Ginger and Snaps, both saved from slaughter, Ginger was saved from the Beltex feedlot while pregnant.
|
|
 Anti horse slaughter supporters Vicki Tobin, from Illinois, and John Holland, from Virginia, make plans with volunteers before visiting the House of Representatives.
|
In all about 100 volunteers showed up in Washington on March 4 and 5 for its "lobby week". The intense two-day effort, intended to garner support for federal legislation, was the largest such effort to date.
"It was an incredible example of grass-roots democracy at work," said Alex Brown, a racing professional, professor and one of the event's organizers. The all-volunteer effort attracted experts on every aspect of the issue as well as several celebrities.
The volunteers were joined by actor Paul Sorvino who attended meetings with key congressional members and staffers. In all, hundreds of separate and pre-arranged meetings were held between AAHS volunteers and congressional staffers, and packets of information were presented to each office.
"We wanted to stress that the closing of the three domestic plants has not stopped slaughter," said Julie Caramante, "Our horses are still going to Mexico and Canada and they are suffering terrible stress and brutality." Only federal legislation can stop these exports.
 Chris Heyde, left, of the Animal Welfare Institute AWI helped volunteers prepare for lobbying. |
The presentations were intended to bring the members up to date on all aspects of the battle against horse slaughter and to present the findings of investigations into horse transport by Animals' Angels, conditions at Canadian slaughter facilities by the CHDC and deceptive press accounts concerning the effect of the closing of US based plants last year. All presentations will soon be available on line.
The AHSPA, which had 193 cosponsors in the House and 38 cosponsors in the Senate, immediately gained two cosponsors with indications more would soon follow. Of particular significance, the top candidates for president, Senators Clinton, McCain and Obama, are already cosponsors of the legislation.
|
Members and supporters of the Americans Against Horse Slaughter group in Washington. |
http://www.delaware
Brown pushes for end of horse slaughter
Fair Hill exercise rider aids grass-roots effort to boost cause
By JACK IRELAND, The News Journal
Posted Saturday, February 16, 2008
Alex Brown speaks from the heart when he talks about the slaughter of
thoroughbred racehorses and other horses in North America.
Brown, a longtime exercise rider at the Fair Hill (Md.) Training Center,
is so devoted to this cause that he has joined forces with Paula Bacon,
of Dallas, and Julie Caramante, of Houston, in a grass-roots effort to
carry their message to Washington. Bacon is the former mayor of Kaufman,
Texas, the home of the former Dallas Crown horse slaughter plant.
Brown, in fact, has taken his cause on the road in recent months.
The native of Cheshire, England, spent time last fall working at
Keeneland and Churchill Downs in Kentucky for trainer Eddie Kenneally.
This winter, he's riding at Sam Houston Race Park (Houston, Texas) in
the morning for trainer Steve Asmussen.
Brown also handled the daily online updates regarding Barbaro after the
Kentucky Derby champion was seriously injured in the 2006 Preakness. He
also co-chaired the Barbaro Celebration of Life event at Delaware Park
last spring.
"I am looking to meet people at the racetrack and outside and learn more
about how our horses are treated and what support structures are in
place in different parts of the U.S.," said Brown, who taught two
sections of an Internet marketing class at the University of Delaware
last year. "I love Fair Hill, but I needed to leave for a while and
learn more about the country's attitude to the horse."
Brown said his group, Americans Against Horse Slaughter, supports
passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act now before Congress.
"Everything about this is grass roots," Brown said. "We don't have some
big, powerful organization or business behind us. It's a groundswell
that has been building around the country."
While Texas and Illinois slaughterhouses have been shut down, many
former racehorses are being sold for shipment to Canada and Mexico for
slaughter. The meat is then shipped overseas for human consumption.
Brown said that's why it is important that Senate Bill 311 would
"prohibit the shipping, transportation, moving, delivering, receiving,
possessing, purchasing, selling or donation of horses and other equines
to be slaughtered for human consumption.
Passage of the bill would further limit the options for disposal of
unwanted horses. The bill states that an unwanted horse is one that has
reached the useful end of its economic or recreation life. There are
numerous reasons for the existence of unwanted horses, including
financial aspects such as the owner's loss of job, the price of feed or
stabling, relocation, or poor health of the horse or its owner.
"We need more horsemen [trainers and owners] to step up to the plate and
say this is wrong," Brown said. "I can name horses who had won races and
were sold at these sales. We need more people like [Hall of Fame
trainer] Nick Zito. He has been very vocal about stopping the slaughter
of horses in the U.S."
Brown said Delaware doesn't have a law against horse slaughter, but said
Sen. Tom Carper, Sen. Joe Biden and Rep. Mike Castle support the bill.
"What has happened is that in Texas and Illinois, there were laws passed
making it illegal to operate a horse-slaughter facility," Brown said.
"However, there are still many states that don't have laws banning horse
slaughter, so there is a chance a new slaughter facility can be
established. We need federal laws enacted that ban horse slaughter
anywhere in the U.S.
"Federal law will also ban the shipment to slaughter. That will put a
stop on horses being shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. We are
gaining momentum, and we are not going away."
AQHA Announces Gala Promotion and Contest
On the heels of announcing the pending registration of its 5 millionth
Quarter Horse foal, the American Quarter Horse Association has unveiled
an extravagant new promotional program. “Phase one, our auction for the
naming rights on the 5 millionth foal, was an enormous success and a
tribute to our tireless breeders” said spokesperson and European venue
coordinator Morra Lean. “But we want to show our appreciation to
everyone who makes this exciting industry possible and that means all
phases of a Quarter Horse’s career.
