I’m shocked that this is even permissible now.

Mark your calendars for January 22, 2008, the National Call-In Day for Horses!

Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your two U.S. Senators’ and U.S. Representative’s offices. Urge your Senators to “support H.R. 249 to protect wild horses from slaughter and cosponsor S. 311 to stop the sale and transport of all horses to slaughter.” Urge your Representative to “cosponsor H.R. 503 to stop the sale and transport of all horses to slaughter.”

Mark your calendars for January 22, 2008, the National Call-In Day for Horses!

Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your two U.S. Senators’ and U.S. Representative’s offices. Urge your Senators to “support H.R. 249 to protect wild horses from slaughter and cosponsor S. 311 to stop the sale and transport of all horses to slaughter.” Urge your Representative to “cosponsor H.R. 503 to stop the sale and transport of all horses to slaughter.”

How can this be allowed??? I wish 20/20 or another reputable news/info program would run a story showing the video of what the poor horses bound for slaughter outside the US must endure. God, it’s sooo aweful. If people knew I know they would get involved. I called my Senators this morning and asked that they vote to stop horse slaughter transport to Mexico and Canada (S.311) and I pray it helped. Please people….help end this unnecessary suffering.

This is a despicable industry. I really don’t know how something as HORRID as this would of started in this Country.I look at the healthy, gorgeous horses on the slaughter trucks, the killer buyers lots before they are shipped and I cannot believe my country has allowed this to go on for so many years. So many can be good riding horses, with only 3% being skinny and unhealthy the pro slaughter people would have people believe they only take skinny, sick horses, NOT TRUE!!We our killing TOO MANY good horses. I have been reading how many horses stolen in this country go to slaughter, 60%. These are all horses stolen off of their property. When is my Government going to put a stop,END to this!! The greedy, irresponsible horse owner is benefitting while our horses suffer the HORRORS. Our BELOVED horses have served us for far too long to get this in return. WE NEED S 311 & HR 503 NOW! OUR HORSES, OUR TRUE NATIONS TREASURES. SAVE OUR HORSES FROM SLAUGHTER

This would be a no common sense law! It would do nothing for the welfare for horses. This bill s. 311 and h.r. 503 would only support and ease the minds of urban Americans. Rual Americans that work with horses and farm animals every day understand the welfare of their horses. These’s bills would endure way more suffering for horses! I’ve been around and worked and trained horses for 40+ years. People have offered to give their horses to me for nothing. Because they couldn’t get a bid at the sell ring. These people don’t have feed for them. Now do you see where the welfare for horses is now? These horses are going to endure way more suffering by not being fed then being humanely slaughtered. Horse slaughter plants have been around since the 1940’s and they were built for a reason – because of the UNWANTED horses. There are some horses out there that have no purpose for nobody – being either they are dangerous to their themselves or the owner/permanently hurt and in pain. Horses are animals and animals do not have feelings and we cannot forget this (they do not cry or laugh and they do not know what love is). All animals, including the horse, are born with fear. To gentle an animal you need to gain their trust – they know trust but not love. If you are so into the welfare of horses and what you call abuse – what about all the dog owners that use a shock collar to train their dogs. Wouldn’t that be considered abuse?? I know for fact that our government is already paying $8/day for wild donkeys and $6/day for wild mustangs, and this comes out of the farm bill. Our economy is already in trouble and once you add all these extra horses to take care of by the government this will really add up – another expense of the farm bill and the government. This is a common sense thing to do to slaughter the UNWANTED horses. When you are talking about 20/20 investigating this maybe they should also come to rural America and see the way it really is – you can make a picture look any way you want it to look to help support your cause. The pictures the public has been shown are not the way it really is. Rural America is the true people of looking after the welfare of horses – this is our livlihood and we know how to care for horses. There is abuse by some of horses and this is what needs to be concentrated on and make laws to protect these horses or animals where the real abuse is.

Horse slaughter devalues horses, makes them easily dispensable. That in turn makes it easier for lowlife’s to neglect them because there’s always a market for them even if they aren’t taken care of or trained properly. Slaughter rewards this behavior with money.

Today the country is in economic crisis, those who can no longer afford to care for their horses, through no fault of their own, are trying to find other homes for them. These are NOT people who are going to go running to the slaughter buyer to take their horses.

The vast majority of horses are owned by recreational riders, most of these horse owners are urban and board their horses at a boarding facility. We rural horseowners have even more options for the end of life for our horses as we have land to bury them on.

All horses receive medications that are banned from food-producing animals. Name one other animal in this country that can be slaughtered “commerically” for human consumption that is not by law forced to comply with food safety regulations, with owners subjected to fines, imprisonment, etc, etc, for not complying. Name ONE.

