The U.S. House of Representativesâ Committee on Appropriations approved, on a bipartisan vote, an amendment offered by Reps. Sam Farr and Charlie Dent, to prevent horse slaughter plants from opening in the U.S. during the next fiscal year.
Legislation to prevent horse slaughter
Horse slaughter is a predatory, heinously cruel industry which encourages and rewards the irresponsible behavior of a very small segment of the horse industry.
© 2016 by Carien Schippers
Homes for Horses Coalition members visited, called, and wrote to legislators to ensure that no funds would be allocated for horse slaughter plant inspections. The Coalition thanks the members of the House Appropriations Committee on their vote in favor of the continued de-fund and encourages the Senate Appropriations Committee to follow suit. Slaughter is a brutal, inhumane and terrifying end for horses.
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.
The federal spending bill for fiscal year 2016 includes language to forbid spending on inspections at U.S. horse slaughter plants keeping horse slaughter for human consumption off U.S. soil for the remainder of this year.
The vote by the House Appropriations Committee last week is the first step in the battle to get the defund language in the 2017 spending bill and continue the temporary ban on domestic horse slaughter. Yet, 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. 1942/S. 1214), 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.
âOnly 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, says Cindy Gendron, The Homes for Horses Coalition Manager.â
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 nationâs 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.
About The Homes for Horses Coalition
The Homes for Horses Coalition is supported by the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), the Animal Welfare Institute and The Humane Society of the United Statesâ Jeannie and Jim Dodson Equine Protection Fund.
It is dedicated to ending horse slaughter and other forms of equine abuse, while promoting growth, collaboration and professionalism in the equine rescue and protection community. Find us online at www.homesforhorses.org and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/HomesforHorses.