US Votes to Abolish Horse Slaughter

(Press release courtesy American Horse Defense Fund)

Washington, D.C. June 8, 2005 – After four long years the American Horse Defense Fund (AHDF), the country’s leading, active horse protection national nonprofit is finally able to applaud the US House of Representatives, and in particular, Congressmen John Sweeney (R-NY), John Spratt (D-SC) Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Nick Rayhall (D-WV), for their leadership and persistence in passing legislation that will end the needless and brutal slaughter or our horses, ponies, mules and burros.

“We are elated, celebrating and deeply grateful,” said AHDF president Trina Bellak, Esq., who has personally worked on this issue since 1994. As the years have slowly passed, more and more American’s learned that roughly 65,000 American horses are killed cruelly in one of the three foreign-owned horse slaughter plants that operate in the United States each year. The meat carved from these once noble, kind, trusting animals is shipped overseas to upscale meat markets and high-end restaurants. “Although the amendment that passed as part of the annual agriculture appropriations bill budget process only will go into affect this fall, it will give the nation and opponents time to see that the many alternatives to cruelly slaughtering our horses will work and replace slaughter” added Bellak. It will stop slaughter for one year, unless H.R. 503 passes too.

Despite overwhelming public support and 228 bipartisan cosponsors (of the House’s 435 members), last year's legislative efforts to protect American horses failed to go to a vote when the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act was blocked by the House Agriculture Committee chairman, Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). Goodlatte spoke shameful untruths again in today’s debate as did other members such as King from Iowa and Bonilla from Texas. “The will of the people was not done in the previous Congress, and until we pass actual legislation that is permanent, our work is not over” Bellak added. “The truth will prevail, we are in this to help horses, we just wish the ill-informed or ill-intentioned opponents would face it,” she added.

“It is unconscionable that for decades, we have been using federal taxpayer dollars to support a practice that the American public is overwhelmingly opposed to,” said Representative John Sweeney (R-NY). "The amendment prohibits federal taxpayer dollars from being spent on facilitating the export of horsemeat from the United States for sale to countries abroad. Im pleased to see that my colleagues agree with me that this horrid inhumane treatment must end.”

“Americans are shocked that our horses continue to suffer such unspeakable cruelty during both long grueling journeys to slaughter plants and at the plants themselves. Horses can be hauled without food, water, or rest for as long as 28 hours. The captive bolt pistol used in slaughter plants is not in any way humane. Often not rendered unconscious (which is required by law), many horses are fully aware and sensitive to pain while proceeding through the slaughter process.” Sweeney also remarked, “We do not eat our horses in the United States and it is our moral responsibility as a humane nation to protect our equine pets, companions and athletes from the cruelty of horse slaughter.”

Alternatives to Auction and Slaughter: A Guide for Equine Owners (A Better Way), is a book published by the American Horse Defense Fund and lists many of the available alternatives. Senators Ensign, DVM, Landrieu (D-LA) (R-NV), and Congressman Sweeney wrote the forward. The book may be ordered at www.AHDF.org or ask for it at local equine tack stores.