The American Quarter Horse is the most prolific breed in the United
States largely because of its amazing versatility. Very few people
realize just how versatile the breed is. “They think of rodeos and
barrel racing but don’t realize that there are dozens of other venues
where Quarter Horses appear, ranging from reining to racing.” Lean
explained, “and when they are done entertaining us, many Quarter Horses
go on to culinary venues in Europe and Japan where the breed garners
tremendous respect for its unique attributes.”
Lean explained that the AQHA could never have attained its goal of 5
million foals without the European venue to keep opportunities open in
the US for new Quarter Horses. She went on to explain that it is the
resultant flow of registration fees that allows the AQHA to fund its
important educational and legislative programs. “Educating the public
about the vital need for such things as horse harvesting is made all the
more difficult and expensive by the extremist animal rights groups.”
Lean complained, “They continually resort to radical tactics such as
exposing statistics and facts that disagree with our position.”
In response to this challenge the AQHA has announced phase two of its
promotional program. The second phase will include the all important
European consumers of Quarter Horses. The contest will involve the
printing of replicas of every Quarter Horse’s registration papers on
fine imitation linen napkins. These napkins will have a small scratch
off area over the registration number and diners will scratch off the
coating to view the horse’s registration number. When registration
number 5,000,000 is found the lucky diner will receive a deluxe set of
steak knives engraved with the likeness of the foal on its birth date.
Additionally, the membership will be eligible to participate in a
lottery contest to guess the date when the 5 millionth Quarter Horse was
harvested. “We can only allow our paid members to participate” said
Lean, “since it is their dues and registration fees that make this whole
industry possible.” Any member that guesses the exact date the horse was
humanely harvested will receive their choice of an artificial
insemination kit with a five gallon thermos of semen or free
registrations for a year (not to exceed 100 foals).
For more information contact:
Morra Lean
Director of European Venues
American Quarter Horse Association
moralean@aqha. fr
Disclaimer: This document is provided for entertainment purposes only
and any similarity to actual events, programs, positions or statements
of the AQHA, no matter how compelling, is purely coincidental. As with
authentic AQHA press releases, it may contain false, misleading and
distorted information.
Dear fellow fighters of horse slaughter,
My daughter and I put the story of the Cavel Miracle Horses, Snickers and
Willie into a little video. I hope you enjoy it. (Its kinda long, but gee -
its a long story to tell!) You will also see some pics of more of the
Miracle Horses that you may not have 'met' yet. I tried to find as many as
I could out of the group. They are ALL special and ALL lucky to be alive -
not just my Snickers and Willie and I wanted to pay tribute to all of these special
souls.
I cried, of course, as we put this together, even after all these months.
I want to thank Mr. John Holland for originally penning this remarkable
story, which many of you have hopefully had the opportunity to read. It was
a wonderful piece of work! I used many of his original ideas in the video
but also had to edit and change the wording around alot to fit it into a
reasonable time-frame. The sequence of events, though, could not change.
Again, it is rather long - but such a moving story.
Please feel free to use this in your anti-slaughter work. We WILL get 'er
done in 2008!
Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEM14aZ7N9k
Love,
Dawn (and Tara)
You SEE how they treat horses!?
Round Lake firefighter Joe Couture comforts a horse.
(Tribune photo by Joe Shuman / October 28, 2007)
www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-horse_weboct29,1,3813887.story
The Unwanted Horse Coalition
&
The American Horse Council.
There seems to be some confusion regarding these two, one and the same, organizations and their stand on horse slaughter. To clarify:
"The Unwanted Horse Coalition, a broad alliance of equine organizations that have joined together under the American Horse Council," or see "Unwanted Horse Coalition folded into AHC".
The American Horse Council's official stand on slaughter is:
"AHC Position
The AHC is neutral on the legislation because it has organizations and individual members both supporting and opposing a federal legislative ban."
Although previously statements declared that they were in favor of slaughter, the current membership of AHC contains organizations which are both pro and con on the slaughter issue. Nevertheless, if some feel that they need to affiliate with them due to the mistaken impression that AHC /UHC are anti-slaughter, please refer to the AHC list of members.
It is somewhat enlightening to refer to the section for AHC Members, then cross reference it to the list of members for Common Horse Sense/aka Horse Welfare Coalition/aka slaughterhouse web site, (commonhorsense.com domain previously registered to attorney for Texas slaughterhouses, now listing contact as SciWords, the PR firm for the slaughterhouses).
If the chain of association still seems cloudy, refer to the list of Current Unwanted Horse Coalition Member Organizations. The first four on the list are very actively pro slaughter. Also, reference JAVMA, August 15, 2006 where a news release was published in the AVMA Journal as the start up of UHC was initiated. AAEP/AVMA was instrumental, and both organizations are quite openly in favor of horse slaughter.
There are no praises to be sung for UHC as related to the slaughter issue. Elsewhere, perhaps there are, but not here. If someone is considering donating dollars to them, it would be better spent in assisting horse rescue.
Why would we highly regulate horse slaughter plants when
we can't even check our beef plants properly??? ----- the
plants needed to be closed! support HR503 / S 311 -
CLOSE THE BORDERS!!!!!...
Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:45pm EDT
You are here: Home > News > Article
USDA admits skipped meat plant checks for 30 years
By Charles Abbott
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For three decades, U.S. inspectors visited 250 meat processing plants as rarely as once every two weeks despite federal law requiring daily inspection, Agriculture Department officials admitted to lawmakers on Thursday.
"All I can say is, it's been going on for a long time," said Undersecretary Richard Raymond to the House Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture. "It's going to stop now."
There are 6,000 federally inspected slaughterhouses and meat processing plants in the United States, USDA says.
The practice started under directives issued in the early 1970s, said Raymond. He told reporters afterward that daily inspections would commence "soon, damn soon." He said the plants apparently were small operations located a long distance from an inspector's base.
