You can
find your representative by going to Congress.org Please take
a moment to thank them if they voted 'yes', and express your disappointment
if they voted 'no'.
Letters make the biggest impact; Calls and emails are good too.
Remember to thank Whitfield (R-KY), Spratt (D-SC), Rahall (D-WV)
and Sweeney (R-NY) for their support.
Today horse owners and advocates have won a victory in
the 269-158 passage of an amendment to an appropriations bill
by John Sweeney (R-New York) that would help to put an end to
the slaughter of American horses for human consumption overseas.
The amendment will remove federal funding of inspectors at the
3 remaining foreign-owned horse slaughter plans in the US.
If a companion bill
is passed by the Senate, the Sweeney amendment, co-sponsored by
Ed Whitfield (R-Kentucky), Jack Spratt (D-South Carolina) and
Nick Rahall II (D-West Virginia), will trigger a 12-month shutdown
of those slaughterhouses when a new fiscal year begins October
1.
"The vote was
a major victory and shows the overwhelming support in Congress
to end this brutal practice. The amazing outpouring of public
support helped to make this possible and I thank everyone who
supported our efforts today," Whitfield said.
Thoroughbred industry
leader John Hettinger, who has spearheaded the battle against
slaughter, said, "It’s the most satisfying
moment in my 33 years in the horse business."
Horse
slaughter is opposed by horse owners for several reasons. For
one, it provides irresponsible breeders and owners a way to quickly
get rid of their unwanted or injured horses instead of properly
caring for them. For another thing, many stolen horses end up
in slaughter plants. Although horse theft might sound like a thing
of the past, it's quite common and heartbreaking when it happens,
as most owners never see their animals again.
But it's not Americans that are killing
or eating the horses; Most find it repulsive given the significant
historical, cultural, and recreational value of the horse. The
horse slaughter plants are operated by and for foreigners, at
Americans' expense. Horse meat is a delicacy in places such as
France, Germany, and Japan, and it's exported for human consumpion.
For this reason, the animals are killed in an unconventional manner
considered by many to be inhumane. Horses are generally euthanized
via lethal injection, or in emergency cases, shot in the head
to render a quick death. However, in a slaughter plant, the horses
must be 'bled' to make the meat safe for human consumption. First
a horse is herded into a 'kill box', and then a 4" nail is
driven into the horse's head. The blow is supposed to render the
animal unconscious. The horse is then hoisted into the air by
a chain around the hind leg and in some cases still alive as the
throat is cut and the horse is 'bled'.
Not all horse owners
support a ban on horse slaughter. Some people have concerns that
it may leave horses with no place to go, or may increase instances
of horse abuse, saying that irresponsible people who might otherwise
slaughter the horses may instead keep them in abusive conditions.
They fear that horses too old or sick may not be euthanized properly,
but may instead be left to starve.
However, horse advocates
point out that although some people call it a 'necessary evil',
it's hard to make an argument for its necessity. The number of
horses slaughtered is a tiny fraction of the horse population--
less than half of one percent ( .07% to be exact)-- which can
hardly make an impact on the nationwide population.
If ending horse slaughter
were to create a large number of ill or old horses with no place
to go, there is a humane alternative that few people discuss:
Rendering plants. Rendering plants can pick up the bodies of euthanized
horses and turn them into pet food or fertilizer, thus eliminating
the fear that somehow thousands of horse bodies will pile up and
cause polution.
It's also very important to note that major changes have already
occured in the horse slaughter industry. From 1990 to 2002, the
number of horses slaughtered dropped about 90%-- a huge margin--
but still did not result in an increase in abuse or have any other
negative impact. If horse slaughter were banned tomorrow, the
drop would be minor compared to the changes that have already
taken place.
Polls have shown that Americans are overwhelmingly against the
slaughter of horses, with 60-90% opposing it depending on the
areas polled.
You can help by writing to your representatives and letting them
know how you feel. Visit
Congress.org to find and write to your representatives.
