Senator Conrad Burns (R–MT) gutted the protections afforded by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. Now, the Bureau of Land Management, the agency responsible for protecting wild horses, must sell “excess” horses (those 10 years of age or older, or not adopted after three tries) at auction. As a result, wild horses are being removed from their range at an alarming rate and sold for slaughter. Sadly, the American Quarter Horse Association has hired former Senator Conrad Burns to lobby against legislation banning horse slaughter and other equine welfare measures.
Horse Slaughter MUST STOP -PROTECT, RAISE STATUS
Horse slaughter and shipping to Canada and Mexico
must be banned. Reopening slaughter plants will
certainly encourage all it has in the past..more
horses to be bred and sent to slaughter to satisfy the unholy palates of European cuisine.
Disgusting and fraught with cruelty. We need
our horses to have a protected status..set land
aside to grow more hay, quit the overbreeding
for racing and discarding and get more horse
communities to keep the horses we can..lower
euthanaia and pick up costs...slaughter is evil,
brutal, and has no place in AMERICA..without horses, this land would not have been America.
Stop the cruelty, stop the slaughter so we do not encourage why we had slaughter plants for
50 years to begin with . This is an advocacy to continue business as usual - it is not a bid
to reopen for a short term fix, but a long term
business...must have a constant supply to do this.
Horse Slaughter MUST STOP -PROTECT, RAISE STATUS
Horse slaughter and shipping to Canada and Mexico
must be banned. Reopening slaughter plants will
certainly encourage all it has in the past..more
horses to be bred and sent to slaughter to satisfy the unholy palates of European cuisine.
Disgusting and fraught with cruelty. We need
our horses to have a protected status..set land
aside to grow more hay, quit the overbreeding
for racing and discarding and get more horse
communities to keep the horses we can..lower
euthanaia and pick up costs...slaughter is evil,
brutal, and has no place in AMERICA..without horses, this land would not have been America.
Stop the cruelty, stop the slaughter so we do not encourage why we had slaughter plants for
50 years to begin with . This is an advocacy to continue business as usual - it is not a bid
to reopen for a short term fix, but a long term
business...must have a constant supply to do this.
Horse Slaughter Bill
This is to prevent slaughter/transport for "human consumption." That's a huge loophole.
How does that prevent the horses being slaughtered for other reasons?
This seems weak, and it may not really help them.
Does anyone know more about the details and can inform us?
This bill will end the slaughter of America's horses
It will definitely help because it will end the slaughter of America's horses. There is little or no market for any use of horse meat besides human consumption. It is not really used in pet food, not enough to justify shipment of American horses abroad and certainly not enough to justify opening a slaughter house here in the US. There's no profit in that.
This is a very strong bill, and I urge you to call your representative and senators and aske them to support HR 503/SB 727 and end the cruelty.
Horse Slaughter Bill
Dear Laura,
#1. THANK YOU for explaining this bill in more detail, and helping me overcome my suspicions in the loopholes. Having done OTTB rescue, I see tons of ways these animals slip through loopholes and experience horrid treatment, abuse, terrible untreated health issues, and death.
#2. Did the bill pass?
best wishes and with gratitude for all you do, Jane
Jane, the bill has not been
Jane, the bill has not been up for a vote yet. So we need people to keep calling and writing their US rep and senators and urge them to support the ban on horse slaughter for human consumption, H.R. 503/S.B. 727.
Please urge family, friends, coworkers, fellow students, neighbors, to call and help put an end to the brutal slaughter of America's horses. Laura
Horse Slaughter Vote Today
Can anyone tell me what the vote results were today in
the Committee (House of Rep.)? I have been an active
person trying to fight slaughter. If anyone can tell
me what the results were, which I can't imagine it
being anything else but putting a ban on horse slaughter
and passing the bill H.R.6598, I would greatly appreciate
it. My email address is lmbella@hotmail.com
Thank you,
Lisa