Also during the hearing, Raymond said USDA would delay until June or July the implementation of "risk-based inspection" of processing plants, rather than begin in April. USDA may propose at the end of 2007 to adopt the system at slaughterhouses, he said.
Subcommittee chairwoman Rosa DeLauro repeatedly challenged whether USDA has the data needed to justify the new inspection system. "If I can help it, not on my watch," said the Connecticut Democrat in adjourning the hearing. She said Raymond would be called to another hearing in April.
DeLauro said the infrequent inspections at the 250 plants could be a violation of meat inspection laws, which require daily inspection. "I believe you're exactly right," replied Raymond, who is in charge of food safety at USDA.
While Raymond said he learned three weeks ago of the practice, DeLauro said "I find it very improbable" no one at the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which runs the meat inspection system, was aware of it.
FSIS acting administrator David Goldman told the subcommittee the 250 plants were not allowed to ship meat without inspection. They held it until approved by an inspector, he said. Some plants were checked twice a week and others were visited once every two weeks, said Goldman.
Raymond said he would take steps to assure all plants received daily inspection.
"It is critical that FSIS from this point forward document that plants are visited daily, as required by law," said Caroline Smith DeWaal of the consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Federal law requires continuous inspection of packing plants and daily inspection of processing plants.
© Reuters2007All rights reserved
--
Mary D. Martin
www.newenglandequin
www.myspace.
www.freewebs.
haul horses to slaughter in effect.. December 7, 2006.
While the law provides a loophole in that horses may still be transported in
these inhumane trailers for other purposes, it does indeed outlaw their use
in transporting horses to slaughter plants.
The statute is copied below should anyone need to have it on hand for use in
helping local, state, and federal authorities enforce the law.
If you live near a slaughter plant, or frequent auctions where horses are
loaded for slaughter, please contact local police to advise them of the
situation. Also, if you witness a double decker at a horse slaughter plant,
please
be certain to write down the D.O.T. number on the semi-tractor door, as well
as the license plate number and name of the company. Please call Chris Heyde
at the Society for Animal Protective Legislation immediately with this
information. 703-836-4300.
Also, please remember to keep calling your Senators on the American Horse
Slaughter Prevention Act. For our latest alert and more info, please click
here: _http://www.saplonline.org/Alerts/102506.htm_
(http://www.saplonline.org/Alerts/102506.htm)
******************************************************************************
*****************************
Executive Order 12372
This program/activity is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance under No. 10.025 and is subject to Executive Order 12372,
which requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local
officials. (See 7 CFR part 3015, subpart V.)
Executive Order 12988
This final rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988,
Civil Justice Reform. This rule: (1) Preempts all State and local laws
and regulations that are in conflict with this rule; (2) has no
retroactive effect; and (3) does not require administrative proceedings
before parties may file suit in court challenging this rule.
Paperwork Reduction Act
In accordance with section 3507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. et seq.), the information collection or
recordkeeping requirements included in this final rule have been
approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The assigned OMB
control number is 0579-0160.
List of Subjects
9 CFR Part 70
Administrative practice and procedure.
9 CFR Part 88
Animal welfare, Horses, Penalties Re porting and recordkeeping
requirements, Transportation.
Accordingly, we are amending 9 CFR, chapter I, subchapter C, as
follows:
PART 70--RULES OF PRACTICE GOVERNING PROCEEDINGS UNDER CERTAIN ACTS
1. The authority citation for part 70 is revised to read as
follows:
Authority: 21 U.S.C. 111, 112, 114a, 114a-1, 115, 117, 120, 122,
123, 125-127, 134b, 134c, 134e, and 134f; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, 371.4.
2. In Sec. 70.1, the list of statutory provisions is amended by
adding at the end of the list the following:
Sec. 70.1 Scope and applicability of rules of practice.
* * * * *
Sections 901-905 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and
Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 1901 note).
* * * * *
3. A new part 88 is added to read as follows:
PART 88--COMMERCIAL TRANSPORTATION OF EQUINES FOR SLAUGHTER
Sec.
88.1 Def initions.
88.2 General information.
88.3 Standards for conveyances.
88.4 Requirements for transport.
88.5 Requirements at a slaughtering facility.
88.6 Violations and penalties.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1901, 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, 371.4.
Sec. 88.1 Definitions.
The following definitions apply to this part:
APHIS. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture.
Commercial transportation. Movement for profit via conveyance on
any highway or public road.
Conveyance. Trucks, tractors, trailers, or semitrailers, or any
combination of these, propelled or drawn by mechanical power.
Equine. Any member of the Equidae family, which includes horses,
asses, mules, ponies, and zebras.
Euthanasia. The humane destruction of an animal by the use of an < BR>anesthetic agent or other means that causes painless loss of
consciousness and subsequent death.
Owner/shipper. Any individual, partnership, corporation, or
cooperative association that engages in the commercial transportation
of more than 20 equines per year to slaughtering facilities, except any
individual or other entity who transports equines to slaughtering
facilities incidental to his or her principal activity of production
agriculture (production of food or fiber).
Owner-shipper certificate. VS Form 10-13,\1\ which requires the
information specified by Sec. 88.4(a)(3) of this part.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Forms may be obtained from the National Animal Health
Programs Staff, Veterinary Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 43,
Riverdale, MD 20737-1231.
----------------------------------------------- ----------------------------
Secretary. The Secretary of Agriculture.
Slaughtering facility. A commercial establishment that slaughters
equines for any purpose.
Stallion. Any uncastrated male equine that is 1 year of age or
older.
USDA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USDA backtag. A backtag issued by APHIS that conforms to the eight-
character alpha-numeric National Backtagging System and that provides
unique identification for each animal.
