Washington, D.C. - Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reintroduced the "Against Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011"(SB1176) to end the slaughter of American horses both in the United States and abroad. The last horse slaughter plant in the United States closed in 2007, however horses continue to be transported to slaughter facilities in Canada and Mexico.
Each year approximately 100,000 American horses are hauled thousands of miles on double-decker cattle trucks where horses cannot stand erect and are without the benefit of food and water. Once they arrive in Mexico, their abuse and cruelty only continues. The following brutal description is from a former employee at Mexico's San Bernable Market as cited by the Animal Law Coalition:
"The American mare swung her head frantically when the door to the kill box shut, trapping her inside. A worker jabbed her in the back with a small knife seven, eight, nine times. Eyes wild, she lowered her head and raised it as the blade punctured her body around the withers, again and again. At the tenth jab, she fell to the floor of the Mexican slaughterhouse, bloodied and paralyzed, but not yet dead. She would lie there for two minutes before being hoisted upside down from a chained rear leg so her throat could be slit and she could bleed to death,"
All American horses can fall victim to slaughter; from pet horses, pregant mares, stolen, sick, young or old. Equine Welfare Alliance, an umbrella organization representing equine welfare organizations, equine rescues, and individuals dedicated to ending horse slaughter commends Senator Landrieu and Senator Graham for sponsoring the bill with the bipartisan support of 14 colleagues.
John Holland, President of the Equine Welfare Alliance states the closing of the US slaughter plants did nothing to protect American horses and criticizes animal agriculture who have created their own horse welfare organizations in an effort to bring back horse slaughter.
"The issue of horse slaughter has unfortunately become a proxy war between animal welfare proponents and certain elements of animal agriculture. Fearing an imaginary "slippery slope", these forces have spent vast sums on a concerted disinformation campaign replete with dozens of phony welfare organizations. Most recently they have seen an opportunity to blame the weak horse market, caused entirely by the recession, on a "lack of domestic slaughter." The proof that this is a lie is found in the USDA export numbers which show that the slaughter of domestic horses remain as high as ever, and that we have merely outsourced their slaughter to Canada and Mexico. It is time to put an end to this tragic situation and to finally protect our horses."
And Vicki Tobin, Vice-President of Equine Welfare Alliance reinforces the feeling of the majority of Americans who are outraged that horse slaughter has not ended. American horses have never been raised for food; they have helped us to protect our country, carried our mail, taken our dead to their final resting places, and loved our daughters as they rode proudly in their first show.
American horses are commonly treated with drugs that are listed as human carcinogens and not to be used in the human food chain, yet horses are still being slaughered with no regard for food safety.
"With the nation's emphasis on food safety, the US should be taking the lead and sending a positive message to foreign consumers that we respect their right to safe food as we do ours."
Comments