APHIS PRESS RELEASE WASHINGTON, July 25, 2016--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced proposed changes to strengthen enforcement of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) and end inhumane practices known as soring, which cause horses to suffer physical pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness while walking and moving. APHIS… Continue reading USDA Proposes Changes to End the Inhumane Practice of Soring
Tag: inspections
US House Committee passes anti-slaughter amendment
The U.S. House of Representatives' Agricultural Appropriations Committee voted 25-23 in favor of the Farr-Dent amendment which prevents the funding necessary for the USDA to conduct horse meat inspections for another year. This type of legislative action to end horse slaughter in America was first taken in 2007. Only once has Congress failed to pass… Continue reading US House Committee passes anti-slaughter amendment
5th Circuit strikes down USDA rule aimed at penalizing owners who purposely sore horses
5th Circuit Nixes USDA Horse-Protection Rule COURTHOUSE NEWS SERVICE By LORRAINE BAILEY (CN) - The 5th Circuit struck down a USDA rule aimed at penalizing horse owners who purposely injure their horses to achieve a gait prized at horse competitions. Contender Farms, owned by Mark McGartland, sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture to block federal… Continue reading 5th Circuit strikes down USDA rule aimed at penalizing owners who purposely sore horses
US House Committee approves horse slaughter plant defunding amendment
HORSE SENSE, NOT SLAUGHTER by WAYNE PACELLE HSUS Washington, DC (May 29, 2014) — Late this morning, the House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment, offered by Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., to the 2015 agriculture spending bill, to bar U.S. Department of Agriculture funding of horse slaughter plants in the United States, by a bipartisan vote… Continue reading US House Committee approves horse slaughter plant defunding amendment
US Senate Committee passes horse slaughter ban for fiscal year 2015
HORSE ON THE HILL UPDATE Washington DC — On May 22, 2014, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the FY2015 Agriculture Appropriations bill (S.2389). This bill provides funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the 2015 fiscal year (October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015). The bill contains several provisions that… Continue reading US Senate Committee passes horse slaughter ban for fiscal year 2015
Court temporarily blocks Missouri horse slaughter plant
FRONT RANGE RESCUE NEWS RELEASE A U.S. District Court judge in New Mexico issued a temporary restraining order to block federal inspections at a Missouri horse slaughter plant, in response to a motion filed by The Humane Society of the United States and Front Range Equine Rescue, along with other horse protection organizations and several… Continue reading Court temporarily blocks Missouri horse slaughter plant
Third horse slaughter business qualifies for USDA inspections
WRITTEN BY DAN FLYNN Cross-posted from Food Safety News A third business has met all the statutory and regulatory requirements to require USDA to provide inspection services when it begins processing horsemeat for human consumption. Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys representing USDA have informed the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico that… Continue reading Third horse slaughter business qualifies for USDA inspections
Attorney General intervenes in lawsuit to stop horse slaughter plant opening
FRONT RANGE EQUINE RESCUE PRESS RELEASE (ALBUQUERQUE) July 22, 2013 -- Attorney General Gary King has filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit to stop a plant in Roswell from slaughtering horses for meat because federal authorities have not yet undertaken the required environmental review. The AG's motion, filed late last Friday, joins Front… Continue reading Attorney General intervenes in lawsuit to stop horse slaughter plant opening
USDA, Tennessee Walking Horse industry escalate fight over horse soring
Before I introduce the latest report by Heidi Hall (jump to it now) for The Tennessean, I feel for the teenager who sobbed when her horse was ousted from the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration for scarring, a telltale sign of soring. Who knows how old the scarring is or when the incident(s) occurred. However,… Continue reading USDA, Tennessee Walking Horse industry escalate fight over horse soring
Honest horse groups would cooperate when it comes to soring
Finding cooperation among the USDA and the groups certified by the agency to conduct inspections to enforce the Horse Protection Act and eliminate the soring of Tennessee Walking horses can be a big challenge. Currently the USDA is forced to use outside inspectors because they are undermanned and underfunded. In an OpEd for The Tennessean,… Continue reading Honest horse groups would cooperate when it comes to soring