This proves how totally wrong and hypocritical the AVMA and AAEP are because as vets, they are required by law to insure the safety of human consumers – they do this with all food-animals who are regulated, but not horses. And there is no excuse for the FDA, USDA, and FSIS either.

Please support the Horse Protection Act to end the slaughter of American horses for human consumption and prohibit their export for slaughter in other countries.

Your support now is more important than ever, in light of the court rulings declaring horse slaughter illegal in Texas and Illinois — tens of thousands of our horses are being exported to Mexican and Canadian slaughterplants. Horses are dragged alive, crammed into trucks for hours on end in brutal heat, and ultimately stabbed to death in some of these plants.

A recent investigation by The Humane Society of the United States documents the abuses of American horses quietly funneled to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada:
http://www.hsus.org/mexico_horse_slaughter

As you can see, there is an urgent need for Congress to act quickly to finally end the terribly inhumane practice of horse slaughter and make sure our country’s horses are never again subjected to the horrors of slaughter, either here in the United States or anywhere else, for French and Belgian menus. Every day Congress delays, hundreds of our horses suffer this terrible fate.

Thank you for your help.

I DO NOT like the way this is worded. I am all for protecting horses from consuption, but why on earth would anyone want to give a government agency the authority to detain ANY horse from ANY livestock show or rodeo that appears “sore”? What is the definition of “sore”? What does “sore” have to do with the sale for human consuption? this bill is too broad and too ambiguious for its intent. I stongly urge to not pass this bill in its current form. REVISE IT! CLARIFY IT! Make it specific for its intent!!!!

This is to anonymous. Drop dead . We will get this bill passed
no matter what. I doubt that you ever owned a horse. Most horse owners have their animals humanely put down by their Vets. Not shot through the head with a bolt gun or stabbed in the spine as what happens in the horror pits in Mexico. I would suggest you take a walk through a slaughter house, any of them. Be sure to start with the kill floor. You would have to wear rubber boots because of the gallons of blood on the floor. Barbara

These bills WILL pass!! Pro slaughter’s GREED INDUCED LIES,BRUTAL CRUELTY, HALF TRUTHS AND PROPAGANDA will eventually fall under the weight of American’s, still live and clear mighty truth and the desire for right!! There are still ABSOLUTE rights and wrongs to live by, whether folks wish to aknowledge that fact or not, so In the midst of this GODLESS caldron of evil that we so often refer to as “modern society,” lives and beats the heart and will of almighty God! SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!!! Change is coming, people!! It’s coming sooner, in more forms and for more causes than than many ever thought possible!!

The primitive,nauseating, horrific practice of the Horse slaughter situation, is only ONE of thousands of life/death issues facing our people and animals alike that are being ignored, mocked and/or exploited for greed and power! Instructions are on the wall……Take the distorted rose colored glasses off, open your eyes to all the suffering, get involved and with God’s help, be a part of bringing about quality change in our pathetic, dying world!

j morgan
For those who are interested in the impact of this bill go to www.extension.usu.edu/equine/ and read the report"The State of the Horse Industry Since the Closing of the Horse Harvesting Facilities.

Here is where you’ll find the truth about the foreign owned horse slaughter industry:
www.vetsforequinewelfare.org (See the Fact Sheets)
www.commonhorsesense.net (See how the reports of abandoned horses in the newspapers and on the web have proven to be hoaxes, after the appropriate authorities were contacted.)

American horses are being “harvested” like soybeans for the profit of a foreign owned industry that pays no federal income tax and laughs all the way to the bank. According to USDA documents, over 90% of the horses are young and healthy. This is not a public service industry to dispose of skinny, old, or lame horses. They are in it for the blood money profits and pay by the pound.

Call your Senators and Representative to support a ban on horse slaughter. Bill S 311 in the Senate and HR 503 in the House. Be a voice for the horses!

PLEASE call your Senators and Representatives. Tell them your zip code and ask that they please support Bill S.311 to STOP the sale and transport of horses for slaughter. Something has got to be done to stop this. Horses helped build this country. Each day hundreds of horses are brutely gutted alive at slaughter plants. Go to hsus.org and click on CAMPAIGNS AND PROGRAMS on the top left of the page. Then click on HORSE SLAUGHTER. This will take you to links to click on and obtain your Senators phone # according to your zip code. PLEASE DO IT TODAY. We are all those poor horses have.

There are consequences of keeping horse slaughter. Are you really prepared for the additional cost? Moreover, are other horse owners?