USDA representative. Any employee of the USDA who is authorized by
the Deputy Administrator for Veterinary Services of APHIS, USDA, to
enforce this part.
Sec. 88.2 General information.
(a) State governments may enact and enforce regulations that are
consistent with or that are more stringent than the regulations in this
part.
(b) To determine whether an individual or other entity found to
tran sport equines to a slaughtering facility is subject to the
regulations in this part, a USDA representative may request from any
individual or other entity who transported the equines information
regarding the business of that individual or other entity. When such
information is requested, the individual or other entity who
transported the equines must provide the information within 30 days and
in a format as may be specified by the USDA representative.
Sec. 88.3 Standards for conveyances.
(a) The animal cargo space of conveyances used for the commercial
transportation of equines to slaughtering facilities must:
(1) Be designed, constructed, and maintained in a manner that at
all times protects the health and well-being of the equines being
transported (e.g., provides
[[Page 63616]]
adequate ventilation, contains no sharp protrusions,&n bsp; etc.);
(2) Include means of completely segregating each stallion and each
aggressive equine on the conveyance so that no stallion or aggressive
equine can come into contact with any of the other equines on the
conveyance;
(3) Have sufficient interior height to allow each equine on the
conveyance to stand with its head extended to the fullest normal
postural height; and
(4) Be equipped with doors and ramps of sufficient size and
location to provide for safe loading and unloading.
(b) Equines in commercial transportation to slaughtering facilities
must not be transported in any conveyance that has the animal cargo
space divided into two or more stacked levels, except that conveyances
lacking the capability to convert from two or more stacked levels to
one level may be used until December 7, 2006. Conveyances with
collapsible floors (also known as ``floa ting decks'') must be
configured to transport equines on one level only.
Sec. 88.4 Requirements for transport.
(a) Prior to the commercial transportation of equines to a
slaughtering facility, the owner/shipper must:
(1) For a period of not less than 6 consecutive hours immediately
prior to the equines being loaded on the conveyance, provide each
equine appropriate food (i.e., hay, grass, or other food that would
allow an equine in transit to maintain well-being), potable water, and
the opportunity to rest;
(2) Apply a USDA backtag \2\ to each equine in the shipment;
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ USDA backtags are available at recognized slaughtering
establishments and specifically approved stockyards and from State
representatives and APHIS representatives. A list of recognized
slaughtering e stablishments and specifically approved stockyards may
be obtained as indicated in Sec. 78.1 of this chapter. The terms
``State representative'' and ``APHIS representative'' are defined in
Sec. 78.1 of this chapter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3) Complete and sign an owner-shipper certificate for each equine
being transported. The owner-shipper certificate for each equine must
accompany the equine throughout transit to the slaughtering facility
and must include the following information, which must be typed or
legibly completed in ink:
(i) The owner/shipper's name, address, and telephone number;
(ii) The receiver's (destination) name, address, and telephone
number;
(iii) The name of the auction/market, if applicable;
(iv) A description of the conveyance, including the license plate
number;
(v) A d escription of the equine's physical characteristics,
including such information as sex, breed, coloring, distinguishing
markings, permanent brands, tattoos, and electronic devices that could
be used to identify the equine;
(vi) The number of the USDA backtag applied to the equine in
accordance with paragraph (a)(2) of this section;
(vii) A statement of fitness to travel at the time of loading,
which will indicate that the equine is able to bear weight on all four
limbs, able to walk unassisted, not blind in both eyes, older than 6
months of age, and not likely to give birth during the trip;
(viii) A description of any preexisting injuries or other unusual
condition of the equine, such as a wound or blindness in one eye, that
may cause the equine to have special handling needs;
(ix) The date, time, and place the equine was loaded on the
conveyance; and
(x) A state ment that the equine was provided access to food, water,
and rest prior to transport in accordance with paragraph (a)(1) of this
section; and
(4) Load the equines on the conveyance so that:
(i) Each equine has enough floor space to ensure that no equine is
crowded in a way likely to cause injury or discomfort; and
(ii) Each stallion and any aggressive equines are completely
segregated so that no stallion or aggressive equine can come into
contact with any other equine on the conveyance.
(b) During transit to the slaughtering facility, the owner/shipper
must:
(1) Drive in a manner to avoid causing injury to the equines;
(2) Observe the equines as frequently as circumstances allow, but
not less than once every 6 hours, to check the physical condition of
the equines and ensure that all requirements of this part are being
followed. The owner/shipper must o btain veterinary assistance as soon
as possible from an equine veterinarian for any equines in obvious
physical distress. Equines that become nonambulatory en route must be
euthanized by an equine veterinarian. If an equine dies en route, the
owner/shipper must contact the nearest APHIS office as soon as possible
and allow an APHIS veterinarian to examine the equine. If an APHIS
veterinarian is not available, the owner/shipper must contact an equine
veterinarian;
(3) Offload from the conveyance any equine that has been on the
conveyance for 28 consecutive hours and provide the equine appropriate
food, potable water, and the opportunity to rest for at least 6
consecutive hours; and
(4) If offloading is required en route to the slaughtering
facility, the owner/shipper must prepare another owner-shipper
certificate as required by paragraph (a)(2) of this section and record
the date, time, and location where the offloading occurred. In this
situation, both owner-shipper certificates would need to accompany the
equine to the slaughtering facility.
(c) Handling of all equines in commercial transportation to a
slaughtering facility shall be done as expeditiously and carefully as
possible in a manner that does not cause unnecessary discomfort,
stress, physical harm, or trauma. Electric prods may not be used on
equines in commercial transportation to a slaughtering facility for any
purpose, including loading or offloading on the conveyance, except when
human safety is threatened.
