Cross-posted from The Horse
Written PAT RAIA
- Legislation introduced into the United States Senate on Thursday (June 9) would ban the transport of horses from the U.S. to
Horse processing slaughter has not taken place in the U.S. since 2007 when the last processing slaughter facility operating was closed. Since then, horses have been transported to Mexico and Canada for processing slaughter.
Previous legislative attempts to ban the transport of horses to foreign processing slaughtering plants have been unsuccessful.
HR 6598 and S 727, both representative of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, were introduced in 2008 and again in 2009. The bills would have prohibited transport, sale, delivery, and export of horses for slaughter for human consumption. They would have also criminalized the purchase, sale, delivery or export of horse meat intended for human consumption. Neither bill became law. Continue reading for quotes from both the ASPCA and Sue Wallis here >>
Yes, I butchered the excerpts from Ms. Raia’s article, but with all due respect, please let us all go ahead and say what it is. Slaughter, not processing. Horses are slaughtered, and their carcasses are processed.
Federal legislation also dates back much further. The first incarnation of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, H.R. 3781, sometimes called the “Morella Act” referring to its initiator, was introduced on February 14, 2002. It was “three-committeed” and never saw the light of day.
But the history of federal legislation to ban horse slaughter for human consumption goes back a little bit further than that.
H.R. 2622, “Helping Out to Rescue and Save Equines Act,” was introduced by U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (NY-27) on July 25, 2001, “To prohibit the interstate transport of horses for the purpose of slaughter or horse flesh intended for human consumption, and for other purposes”. Similarly, it was referred to Committee, predictably Agriculture, and never got any further.
Insofar as Rep. Sue Wallis’s argument that the bill violates personal property rights of owners to dispose of their horses any way they want to, an idea conceived by Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, please see our Press Release, November 9, 2006.
It is high time that federal legislators accomplish what they have failed to do in previous Congresses, and make the transport of horses for the purposes of slaughter for human consumption illegal. Period.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Please see our Action Alert regarding S. 1176, The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011, and contact your two U.S. Senators today. Thank you.
UPDATE: News from Rep. Jim Moran’s Office is that Rep. Cynthia Lummis presented her amendment striking at the intent of his Amendment but was rejected and had no choice but to withdraw it. Lummis was reportedly highly agitated in her demeanor. Once it passes, it is on to the Senate.
Tuesday's Horse 
This would be an excellent piece of legislation if we can only get it passed. I’m starting to bombard my Senators not only with my opinion, but with documentation so they will at least have the opportunity to become knowledgeable on the subject.
Of course, Dan Burton is an Indiana Rep, unfortunately not from my district. Mine is Marlin Stutzman, a Tea Party freshman. Needless to say, I don’t have a lot of confidence in him. My Senators may be more willing to listen.
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Sorry, didn’t mean concue but rather concur. Never did take typing in highschool
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This would be stellar in the quest to stop horse slaughter (I concue, not processing!!! that is a word for Slaughtehouse Sue and her bedmates) in North America.
The great majority of the horses slaughtered in NA (i.e. Canada and Mexico) come from the US. By prohibiting the transport across borders, the industry would undeniably suffer.
Together with the EU standards that are aimed at preventing the import of :tainted” (read drugs) meat for human consumption we can end this horrible practice of the slaughter of the innocents.
Lets be the first combined nations in the world (NA) to stop these horrendous deeds.
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America should stop, stop, stop right away transporting ANY horses or burros to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. If America thinks it can get away with this wicked and cruel practice just to get themselves out of debt they are hateful. The BLM (oblivious to the existing laws) are building up their cattle industry and destroying the mustangs bit by bit and destroying the environment by so doing. HATEFUL!!
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This would be a great piece of legislation if passed. I have written both my Congress Representatives from Michigan. My humble contribution for the protection of our horses. I hope it helps. :)
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