A new bill called The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act in the US House will not only ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the United States but also prohibit the live export of horses for the same purpose.
Washington lawmakers Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Il) will introduce a bill Wednesday that will put a stop to the return of horse slaughter on U.S. soil and end the export of live horses for slaughter.
A lawsuit and industry pressure is putting pressure on the USDA to start inspecting again. One company says it expects to open the first slaughterhouse in Roswell, New Mexico in May.
“These companies must still complete necessary technical requirements and FSIS [the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service] must still complete its inspector training, but at that point, the Department will legally have no choice but to go forward with inspections, which is why we urge Congress to reinstate the ban,” a USDA spokesperson told ABC News.
Another USDA spokesperson told the Int’l Fund for Horses that although the pressure is on to provide the inspections necessary for horse meat to be produced and exported, they do not have the money. “Anyone who looks at the news must be aware of the budget cuts and shortages going on in Washington. If forced to conduct them, it will be at the cost of food safety inspections in other areas of food consumption here at home.”
The new bill called The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act in the US House will not only ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the United States but also prohibit the live export of horses for the same purpose.
Unlike the defunding for horse meat inspections in the annual US Agriculture Department Appropriations (or budget) bill which must be renewed each year, a federal law will not expire and the new law would also close the export for slaughter loophole left by the budget bill.
Tuesday's Horse 
Cultural preferences aside, American horses are not raised as livestock. They are raised as companion and sport animals. Or, they are living in wild herds. Many horses have been exposed to drugs that should not be in the food chain. There is no way one can truly document a horse caught in the wild was never a domestic horse that may have been given these drugs. This opens up a huge door for fraud, crooks and greed; and America does not need to be smeared the world over with this “blood” on our hands. If Americans can’t have compassion for animals (the nearly 360 degree vision of a horse makes it very difficult to “stun” them on the head, so the slaughter is the slowest, most brutal of slaughters), then they at least need to think about our duty to our fellow humans worldwide. The, “Sure, don’t sell it for food in America, just send it overseas” attitude is downright careless. American’s are already perceived as the greediest people on earth by many cultures. With behavior like this, who can blame them. Who can trust us? I read the racetracks are going to crack down on the use of drugs on the tracks. Do you think this is for the welfare of the horses? Think again. (It does not take an rocket scientist to figure that one out.)
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MY REP. IS DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. I CALLED HER OFFICE ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
AFTER SPEAKING WITH SOME CHILD LIKE PEOPLE WITH LIMITED VOCABULARIES THAT DIDN’T HAVE A CLUE, WHEN I ASKED TO SPEAK WITH THE REP. , THE TELEPHONE
FLUNKIES HAD THE NERVE TO TELL ME THAT SPEAKING WITH MY REP. WILL NEVER
BE POSSIBLE. I WAS BEING DENIED THE RIGHT TO SPEAK WITH MY “REPRESENATIVE”…
PERIOD!
WHEN I PERSISTED BECAUSE I
WAS SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS ISSUE WITH ALL MY HEART,
THESE TELEPHONE MORONS . DECIDED TO HANG
UP ON ME !!. SO, TELLING PEOPLE TO “CALL” THEIR REPS. IS RIDICULOUS AT BEST
I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT IF I WERE A BIG MONEY DONOR, OR CELEBRITY, I AM SURE THAT I WOULD HAVE RECEIVED AN INVITATION TO MEET WITH THIS WORTHLESS REP.
OF THE PEOPLE.
TO THIS DAY, I DO NOT KNOW WHERE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ STANDS, AND GUESS
I NEVER WILL BECAUSE I AM NOT WEALTHY ENOUGH TO KNOW THE ANSWER.
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Thankfully most people will get better treatment than you received. However, there is protocol to follow and sounds as if the person answering your call was not aware of what that is, and that is to refer callers to the aide dealing with the issue.
When calling a legislator’s office, you should ask for the aide dealing with horse slaughter or animal agriculture issues.
Insofar as speaking directly with your Representative, this can be arranged but there is protocol for this too that the person seems to be unaware of.
You can speak / meet with your Representative by making an appointment with them at one of their State offices. Call your Representative’s office in your State that is closest to you. Ask when your Representative will be in at that office, and what you need to do to get an appointment with him or her. This is what local offices are for, to sit down with constituents face to face and learn what is important to them. You can find a a list of your Representative’s State office locations on their website.
I hope this is helpful to you.
