Attendees at the International Equine Conference in Virginia are learning how hard it is to get things done in Washington, D C. as they are being told that the anti-horse slaughter bills do not have the support of the leaders of the committees in the House or the Senate.
Without a strong sponsor in either house, the bills will most likely die without ever coming to a vote.
Representative Whitfield, a Republican from Kentucky, said that passing the Horse Transportation Act to ban double decker trucks to transport horses to slaughter would be a big step in the right direction to impact Horse slaughter. He urged constituants of Mary Bono (R) California, need to call her office and lobby her to move the bill out of committee.
Anti-horse slaughter legislation enjoys broad bipartisan support in both houses, but there is no commitment from the leadership of either house. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid enabled passage of the notorious “Burns Amendment” which removed protections for America’s wild horses and burros from being sold for slaughter.
The leadership of the nation’s animal welfare movement encourages horse advocates everywhere to contact their representatives and make their commitment to equine welfare known.
Big agriculture should not be allowed to call the shots when it comes to promoting businesses and activities that put dollars ahead of a sensible approach to not only equine welfare, but the welfare of all animals.