Tuesday’s Horse

Bill Harlan, Staff Writer for the Rapid City Journal reports:

PIERRE - The state Senate has passed a resolution opposing measures in Congress that would restrict the slaughter and processing of horses.

Sen. Frank Kloucek, D-Scotland, the main sponsor of the resolution, said the lack of horse processing plants puts 100,000 horses at risk of abandonment and starvation.

“The salvage value is near nothing now and the cost of disposal is high,” Kloucek said.

The Senate adopted SCR15 29 to 6.

In Congress, S. 311 and H.R. 503 would further restrict horse slaughter. The last three horse-processing plants in the U.S. already are shut down.

Interestingly, the link to this story online was removed shortly after it was posted.

And why called it horse “harvesting?” Last I heard, you harvested crops, or perhaps even cells or a woman’s ovaries, but not a living creature.

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/02/26/
news/top/doc47c47779a7036485897792.txt.

We have borrowed liberally from Mutts, a blog by John Woestendiek of The Baltimore Sun. Hey, he’s a Pulitzer prize winner. How are we going to top that?

Here’s what Mr. Woestendiek posted about the Democratic candidates:

Both Democratic candidates have demonstrated compassion towards animals, but Hillary Clinton gets higher marks than Barack Obama on “The Humane Scorecard,” the Humane Society Legislative Fund’s (HSLF) annual look at the voting records on animal welfare issues in the House and Senate.

As a U.S. Senator, Clinton received a 100 percent ranking by the HSLF for the 108th Congress and 100-plus for the 109th Congress.

She has co-sponsored legislation dealing with horse slaughter, animal fighting and to crack down on abusive puppy mills.

Obama scored 20 percent on the 2005 Humane Scorecard, 60 percent in 2006 and was expected to rank even higher in 2007.

Since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Obama has co-sponsored legislation to upgrade the penalties for dogfighting and cockfighting, and to ban the possession of fighting dogs.

As an Illinois state senator, Obama supported measures to allow the creation of pet trusts to provide for the long-term care of companion animals, ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption, upgrade the penalties for cruelty to animals, require psychological counseling for people who abuse animals, and require that veterinarians report suspected acts of cruelty and animal fighting.

In response to a questionnaire sent out by HSLF, Clinton says she has supported every major animal protection bill in Congress and says she will work with executive agencies to implement humane policies and adequate funding and enforcement for animal welfare laws.

“I believe animal welfare is an important issue to Americans, and I would work to address these problems when I am president, as I have during my time in the Senate,” she wrote. “From preventing dog fighting to preventing horse slaughter to addressing global warming, I will work to ensure that these issues get the attention and support they deserve.”

In his questionnaire response, Obama pledges support for nearly every animal protection bill in Congress, and he says he will work with executive agencies to make their policies more humane. Obama also commented on the links between animal cruelty and violence in society:

“I’ve repeatedly voted to increase penalties for animal cruelty and violence and, importantly, to require psychological counseling for those who engage in this behavior as part of the punishment. In addition to being unacceptable in its own stead, violence towards animals is linked with violent behavior in general, especially domestic violence. As president, I’d continue to make sure that we treat animal cruelty like the serious crime it is and address its connection to broader patterns of violence.”

Sounds pretty impressive. The differences in language are subtle but meaningful. Sen. Clinton says “she has supported every major animal protection bill in Congress.” Sen. Obama says he “pledges support for nearly every animal protection bill in Congress.”

Humane scorecards are put together based on legislative voting, and typically an excellent guideline. However, here is a letter Sen. Obama sent to a constituent, who passed it along to us. Judge for yourselves.

Dear Mary:

Thank you for contacting me in support of S. 394, the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act. I appreciate the benefit of your comments on this issue.

S. 394 would require that any animals that are non-ambulatory, commonly known as downers, be humanely euthanized as soon as it is noted that they are unable to stand without assistance. This practice is intended to keep unhealthy animals from the food supply and reassure markets of safe food practices.

Although the inability of an animal to walk or stand unassisted may be a symptom of a spongiform encephalopathy disease in cattle or sheep, such symptoms in other animals, such as swine, may not always be indicative of disease, or of diseases transmissible to humans. For example, S. 394 would require swine that are unable to walk to be immediately euthanized, without testing for disease, and without consideration of other factors, such as fatigue associated with the weight of the hog. Given that swine are not susceptible to spongeform encephalopathy illnesses, the result of immediate euthanization often may be an unjustifiable financial loss to the farmer.

It is absolutely critical that the U.S. government strengthen food safety and inspection policies at all point in the food processing chain - - from farm to market - - so that public health is protected. Such policies, however, must be carefully drafted; otherwise, the policy may miss its mark, and unintended consequences could result.

The Downed Animal Protection Act has been referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, a panel on which I do not serve. However, I will be sure to keep your views in mind should this bill come to the Senate floor for debate.

Again, thank you for contacting me. Please stay in touch in the future.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator

Sen. Clinton is a co-sponsor of S. 311, an amendment to the Horse Protection Act banning horse slaughter and export for slaughter. Sen. Obama eventually co-sponsored the bill, although he was highly resistant in doing so for more than a year, and perhaps only coincidentally not long after Sen. Clinton co-sponsored the measure.

• See S. 311 co-sponsors
• Read about Republican candidates

We have borrowed liberally from Mutts, a blog by John Woestendiek of The Baltimore Sun. Hey, he’s a Pulitzer prize winner. How are we going to top that?