Realize that the medication issue is being noticed by the European Union and will have real consequences for all of the US horse industry if horse slaughter is continued. Horses are not raised as food animals in the US. While the USDA and the FDA did not seem to care (which should make real food producers furious as they have to abide by strict medication rules for their cattle, hogs or poultry or face FDA investigation & possible prosecution/fines), the EU does care about what their consumers are ingesting and have put safeguards into place to ensure a safe product in Europe. This has resulted in Great Britain having to put in place a costly and complex passport system for ALL of their horses, whether going to slaughter or not. (Note: Great Britain is also greatly opposed to horse slaughter for human consumption.) Each passport costs about 30 pounds (60 US dollars). The passport stays with the horse for life and requires the owner(s)/veterinarians to track all medications a horse receives over its lifetime. As one example, if a horse has EVER received Bute in its lifetime, it cannot enter the food chain. Great Britain put this system into place when faced with the alternative to lose about 70% of currently legal horse medications that are not legal for humans to ingest. Losing these medications would have jeopardized the entire GB horse population. The rest of the European Union is also putting passports into place for ALL of the horses there. And, as of 2009, all horses in the EU and GB will also require to be micro chipped to ensure their passport matches the horse.

Does the US really want this to happen to us just because some people want continued slaughter of 1% of the US horse population for foreign dinner tables?

http://vetsforequinewelfare.org/medications.php -

Fact Sheet: Medications and US Horsemeat

It is the united opinion of the Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW) that it is beyond the scope of our profession to comment on the culinary practices of any person or country, however, consumer safety of meat produced in our country is very much a responsibility that veterinarians must carefully consider.

Horses, unlike traditional food animals in the United States, are not raised or medicated during their lifetime with the intent of one day becoming human food. Because no American horse is ever “intended” for the human food chain, often times horses throughout their lives will have received medications that are banned for use ever during the life of food animals. Click here for list of drugs prohibited for use in horses slaughtered for human consumption.

Additionally, medications which are FDA approved for use in traditional food animals come with very specific withdrawal schedules printed on the packaging, whereas, the very same medications, for example— dewormers, when purchased for horses do not include the requisite food animal withdrawal schedule, but simply state “NOT FOR USE IN HORSES INTENDED FOR FOOD”.

Unlike the United States, European Union and United Kingdom member countries have a distinct safety policy with regard to horses entering the food chain. All EU/UK horses must carry “equine passports” in which the animal is declared to be either "eligible for slaughter as human food ", or “not eligible for slaughter for human food”.

Any EU or UK horse which has ever received a medication that is banned for use in food producing animals, is forever prohibited from entering the food chain. All food animal approved medications that are prescribed and administered to horses in the EU or UK have strict withdrawal schedules printed on the packaging and all such medications must also be recorded on the equine passport. The EU/UK system is designed specifically to ensure the health and safety of humans that consume horsemeat. Click here for EU Council Directive 2002/99/EC.

It is the strong position of VEW members that absent any formal regulation or structure by the United States with regard to medications and food safety withdrawal schedules for equines entering the food chain, horsemeat derived from any US horse can never be determined as safe for human consumption.

Furthermore, VEW member veterinarians strongly object to the AVMA and AAEP position in favor of horse slaughter for human consumption. For the AVMA and AAEP to condone the human consumption of meat derived from equines that have not been raised or medicated with food safety regulations having always been observed is, in our opinion, unethical and dangerous.

http://vetsforequinewelfare.org/prohibited-drugs.php -

Drugs prohibited for use in horses intended for human consumption

Ingredient Name: phenylbutazone
Trade Names: Phenylzone (Schering), Bute Tabs (Vedco), Phenylbute (Phoenix Pharmaceutical)
Phenylbutazone (commonly referred to as “bute”) is currently approved only for oral and injectable use in dogs and horses. Use in horses is limited to use in horses not intended for food. There are currently no approved uses of phenylbutazone in food-producing animals.
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/03-4741.htm

Ingredient Name: acepromazine maleate
Trade Name: PromAce (Fort Dodge)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/200-361041404.pdf

Ingredient Name: boldenone undecylenate
Trade Name: Equipoise (Fort Dodge)
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/05-23295.htm

Ingredient Name: omeprazole
Trade Name: GastroGard
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/4402.htm#nada

Ingredient Name: ketoprofen
Trade Name: Ketofen (Fort Dodge)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1529.htm

Ingredient Name: ivermectin
Trade Names: EQVALAN (Merial), Zimecterin (Merial), Equell (Pfizer), IverCare (Farnam)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1488.htm

