November 2006 • The Cowboy Chronicle • Page 15
R ANCHING Gallery Horse Slaughter Bill
U.S. Congress debates horse slaughter bill
An emotionally charged bill being debated in Congress could end the slaughtering of horses in the U.S. The bill, introduced by Rep. John E. Sweeney (R-NY) would amend the Horse Protection Act of 1970 to prohibit “shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines for slaughter for human consumption.” The proposed bill effectively makes it impossible to slaughter a horse in the U.S. or to transport a horse to Canada or Mexico for the purpose of slaughter. The legislation has become an emotional issue and caused sharp divisions among horse lovers, breeders and veterinarians over how best to deal with aging or injured animals. The U.S. has for years exported horse meat to France, Italy, Belgium, Japan and other countries where it is considered a delicacy. In 2005, U.S. horse meat exports wee estimated at 18,000 tons with a value of $61 million.
Bill proponents gain bipartisan support
The legislation has strong bipartisan support, with more than 200 co-spon-
sors in the House. Congressman Sweeney says, “People across America have been clear and consistent in stating they want an end to this horrific practice of horse slaughter, and I am proud to lead the charge in Congress. It is appalling that a horse revered as one of our nation’s national icons, can be sold to foreign diners.” Many animal welfare organizations, and equine industry groups, including the National Show Horse Registry, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the National Steeplechase Association and Churchill Downs, passionately support the effort to ban horse slaughter. However, farm organizations and some veterinary groups contend the bill would do far more harm than good.
Bill’s opponents speak out
The bill that has passed the House (263-146) prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption and eliminates funding for U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections of slaughter horses. However, it does not prohibit euthanasia or putting down old, sick and disabled horses. Critics of the bill say it ignores the realities facing farmers and horse owners across the country. The slaughter of unwanted horses is a necessary aspect of the horse industry and provides a humane alternative to suffering, abuse or abandonment, according to a coalition of more than 140 farm and veterinary groups who oppose the legislation. “Preventing the slaughter of horses does nothing but increase the economic strain on families who can no longer afford to care for them, stretch already thin budgets at rescue facilities
and increase the chances that horses will suffer as they become unwanted or old,” says Rep. Collin Peterson (DMN). The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is one of some 200 groups in a coalition of veterinary, horse industry and agricultural groups representing more than half a million individuals in the U.S. The American Association of Equine Practitioners, the world’s largest professional association of horse veterinarians, and the American Quarter Horse Association, the largest equine group in the country, have also joined the coalition. The coalition vows to continue fighting against the ban by defeating the Senate bill. Proponents claim that, if H.R. 503 is signed into law, a number of resources and opportunities exist for horses that are no longer bound for slaughter. They can be humanely euthanized by a licensed veterinarian for a nominal fee of about $225. Horses that are not humanely euthanized can continue to be kept by their owners, sold to a new owner or be placed in one of the hundreds of horse sanctuaries and rescue facilities springing up across the country. According to the American Horse Defense Fund, there are 540 rescue facilities and 34 equine sanctuaries around the U.S., with more being established. Opponents of the bill, however, argue that slaughter is a necessary evil for old, broken down, unwanted horses. Rep. John Salazar (D-CO) says, “Horse owners will have to send their horses out to already overcrowded rescue centers and sentence them to live out their final years in suffering.” Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) says, “The entire North Dakota Congressional delegation is opposed to this bill.” Rep. Earl Pomeroy was one of the 146 who voted against the bill.