USA: 2014 may finally become the “Year of the Horse”

Horses - ban on slaughtering horses for meatIntroduction

This is about the human-to-animal relationship. If one respects the cat all other animals should be respected. Acting inhumanely towards one animal encourages inhumane behavior towards another. The converse is also true. We need to raise our standards. What do you think about cat meat? (Michael).

Horse Slaughter Plants Reopened

In 2006, the ban on funding of USDA horsemeat inspections resulted in the three remaining foreign-owned horse slaughter plants to close in 2007. In Texas, the two plants closed in March 2007 when a little known Texas law prohibiting horse slaughter for human consumption was upheld by the Texas court. The last remaining horse slaughter plant in Illinois closed in September 2007 after the Illinois state legislature passed a bill banning horse slaughter in its state. Unfortunately, the ban lapsed after five years under the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, which permitted horse slaughter plants to reopen.

Congressman JIm Moran said,

“Recent news reports of horse slaughter plants reopening are deeply troubling. As one of the nearly 80 percent of Americans who oppose the slaughter of horses for human consumption, we must fight to prevent the resumption of this inhumane, unsafe, and unnecessary practice”

Reinstating the Ban on the Slaughter of Horses for Meat for Human Consumption

While the House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment written by Congressman Moran (D District 8 Virginia) that banned horse slaughter inspection; in order to keep the U.S. government afloat, the wording was stripped from the bill during negotiations behind closed doors, allowing horse slaughter plants to re-open. And even though the same amendment was once again added last year to the Fiscal Year 2013 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, the federal government continued to operate upon the 2012 bill. To say that horse lovers were hugely disappointed, shocked and extremely angry upon learning that the defunding language in the bill was unceremoniously striped, would be a huge understatement

However, the all-embracing United States government pending bill divulged by top congressional negotiators this past Monday night is finally bringing the much needed exciting news to the 80 percent of the population in the United States who vehemently oppose the cruel and inhumane act of slaughtering horses.

With a small but powerful amendment that was added to the bill, containing language that removes the funding of horsemeat inspection by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) horsemeat inspectors once again effectively reinstates the ban on the slaughter of horses for meat for human consumption.

Although the news about the defunding language restored to the bill is greatly encouraging, this ban must be renewed annually. The only permanent solution to end horse slaughter in the United States and prohibit shipping horses outside the country bound for slaughter, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act must be passed. It’s only when this crucial bill passes that the doors of horse slaughter plants will be closed forever. The Humane Society international are asking the European Union to suspend imports of horse meat that original comes from America via Mexico and Canada.

Let’s hope the bill quickly passes officially in the House and the Senate and signed by President Obama, which includes the language prohibiting USDA horsemeat inspection. Its timing couldn’t be more critical since there are several horse slaughter plants already geared up and ready to begin killing our magnificent companion animals.

Additionally, according to “Straight from the Horse’s Mouth”, it also contains a “stipulation that funding not be restored until and unless the Food and Drug Administration makes a determination that meat from American horses can be made safe to enter the food supply.”

Horsemeat Unsafe for Human Consumption

But the truth is that horsemeat is not safe for human consumption. US horses have never been considered animals meant for food; they are kept as companions. During their lifetime they are treated with substances that are highly toxic to humans. Thus, it’s impossible to guarantee that slaughter-bound horses have never been given toxic drugs since the ages of these horses are varied and are gathered up from a variety of areas. They have are no medical records accompanying them proving they are safe.

And while there still are people remaining who claim that horse-slaughter is justified as a caring way in which the neglected, sick, injured and elderly horses who are no longer useful or wanted can be humanely “euthanized”, the majority of horses ending up in slaughterhouses are young and healthy. There is nothing humane about horse slaughter; it is an act of cruelty that I cannot politely describe.

What are your feelings about horse slaughter for meat for human consumption? Tell us in a comment.