Here’s what Mr. Woestendiek posted about the Republican candidates:

Among the Republicans still in the race, John McCain, as you might expect for a guy with 22 pets, emerges as the leader of the pack when it comes to animal welfare issues.

As a senator, he has earned scores as high as 75 percent on the Humane Society Legislative Fund’s “Humane Scorecard.”

McCain voted for and helped sponsor legislation to stop horse slaughter. He has co-sponsored bills to stop the interstate shipment of birds for cockfighting and the poaching of bears, and he voted to eliminate a multi-million dollar subsidy for the mink industry.

He opposes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to many wildlife species.

Mitt Romney, on the other hand, enjoys little support among animal rights types partly because of his record, partly because of reports that he strapped the family Irish setter’s carrier on the roof of the car with the dog in it on a 1983 vacation. At one point during the 12-hour drive, he stopped to hose down the dog, then pushed on.

The Humane Society Legislative Fund (HSLF) says he also received criticism when, as chief executive of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, he allowed a calf-roping exhibition.

HSLF, which lobbies for animal welfare legislation and works to elect humane-minded candidates to public office, said that when he was governor of Massachusetts many of Romney’s appointments to a state wildlife board were deemed animal-unfriendly.

Romney did leave office on a high note, HSLF points out signing a bill to strengthen the Massachusetts animal fighting law and prevent a convicted animal abuser from getting the animal back.

Mike Huckabee’s animal welfare record as Arkansas governor was dismal according to the HSLF.

During Huckabee’s administration, he failed to support an effort by lawmakers to pass legislation upgrading the state’s anti-cruelty law from a misdemeanor to a felony offense. Arkansas is now one of only seven states that consider deliberate, malicious acts of cruelty to animals a misdemeanor offense. As Michael Markarian, president of the HSLF, puts it, setting fire to a painting of a dog is a more serious crime in Arkansas than burning the dog himself.

In 1998, according to published reports, Huckabee’s 17-year-old son, David, was fired from his job as a counselor at a Boy Scout camp after he and another teen allegedly killed a stray dog by hanging it and slitting its throat. The teens were never charged, and according to Newsweek, allegations were raised that the governor tried to stop the state police from investigating.

Sen. John McCain co-sponsored S. 311, an amendment to the Horse Protection Act banning horse slaughter and export for slaughter, one week after it was introduced.

• See all co-sponsors
• Read about Democratic candidates

:: The cattlemen’s network website reports:

The Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider an appeal of a lower court decision effectively banning horse slaughter for human consumption in Illinois . According to a friend of the court brief LMA filed February 22, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals “failed to address the adverse impact” on horse welfare when it upheld an Illinois law that closed a plant in DeKalb, IL, last year. The brief suggested “tens of thousands” of horses that have reached the end of useful lives will die of neglect or be slaughtered outside the U.S., where plants are not subject to the Humane Slaughter Act.

LMA represents more than 800 livestock marketing businesses across the country. The organization’s communication to the court pointed out the Illinois law creates an unconstitutional burden upon the interstate commerce conducted at livestock markets, some of which supplied horses to the DeKalb plant.

Several beef groups, including KLA, helped fund the preparation and filing of the brief. Others were NCBA, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.

Source: www.cattlenetwork.com

:: Andrea Zimmerman for the Rockford Register Star reports:

Eight months after an Illinois law closed the nation’s one remaining slaughterhouse for horses, a Pecatonica lawmaker wants to reopen it.

Horses in Illinois and across the country are in a “despicable, deplorable situation” without these facilities, which process horse meat for human consumption, Rep. Jim Sacia, R-Pecatonica, said. And he hopes to introduce legislation this week that would end the ban.

The move could renew years of contentious debate over whether the slaughter of horses is humane.

Sacia argues that without U.S. facilities, which were regulated and overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, horses targeted for slaughter are now shipped to Mexico and Canada, where humane conditions are questionable at best. And he believes U.S. slaughterhouses serve another important purpose.

The number of horses nationwide has almost doubled since 1986, from 5 million to 9.5 million, according to the United Nations, which tracks commodities worldwide.

Source: Horse abuse debate could heat up again

:: Lee Holman for the Daily Gazette reports:

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new state task force has a goal of making sure retired racehorses don’t end up in a slaughterhouse in Canada or Mexico.

“Is shipping them for slaughter our only option?” asked Jessica Chittenden, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. “I hope not,” she said.

State Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Patrick Hooker and state Racing and Wagering Board chairman Daniel Hogan announced the New York State Task Force on Retired Race Horses on Monday in Albany.

The task force, created by an act of the state Legislature, will investigate the creation of employment opportunities for retired racehorses. The task force will also investigate the feasibility, cost and benefit of installing artificial turf at race courses. Many people believe artificial turf is easier on the horses’ legs.

Only 15 percent of all racehorses are successful, Hooker said in a prepared statement. The future for the remaining 85 percent of the racehorses is uncertain.

and further:

The task force members include horse owner Jackson Knowlton of Saratoga Springs, an owner of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide; Karin Bump, equine professor in Madison County; Grace “Jean” Brown, a standardbred farm director in Orange County; Fiona Farrell, an equine attorney in Stillwater, Saratoga County; William Hopsicker, a thoroughbred owner in Oneida County; Margaret Ohlinger, an equine veterinarian in Ontario County and Alice Calabrese Smith, president and CEO of the Humane Society of Greater Rochester.

The task force will hold its first meeting on Friday in the state Department of Agriculture and Markets office in Albany.

Source: Panel weighs fate of retired racehorses, Task force will explore alternatives to slaughterhouse