(d) At any point during the commercial transportation of equines to
a slaughtering facility, a USDA representative may examine the equines,
inspect the conveyance, or review the owner-shipper certificates
required by paragraph (a)(3) of t his section.
(e) At any time during the commercial transportation of equines to
a slaughtering facility, a USDA representative may direct the owner/
shipper to take appropriate actions to alleviate the suffering of any
equine. If deemed necessary by the USDA representative, such actions
could include securing the services of an equine veterinarian to treat
an equine, including performing euthanasia if necessary.
(f) The individual or other entity who signs the owner-shipper
certificate must maintain a copy of the owner-shipper certificate for 1
year following the date of signature.
Sec. 88.5 Requirements at a slaughtering facility.
(a) Upon arrival at a slaughtering facility, the owner/shipper
must:
(1) Ensure that each equine has access to appropriate food and
potable water after being offloaded;
(2) Present the owner-shipper certificates to a US DA
representative;
(3) Allow a USDA representative access to the equines for the
purpose of examination; and
(4) Allow a USDA representative access to the animal cargo area of
the conveyance for the purpose of inspection.
(b) If the owner/shipper arrives during normal business hours, the
owner/shipper must not leave the premises of
[[Page 63617]]
a slaughtering facility until the equines have been examined by a USDA
representative. However, if the owner/shipper arrives outside of normal
business hours, the owner/shipper may leave the premises but must
return to the premises of the slaughtering facility to meet the USDA
representative upon his or her arrival.
(c) Any owner/shipper transporting equines to slaughtering
facilities outside of the United States must present the owner-shipper
certificates to USDA representatives at the border.
Sec. 88.6 Violations and penalties.
(a) The Secretary is authorized to assess civil penalties of up to
$5,000 per violation of any of the regulations in this part.
(b) Each equine transported in violation of the regulations of this
part will be considered a separate violation.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control
number 0579-0160.)
Done in Washington, DC, this 3rd day of December 2001.
Bill Hawks,
Under Secretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs.
[FR Doc. 01-30259 Filed 12-6-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-U
Gail Vacca
Illinois Coordinator
National Horse Protection Coalition
Wilmington, Illinois
Tel: 815-761-4937
Fax: 815-476-5257
_www.horse-protection.org_ (http://www.horse-protection ..org)
|
| Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - 6:30 PM |
| horse slaughter myths |
|
Most Americans are shocked to learn that horses are slaughtered for foreign food exports. In 2005, both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate cast landslide bi-partisan votes to stop horse slaughter in a 2006 budget bill. In order to stop the suffering experienced by horses and put an end to slaughter practices that most Americans abhor, efforts are underway to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 1915/H.R. 503) which would establish a permanent ban on horse slaughter. Opponents of the bill are trying to confuse the issue by the extraordinary and untenable argument that the slaughter industry somehow benefits horses.
Myth: A ban could result in "unregulated shipment of horses to slaughter" and horses being shipped longer distances to slaughter. Fact: Untrue. The passage of The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act will prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption, as well as the trade and transport of horseflesh and live horses intended for human consumption. This legislation will terminate any legal option for sending American horses to slaughter within the United States at one of the three, foreign-owned plants or to any foreign slaughterhouse. Myth: There has been an increase in the number of abandoned and unwanted horses in the United States, and a slaughter ban will lead to an increase in horse abuse and starvation or neglect cases. Fact: There is no evidence to support these claims. According to the USDA, at least 5,000 horses have been imported into one of the three foreign-owned slaughter plants in the United States for slaughter since August 2004. If there were "too many" horses in the United States, then there would be no reason to import horses for slaughter. Furthermore, a ban on horse slaughter will not lead to an increase in horse abuse and neglect. In California, where horse slaughter was banned in 1998, there has been no corresponding rise in cruelty and neglect cases. In fact, horse theft has dropped by 34% since enactment of the ban. Allowing one's horse to starve is not an option—state anti-cruelty laws prohibit such neglect. Myth: Transport guidelines protect horses shipped to slaughter from harm. Fact: The 2002 guidelines allow horses to be shipped for more than 24 hours without food, water or rest, with broken limbs, with eyes missing, even heavily pregnant. Industry pushed to delay the prohibition on use of double-decker trucks until December 7, 2006. The regulations only cover the final journey to the slaughterhouse. If horses are loaded and unloaded at various places as part of their route to slaughter, only the final leg of the trip is covered. Enforcement of these guidelines will only occur once the truck reaches the slaughter plant, so these guidelines will have little preventative effect. These guidelines are wholly inadequate and allow extreme suffering in transport to continue. Myth: There is no need for a ban because slaughter is humane euthanasia. Fact: Horse slaughter is a far cry from humane euthanasia. "Euthanasia" means a gentle, painless death provided in order to prevent suffering. Horse slaughter is a death fraught with terror, pain, and suffering. Horses are shipped for more than 24 hours at a time in crowded double-decker cattle trucks without food, water, or rest. Pregnant mares, foals, injured horses, and even blind horses must endure the journey. Once they arrive, their suffering intensifies—undercover footage obtained by The Humane Society of the United States demonstrates that fully conscious horses are shackled and hoisted by the rear leg and have their throats slit. Because horses are skittish by nature, it is particularly difficult to align them correctly and ensure the captive bolt stun gun renders them unconscious. Unwanted horses should be humanely euthanized by a licensed veterinarian when no other option exists, rather than placed on a truck, cruelly transported, and then butchered. Most horse owners already use humane euthanasia for their older or ill horses. Myth: If horses can no longer be slaughtered, their welfare is at risk due to the lack of adequate equine rescue facilities and uniform standards for them. Fact: Standards of care have already been developed and embraced by the hundreds of equine rescue and retirement facilities that exist throughout