Jo

  • Photo credit – Horse in Hamburger Roll Americans Against Horse Slaughter – Facebook page
  • Photo credit for Horse photo: Flickr User Scott Robinson
  • video: Uploaded to YouTube by PBS

http://youtu.be/XtP5R06DT2Q

66 thoughts on “USA: 2014 may finally become the “Year of the Horse””

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. Yes, and while they’re in there, instead of being in a free-for-all of gangbanging and drugdealing and contracting hits, it would be good if some true rehabbing were done, such as humane education and education in how compassion, kindness and caring not only improve life for others, they improve our OWN lives as well, across the board.

  3. I’ll defy anyone to tell the difference between Quorn steak strips and real steak for which an animal has died.
    Add mushrooms and onions and gravy (veggie of course) and you have a delicious casserole and an easy conscience.

  4. Sarah- I must disagree with you about sick and unwanted horses.. neglected horses…at least in the USA.

    Check this out: http://equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/Abandoned_Horses-FINAL.pdf

    Horse slaughter in the United States is brutal.Talk about suffering- their end is nothing BUT suffering. There is no way to monitor the drugs they have received either. Unless we want to start breeding horses FOR food- making sure they are free of toxic drugs is impossible.

    If unscrupulous horse dealers can fake Coggins tests, it is easy to trump up a “passport” showing that horses are free of these drugs and are safe to consume. If unscrupulous horse dealers can Jerry-Rig horses’ teeth and make them appear younger- there is nothing that these people will stoop to do to ensure that meat is untainted.

    95% of the horses sent to slaughter are young, healthy and fit horses.

    Strict regulations here in the USA mean NOTHING. There is no way to slaughter a horse humanely either. Have you watched the videos of how they are killed here? If not, these videos are gut-wrenching.

    Just my opinion along with the other over 80% of the population in the USA.

  5. Tani Mara- THANK YOU For your very insightful post.

    I have to admit that over 50 years ago when I was breeding cats- all the breeders that I knew were buying Hills frozen horsemeat. I was naive and didn’t even think about it then… I was not “sensitized” yet to this horrific situation.

    BUT- I just realized that many, many of our kitties were not healthy- had major health problems- Now I understand why… horsemeat is contaminated with toxic drugs they are given for pain- strong wormers, performance enhancing drugs- which more than likely accounts for these cats’ poor condition. They were poisoned…

  6. Update: GREAT NEWS- President Obama signed the Omnibus spending bill- which now bans horse slaughter in the United States. Unfortunately this does not prevent horses from being shipped outside our borders to Mexico and Canada.

    The transport of these horses bound for slaughter is cruelty in itself. They are treated brutally…stuffed into double decker transporters, shoved- pushed- injured… some not fed or watered for days.

    We MUST have the SAFE act passed in order to stop this pipeline dead in its tracks and prevent overbreeding of horses that end up in the pipeline- an easy sell to killer buyers.

    We will be working hard here in the USA to ensure this act passes.

    There is nothing humane about horse slaughter. It’s a myth that this is humane euthanasia… it is a nightmare.

    We have taken a huge step but the road ahead will be long and arduous. I implore readers here from the United States to contact their representatives- Senators- and BEG them to support the SAFE act… to co-sponsor the bill and keep our horses out of danger- and also prevent the shipment of contaminated meat exported from our country. THANK YOU and BLESS you.

  7. All that needs to happen, bad economy or not, are some new animal welfare laws with teeth. Or maybe just enforcing the ones we have. That would be a good start. I’m not for big government, except in areas the government is supposed to be active– and restraining evil so we can have a civilized society is one of them. If you abandon your horse and they can prove you did it you should go away for a very long time. Hard time, in prison, and not minimum security prison. Abuse an animal and get thrown in a hole somewhere for ten years. I think that would help, because suddenly people would find they could find a way to feed their animal and themselves. Too many are giving up way too easily. If that weren’t happening the truly impossible cases could find rescue. My guess is many horses, like dogs and cats, are starved and abandoned because their humans are simply criminals with no excuse, who likely are abusing/neglecting their children too or are psychopaths preying on the weak and vulnerable in whatever way they can. We start taking cruelty against animals seriously and we may find a drop in other crimes as well. Prison not a deterrent? Well, if each animal abuser was in there for at least ten years, that’s ten years during which at least he or she can’t hurt another animal– or vulnerable human being.

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