Ingredient Name: xylaxine HCl
Trade Names: Anased (Lloyd), Sedazine (Fort Dodge), Xyla-Ject (Phoenix Pharmaceutical)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1483.htm

Ingredient Name: hyaluronic acid (sodium hyaluronate)
Trade Names: Hyalovet (Fort Dodge), Hylartin V (Pharmacia & Upjohn), Legend (Bayer Animal Health)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1466.htm
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1392.htm

Ingredient Name: pyrantel tartrate
Trade Name: Strongid C (Pfizer), Continuex (Farnam), Equi-Aid CW (Equi Aid)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1463.htm

Ingredient Name: nitrofurazone
Trade Names: NFZ Wound Dressing (Neogen), Fura-Zone (Neogen)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1441.htm

Ingredient Name: polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG)
Trade Name: Adequan (Luitpold)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1380.htm

Ingredient Name: clenbuterol HCl
Trade Names: Ventipulmin (Boehringer Ingelheim), Aeropulmin (Butler)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1336.htm

Ingredient Name: tolazoline HCl
Trade Name: Tolazine (Lloyd)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1322.htm

Ingredient Name: moxidectin
Trade Name: Quest (Fort Dodge)
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/920.htm

Ingredient Name: N-butylscopolammonium bromide
Trade Name: Buscopan (Boehringer Ingelheim)
http://www.bi-vetmedica.com/product_sites/buscopan/reference.html

Ingredient Name: ponazuril
Trade Name: Marquis (Bayer Animal Health)
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/tex…dno=21#21:6.0.11.9.0.1.224

It is interesting that all of the medications listed here have withdrawal periods listed on the lables. Take, for instance, Ivermectin. This dewormer is one of the most common dewormers used for cattle. There is a withdrawal period of 49 days. I’m not a vet and don’t know if studies have been done on the withdrawal time for this product in horses, but I’m sure they could be done with relative ease, if they haven’t already taken place.

Medications such as Legend and Adequan are very expensive and I’m not sure how many horses for slaughter would be given these medications. I have used them on competition horses and know the cost is great.

I have been a horse owner for more than 40 years and I find the decision of Congress to prevent the slaughter of horses for human consumption a horrible mistake and an affront to my rights as a responsible horse owner. This law has caused such cruelty to the very animals that it was designed to protect. Horses have been left abandoned at sale barns. They have been left to starve to death in pastures. The fact is that horses are not PETS. They are and should be considered livestock.

http://vetsforequinewelfare.org/video.php -

Video

Horse Slaughter vs. Humane Euthanasia

It is the united opinion of VEW professionals that horse slaughter is inhumane, and that it is an unacceptable way to end a horse’s life under any circumstance. We believe that it is an unethical and dangerous practice for the AVMA and AAEP to attempt to equate horse slaughter with humane euthanasia.

Below are two sets of videos. The first depicts the use of a captive bolt gun in a horse slaughter facility to kill a horse. The second depicts the humane euthanasia of a horse by trained veterinarians. The second video shows the preferred method of euthanasia promoted by all organizations and taught in veterinary medical schools.

Horse Slaughter Video

Horse Slaughter Clip 1
Horse Slaughter Clip 2
Horse Slaughter Clip 3
Horse Slaughter Clip 4
Horse Slaughter Clip 5
Horse Slaughter Clip 6
Horse Slaughter Clip 7
Horse Slaughter Clip 8
Horse Slaughter Clip 9
Horse Slaughter Clip 10
Horse Slaughter Clip 11

• Best viewed using Quicktime
  Horse slaughter footage provided by the Humane Farming Association

Humane Euthanasia Video

Humane Euthanasia Clip 1
Humane Euthanasia Clip 2
Humane Euthanasia Clip 3
Humane Euthanasia Clip 4
Humane Euthanasia Clip 5
Humane Euthanasia Clip 6

*Best viewed using RealPlayer
Humane euthanasia footage provided by Judy Marteniuk, DVM, who was a co-producer of the film. Dr. Marteniuk is a faculty member at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where she specializes in Equine Medicine in the Department of Large Animal Clinical sciences.

Horse Harvesting Facilities? No need to go read that report, you can already tell it’s biased and written to support the horse “harvesting” industry just by using the word “harvesting”

Horse slaughter devalues horses, makes them easily dispensable. That in turn makes it easier for lowlife’s to neglect them because there’s always a market for them even if they aren’t taken care of or trained properly. Slaughter rewards this behavior with money.

Today the country is in economic crisis, those who can no longer afford to care for their horses, through no fault of their own, are trying to find other homes for them. These are NOT people who are going to go running to the slaughter buyer to take their horses.