the country that routinely rescue horses from slaughter. All must comply with state and local animal welfare statutes. In an effort to end the slaughter of racehorses, the New York Racing Association has partnered with other groups to launch the "Ferdinand Fee" to raise funds for the care of retired racehorses, and to honor Ferdinand, a former Kentucky Derby winner who went to slaughter. The organizations leading the charge in favor of a slaughter ban are the very organizations that are actively working to provide sanctuaries and solutions for any horses that would otherwise go to slaughter. Myth: If a slaughter ban is passed, the federal government will face the financial burden of care for horses no longer going to slaughter. Fact: This assertion rests on the false premise that all horses currently going to slaughter would become the financial responsibility of the federal government. Horse owners, not the government, will remain responsible for the care of their horses. Owners who no longer wish to keep their horses and who cannot sell or place their horses in a new home will have the option of humane euthanasia. The average cost for veterinarian-administered euthanasia and carcass disposal—approximately $225, the cost of one month's care—is simply a part of responsible horse ownership. Myth: Ending horse slaughter will cause environmental harm. Fact: Hundreds of thousands of horses are safely disposed of annually by means other than slaughter, and the infrastructure can absorb an increase in numbers. Conversely, the operation of the horse slaughterhouses has a very real negative environmental impact, with two out of the three in violation of current environmental law related to the disposal of blood and other waste materials. Mayor Paula Beacon of Kaufman, Texas—the home of one of the three horse slaughter plants in the United States—desperately states "Dallas-Crown is operating in violation of a multitude of local laws pertaining to waste management, air quality and other environmental concerns... Residents are also fed up with the situation. Long-established neighbors living adjacent to the plant cannot open their windows or run air conditioners without enduring the most horrific stench." Myth: A prohibition on horse slaughter creates a negative precedent for beef, pork, and poultry producers by legitimizing efforts to end consumption of food derived from any animal. Fact: Americans don't eat horses, and unlike other livestock, we don't breed them for human consumption. Additionally, horses are different from cattle (and other animals specifically bred, sold, and transported for human consumption) due to their instinctive flight response in stressful conditions, making it difficult to accurately stun them prior to slaughter. Undercover footage has demonstrated that many horses are dismembered while fully conscious, underscoring the need to ban this utterly inhumane process. The American public overwhelming supports a ban on horse slaughter—horses have a special place in our heritage and they are beloved companions to millions today. Myth: Consuming horsemeat does not put the public's health at risk. Fact: Horsemeat is potentially dangerous to humans when eaten because horses are not raised for this purpose. Recent lab work revealed that horsemeat from one of the Texas plants contains several substances that are not intended for human consumption. Our horses are regularly treated with worming medications, drugs, and other injections unintended for human consumption. Myth: There has been no formal public discussion on this issue. Fact: For years, legislation that would prohibit horse slaughter has been under consideration in the Senate. The U.S. House of Representatives witnessed thoughtful and substantial public floor debate on this identical amendment which led to its passage by a landslide bipartisan vote. Further, there has been extensive media coverage on this issue by newspapers and television networks nationwide including CNN, The L.A. Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and many others. Action on this issue is past due. Myth: Zoos will be prevented from feeding their big cats an adequate diet. Fact: Zoos will be able to continue to feed horse meat to their big cats, as the bill will only stop the domestic slaughter of horses for human consumption. However, there is a growing trend to feed a beef-based diet to captive big cats. Several USDA-licensed facilities that keep big cats like lions and tigers have switched to such diets because it is a healthier alternative for these species. Horses are treated with many drugs that are prohibited for use in animals raised for food. This information courtesy of the Humane Society of the United States |
By John Holland
The phone rings and Shelly Price, a director of the nonprofit rescue
and educational organization Speak Up For Horses Inc. answers. It is
yet another person wanting to know how they can help with the
unwanted horse crisis in Kentucky. The call is in response to an AP
story, written by Jeffrey McMurray, that has reached as far as
Taiwan with sensational headlines like "Kentucky, land of the
thoroughbred, swamped with unwanted horses" and "Drop in slaughter
leads to too many horses".
Shelly patiently explains that she spent days with the reporter but
that the story reflects none of the facts she provided. "He told me
that he had already spoken with proslaughter sources and asked me
about all the horses being turned out because people could not
afford to feed them. I told him that I had never seen an abandoned
horse in Kentucky and warned him to validate that story."
The article begins "The bidding for the black pony started at $500,
then took a nosedive, there were no takers at $300, $200, even
$100." McMurray then goes on to talk about horses being turned loose
in Kentucky in the hundreds or thousands to starve to death, and
blames the problem on a growing movement to stop horse slaughter.
Unfortunately, the premise ignores both the fact that ponies are
rarely purchased for slaughter because of their small size, and the
fact that a horse turned loose in the Bluegrass State would be the
equivalent of a person being turned loose to starve in an all-you-
can eat buffet! "I know of a horse that escaped its pasture near
here," says Price. It took them 9 months to catch it, and it was in
great flesh when they did." But these are only two of many of
McMurray's statements that left experienced horse people scratching
their heads.
"I was with Jeffrey at the Shepherdsville auction and discussed
prices with him afterward", states Annie Haag, another horse
advocate, who agreed to help McMurray gather information for his
story from the anti-slaughter perspective. But after the auction she
says "Jeffrey just wanted to know about the one that sold for $75. I
was confused and did not realize that he was talking about a pony. I
told him I didn't see any horses selling under the $400 range. I
told Jeffrey that prices were up almost $100 on most horses." Haag
continued, "I would have told him that $75 is not a bad price for a
pony! He really didn't know much about horses."
