A spending bill that would allow funding for horse meat inspections for the first time since 2006 is currently making its way through congress. Commercial slaughter of horses for human consumption has not taken place in the United States since the last equine slaughterhouse closed in 2007.
While slaughter is not illegal, Congress voted in 2006 to prohibit funding for USDA horse meat inspections, effectively ending the commercial viability of horse meat production. This year, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) is hoping to change that.
The agriculture appropriations bill will go before the full Senate soon, although an official date is not known. To voice your opinion on the bill, contact your Senator by phone or email. To find your Senator, visit Senate.gov
In June, Baucus called for an end to the restriction on funding for horse meat inspections, citing the Government Accountability Office’s report on changes in equine welfare since the end of American horse slaughter. The GAO report concluded that equine welfare had suffered since 2007, in part due to loopholes and gaps in the system that made enforcement of welfare regulations nearly impossible. The report suggested that slaughter either be allowed and regulated within the U.S., or banned entirely with provisions to outlaw transport of horses to other countries to be slaughtered.
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a version of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for 2012 that does not have the restriction on funding for horse meat inspections. Baucus released a statement on September 9 applauding the move.
"We've seen some pretty shocking cases across Montana of horse abandonment and neglect as owners face tough economic times. This ban is a part of the problem and has resulted in the inhumane treatment of injured and sick horses along with hurting the economy. We have an opportunity here to do the right thing for our farmers and ranchers while improving the welfare of horses," he said.
Animal welfare advocates counter that equine slaughter is inherently cruel as horses are bred as sport and companion animals, not meat animals. Past research suggests that horses were subjected to cruelty in American slaughterhouses when they were still operational.
A different version of the bill that contained an amendment upholding the restriction on horse meat inspection was passed by the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee earlier this year.
According to sources at Kaufman Zoning, Thirty-six months after making a Freedom of Information Request of the U.S.D.A. regarding violations of the “Commercial Transportation of Equines to Slaughter Act”, Julie Caramente, an equine cruelty investigator for a number of years, received a 906-page document which included almost 500 separate photographs of severe and alarming cruelty of horses due to the horse slaughter undustry.
A joint press release put out by two animal welfare organizations—Animal Law Coalition and Animals' Angels—states that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was aware of “extreme cruelty during horse slaughter at facilities in the U.S.” The December 4 press release claims are based on a 906-page document and nearly 900 disturbing photos released by the USDA.
"I've been an equine cruelty investigator for a number of years," Caramante says, "and I've witnessed many incidents of animal cruelty but nothing could prepare me for these images."
According to the press release, “The photographs document significant injuries to horses at the slaughter house. Injuries included conscious dismemberment, open fractures, blinding, and battered faces. It appears some horses were left to bleed out. Other injuries indicated long-term abuse and neglect.”
“The pain and terror these horses had endured is criminal," Caramante says.
The documents and photographs released by the USDA can be found at http://www.kaufmanzoning.net. WARNING: THE IMAGES ARE EXTREMELY DISTURBING.