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This is more important than ever because the antislaughter campaign has been extremely aggressive, which means that the abuses of the animals shipped to the us slaughter plants will go up as well. They will want to push numbers and get as many horses through forcefully as possible. This is a deadly combinated of hurry up and wreck or hurry up and kill. We need to urge Congress to stop it. On Animal Angels website they have the Actual pics and report information about the plant that used to be on US soil and were closed, please review as they came from the USDA freedom of information act. So please when you contact anyone about this situation please remind them that the USDA fined all these companies for horrendous abuses and they almost never paid any fines, that killer buyers operated illegally with numerous violations, its important to support our plea to stop slaughter with the absolute truth on our side. The pro slaughter people perpatrate lies that are starting to come unraveled so we need to keep the people pushing this ban forward informed. So if they state that its safer in the US they can refer to USDA documents that have clearly documented that the transport and slaughter of horses in the US was a complete failure, unpaid fines by foreign companies, horses dying and their bodies injured badly just on their way to the plant with uncaring drivers that let them lay to die without any concern to get their money for the walking animals that were able to get inside on their own. The damages to the local communities in a recovering economy cannot afford to have a plant drag them downhill. They bring additional crime and also keep people always worrying about their animals safety while they attend church or go to work or school. This is America that should never be an issue. So we need to help give them supporting short summaries of why we as Americans support the ban. Check your facts and make it a point to share there are drugs and diseases in horses that have never been checked to see what effects that have on the human body and have been proved fatal to dogs. So we need to be aware of the drugs. The trips are documented on the webpage and also Mary Nash’s webpage also gives a remarkable look at the damages a killer buyer can do to the horse industry. Pictures are graphic but again they all drive the concerns home and prove they are real. We have to use the truth in order to save the horses! Now lets win this thing! You wanna sign a petition do that to, we are currently getting numbers of people signing a petition on Change.org listed under animals called Petition to overturn the legalization of the slaughter of horses in the united states for human consumption. also sign the one to save the wild burros trying to fill that one up! Congress is aware of the above petitions and they have been watching the numbers go up over the weeks, please sign it even though we have a new ban going through-we still want to show strength in numbers! Thanks, good luck. We Wont TAkE NO FOR AN ANSWER! WE WANT AN END TO SLAUGHTER
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I am beyond astonished, when I have seen what I have on American Soil. We will not stop until Horse and Burro slaughter is totally banned in the U.S. of A., The exposure and hard work and out of pocket expenses for those fighting is a huge struggle, but We are a nation of Compassion or it it that we were..? I know all those who have fought, for their safety and thousands more a day are being brought to this awareness of beyond cruelty and danger for human consumption..We are not going away, we will only grow larger and get louder..We are the Voice for the Voiceless.. Hat’s off to all in Favor of Banning the slaughter of OUR Majestic Wild Horses/Mustangs and Burro’s.
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http://www.celebdirtylaundry.com/2013/kate-middleton-terrified-baby-miscarriage-contaminated-horse-meat-sodexo-0308/
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WHAT??? Really??? what a surprise… Kate Middleton??? above??
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I hope there will be petitions that we can sign to let our lawmakers know we want them to sign this into law.
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Please don’t wait for a petition. Call or e-mail or write your representative and senators now and sign a petition.
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A bill number will be available shortly. We will then post contact information etc. Thanks Tim.
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Will we be kept up to date with this Bill?? I will be on pins and needles till I know like us all I am sure. And I have already written to my Officals in Kentucky we ALL need to help make this pass oh god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE make this happen !!
Thanks to Our Officals that have made this possible I commend you with ALL MY HEART :)
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Horse slaughter in the US is a real scam. Let these people who are in favor of horse slaughter, find another way to earn the almighty buck.
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I think that almighty buck would probably be something like $8.00 an hour.
Is it true that immigrant (illegal or legal) are the ones who do that for a living .. ? (yuck) I was just wondering who in the hell would do a job (horrible as it is) like that.??
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There are cases where there were immigrant workers for sure. It is a horrible job no doubt. Many took these jobs I am told who couldn’t get work otherwise, such as people just out of prison. This information came from the plant managers themselves and local council members. It is a horrific thing to be caught up in. Then there are people such as this guy who revels in it. Twisted.
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I am definitely on this one !!!!!!!!!!!! Huge Thank You to Washington lawmakers Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Il…………. May the Force of the Horse Prevail !!!!!!!!
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It is sad to me that we have lost our ability for creative responses. Issues seem reduced consistently to kill or not to kill. Living east of the Mississippi most people are not aware of wild horses or horse issues in general. I believe there is a large percentage of the public that needs to be awakened to this issue.
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AGREED!!!!!
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I certainly do agree, I’m from Ohio, I have learned a lot about this subject, through Facebook. There are days that I can’t talk about this it’s a very emotional topic for me. I absolutely love horses. They are one of God’s most beautiful creations.
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I am from Ohio also , and also absolutely believe the Horses are the most wonderful and beautiful animals !!!!!!!!
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Now is the time to let your elected representatives know this bill is a “must pass”. With the scandal in the EU and the very well known banned drugs in our slaughtered horses, it is time for horse slaughter to be abolished. Call, write, e-mail or visit your officials and get this bill passed.
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Pray it passes soon and doesn’t get stuck in a committee.
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