Tamie Semler, of Angel Horse Rescue in Mannford, Oklahoma challenged
McMurray's premise that slaughter buyers help remove the unwanted
horses from the auction. She told of a reverse Darwinian world where
the rule is survival of the most unfit. To prove this, Semler keeps
meticulous records of who buys which horses at the big Mid America
auction in Bristow, Oklahoma. "At the auction last week," says
Semler "all 30 of the loose horses that were over 1,000 pounds went
to slaughter. They brought an average of $510 each, while the thin
horses all went to individual buyers and dealers and averaged only
$193."
A "loose horse" is one run through the auction ring without a rider
while horses ridden into the ring under saddle are called "saddle
horses". Although many loose horses are saddle broke they sell for
less than saddle horses and are thus the favorites of the kill
buyers. "So how exactly does it help with the problem of unwanted
horses when they take the best?" Semler asks, "I just could not
afford to outbid the killers. It is a shame too because with a
little training here and there we could have placed those healthy
horses so quickly."
McMurray's article goes on to quote a number of horse breeders
complaining about horse prices, but many of the quotes make no sense
to most experienced horse people. For example McMurray quotes a
breeder named Nelson Francis saying "You try to hang on until the
price changes, but it looks like it's not going to change. What do I
do? I've got good quality horses I can't market because of the has-
been horse." While almost all horse people agree that there is far
too much backyard breeding of horses, it makes no sense to complain
that "has-been" horses would push good riding horses out of the
market, and that somehow a lack of slaughter is to blame.
The complaint that "good saddle horses" are being pushed out of the
market by "has-been" horses does not agree with other assessments.
Jim Bradshaw, in a recent column in the Live Stock Weekly out of
Lubbock Texas discussed the effect of the closing in January of the
two Texas horse slaughter plants. He quotes Tony Mann, owner of
Lubbock Stockyards (an opponent of banning slaughter), on the price
of loose horses saying, "I didn't have any idea it would be this
good. We might have been $50 to $100 cheaper per head, but I didn't
see anything down too much. It was pretty good on the riding
horses." The article, in the enthusiastically pro-slaughter trade
journal, went on to quote other sources as saying the price of
saddle horses was basically unchanged.
When contacted for confirmation about the story of horses running
loose in the land, Lt. Phil Crumpton, the Commander of Kentucky
State Police Media Relations Branch, laughed saying, "You must be
joking?" When he realized the question was serious, he said that he
had no such reports to either their headquarters or to any of the
Regional Posts.
McMurray goes on "Some people who live near the strip mines in the
mountains of impoverished eastern Kentucky say that while horses
have long been left to roam free there, the number now may be in the
thousands, and they are seeing herds three times bigger than they
did just five years ago." The explanation for these reports took
only a quick google search. It is ironically from a mid-February AP
story!
It is the tragic story of two teenage boys charged with shooting and
killing several of the horses belonging to Trish Hayes who owns the
animals and operates Breaks Stables in Breaks, Virginia. The horses
were used for trail riding in warm months at the Breaks Interstate
Park. They wintered in the area of an abandoned coal mine in Eastern
Kentucky. The area is so safe and sparsely populated that there is
no need to fence them. Hays was quoted as saying "You've got miles
and miles of flat land where these horses graze and just stay. When
they're up there, they look like a band of wild horses, but when you
drive up, they'll come right up to your window." The story can still
be found online at the equine veterinary magazine The Horse. The
situation was fully investigated by the Kentucky State
Veterinarian'
well cared for and that there were no breeding (un-gelded) males.
The McMurray story continues, "There have been reports of horses
chained up in eastern Kentucky and left for days without food or
water. " But this tale appears to have been borrowed from another of
McMurray's sources, Kathy Schwartz of Days End Farm Horse Rescue. It
is the story of a horse named Beetle Bailey who was found chained to
a tree. But the Days End Farm is in Maryland, not Kentucky. Beetle
Bailey's story has no connection whatsoever to horse slaughter or
the current situation. Beetle Bailey was adopted out of the rescue
in the Winter of 2004!
The discrepancies in McMurray's AP story do not end there, but its
sensational shrillness (astonishing coming from the institutionally
careful Associated Press) has had the effect of creating a fire
storm of unwarranted concern across the mainstream media, the
internet, and even the talk show circuit. In yet another irony, one
of the facts that McMurray did get right makes this very serious.
The US Congress, Kentucky, New York, and Illinois are all
considering legislation to ban horse slaughter, and Texas is
considering legislation that would nullify its 1949 law against
slaughtering horses for human consumption which was only recently
upheld by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. All this pending
legislation raises the issue to a level of significance that demands
responsible journalism.
In light of this, a few questions must be asked. Who assigned
McMurray, a young sports writer with no knowledge of the horse
industry, to this story? Why did McMurray work so desperately to
weave disconnected, unsubstantiated and unrelated scraps of
information into a largely incoherent argument in favor of horse
slaughter? And why did the Associated Press, a respected news
outlet, allow such a sensationalized and distorted story to get out?
I call upon the Associated Press to do the right thing and set the
record straight by retracting this ridiculous story and I ask that
all the publications that printed it inform their readers of its
inaccuracy. We as Americans need to know that we can trust our most
cherished guardian of truth, the free press, and its traditionally
most responsible messenger, the cherished Associated Press.
JH - 3/18/2007
&
The American Horse Council.
There seems to be some confusion regarding these two, one and the same, organizations and their stand on horse slaughter. To clarify:
"The Unwanted Horse Coalition, a broad alliance of equine organizations that have joined together under the American Horse Council," or see "Unwanted Horse Coalition folded into AHC".
The American Horse Council's official stand on slaughter is:
"The AHC is neutral on the legislation because it has organizations and individual members both supporting and opposing a federal legislative ban."
