April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and is the perfect time for The Homes for Horses Coalition to reinforce its dedication to ending horse slaughter and other forms of equine abuse.
Ending horse slaughter and equine abuse
April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and is the perfect time for The Homes for Horses Coalition to reinforce its dedication to ending horse slaughter and other forms of equine abuse.
The recent circulation of a riveting investigative journalism piece by TSB Zurich and AWF Germany about the transport of horses from the U.S. to Canada and Mexico for slaughter, and a separate piece about fragile late term pregnant mares being transported to slaughter, have highlighted once again the horrific cruelty of the horse slaughter industry.
For years, there have been reports of horses shipped over thousands of miles without food, water or rest and of downed horses in sealed transport trucks being trampled. Numerous investigations and government documents show that horses regularly arrive at slaughterhouses with broken or missing limbs and eyes, other serious illnesses and injuries, or even dead.
Heavily pregnant mares shipped to slaughter have foaled in the feedlots or on slaughterhouse floors. The methods used to kill horses may not result in quick, painless deaths, and horses sometimes endure repeated blows and remain alive when butchered.
President Obama signed a comprehensive federal spending bill for fiscal year 2014 that included language to forbid spending by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on inspections at U.S. horse slaughter plants, halting efforts to resume horse slaughter for human consumption on U.S. soil for the remainder of 2014.
It is a welcome, although temporary, ban on domestic horse slaughter for the fiscal year. The threat of horse slaughter plants returning to U.S. soil at the end of the year is still looming and U.S. horses continue to be sent to slaughter in Canada and Mexico.
The remedy and ultimate goal is passage of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1094/S. 541), which would prevent the establishment of horse slaughter plants in the U.S., end the current export of American horses for slaughter abroad, and protect the public from consuming potentially toxic horse meat.
“Slaughter is a brutal and terrifying end for horses and is never humane,” said Cindy Gendron, Homes for Horses Coalition coordinator. “Only those who profit from slaughter want to see it revived in the U.S. Horse slaughter is a predatory, heinously cruel industry which encourages and rewards the irresponsible behavior of a very small segment of the horse industry.”
Horses are our trusted companions and a symbol of grace and beauty. Americans hold horses in high esteem and believe they deserve respect and dignity. Passage of this legislation is a priority for the nation’s leading animal welfare organizations, as well as many veterinarians and equine groups across the country, including the Homes for Horses Coalition. Please call or email your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and ask them to cosponsor and support the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act.