Although previously statements declared that they were in favor of slaughter, the current membership of AHC contains organizations which are both pro and con on the slaughter issue. Nevertheless, if some feel that they need to affiliate with them due to the mistaken impression that AHC /UHC are anti-slaughter, please refer to the AHC list of members.
It is somewhat enlightening to refer to the section for AHC Members, then cross reference it to the list of members for Common Horse Sense/aka Horse Welfare Coalition/aka slaughterhouse web site, (commonhorsense.com domain previously registered to attorney for Texas slaughterhouses, now listing contact as SciWords, the PR firm for the slaughterhouses).
If the chain of association still seems cloudy, refer to the list of Current Unwanted Horse Coalition Member Organizations. The first four on the list are very actively pro slaughter. Also, reference JAVMA, August 15, 2006 where a news release was published in the AVMA Journal as the start up of UHC was initiated. AAEP/AVMA was instrumental, and both organizations are quite openly in favor of horse slaughter.
There are no praises to be sung for UHC as related to the slaughter issue. Elsewhere, perhaps there are, but not here. If someone is considering donating dollars to them, it would be better spent in assisting horse rescue.
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NEW: Cavel must close at midnight | ROCKFORD - A federal judge ruled Thursday evening that Cavel International J. Philip Calabrese, attorney for Cavel, had argued that Judge Frederick J. | ||
The most current info on the status of slaughter... www.saplonline.org
Horse Slaughter Bill Advances in the
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 25, 2007) – The Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee of the US Senate today held a mark-up for S. 311, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA), voting 15 to 7 in favor of sending the bill to be considered before the full US Senate.
Dispelling misguided arguments from AHSPA opponents, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) argued, “We have this law in place in
The three remaining foreign-owned slaughter plants in the
“Until Congress acts, horses are being hauled under horrible conditions across the border to
Two years ago, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to stop horse slaughter for a year, and last year, the House passed the bill. Unfortunately, Congress went out of session before the Senate could vote on the measure. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, sponsored in this session by Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and John Ensign (R-NV), will ensure that the practice of horse slaughter for human consumption is stopped permanently.
Before the measure went up for a vote, Senator Ensign stated, “There is no question that this bill will pass in this Committee, in the full Senate and in the House of Representatives, finally stopping horse slaughter.”
The Society for Animal Protective Legislation, the Animal Welfare Institute's legislative arm, is the unsurpassed leader in obtaining laws to benefit animals in need, including the protection of domestic and wild horses.
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CONTACT:
Chris Heyde,
Please note that photographs and footage of horse transport and slaughter are available upon request. More information on the issue is available at www.saplonline.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Federal Court of Appeals Affirms Ruling Declaring Horse Slaughter Illegal in Texas
Two of the Nation's Three Horse Slaughter Plants Must Now Close
WASHINGTON (March 6, 2007)—Today, The Humane Society of the United States hailed a decision yesterday by the entire United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to affirm an earlier panel decision upholding a Texas state law banning the sale of horsemeat for human consumption.
Without comment or dissent, the 19 judges of the full court rejected a petition by three foreign-owned slaughter plants seeking full court review of a three-judge panel’s January 19, 2006 decision upholding the Texas horse slaughter law. The slaughter plants had claimed the Texas law at issue was unconstitutional, an argument that was quickly brushed aside by the Court in its January opinion and again by its decision denying rehearing yesterday.
“This is the end of the line for the horse slaughter industry in Texas," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO for The HSUS. "The kill floors should be still and quiet in Texas if the owners of these foreign-owned plants obey the law.”
“Only one slaughterhouse continues to operate in the United States, and it is time for Congress to step in and halt this grisly business once and for all,” Pacelle added.
The HSUS has been actively campaigning to ban the slaughter of American horses for export for human consumption.
Facts
· The criminal code of Texas has long prohibited the sale or possession of horse meat, but the law has never been enforced.
· According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 100,800 American horses were slaughtered in three foreign-owned slaughter houses in 2006. Another 30,000 were sent to Mexico or Canada for slaughter.
· Opponents of the slaughter ban argue the practice constitutes a humane way to kill old animals, but investigations by The HSUS show cruelty and abuse throughout the process. USDA statistics show that more than 92 percent of horses slaughtered in the U.S. are not old and infirm but in good condition.
· Legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses nationwide was introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate by Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Reps. Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), John Spratt (D-S.C.), and Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) introduced a companion bill, H.R. 503.
· The measure received tremendous bipartisan support in the 109th Congress, winning a vote of 263 to 146 in the House. It stalled in the Senate in late 2006, however, and was not brought up for a vote before Congress adjourned, even though a similar effort had been overwhelmingly approved by the Senate in 2005.
· Nearly 70 percent of Americans are strongly against the slaughter of American horses for human consumption overseas.
Timeline
· In 2002, responding to citizen and local government concerns about the two foreign-owned horse slaughter plants in the state – Dallas Crown in Kaufman and Beltex in Fort Worth – then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn issued a written opinion that the 1949 Texas law applies and may be enforced.
· In response, the Tarrant County District Attorney attempted to enforce the law, but last year a federal district court in Texas ruled that the law was repealed by another statute and preempted by federal law.
· The District Attorney appealed that decision last year, and the HSUS filed an amicus brief in the case in March 2006.
· In January 2007, the court of appeals upheld the law, flatly rejecting the slaughterhouses' arguments that the ban on the sale of horsemeat does not protect horses from theft and abuse, and that regulating horse slaughter can achieve those same purposes, noting instead that "it is a matter of commonsense that…alternatives…
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Media contacts:
Polly Shannon, pshannon@hsus.
Tracey McIntire, tmcintire@hsus.
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization – backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty -- On the web at www.HumaneSociety.