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| These beautiful foals were on their way to slaughter to become someone shoes,jacket or purse. |
With all three horse slaughter plants in the U.S. now closed, and horses being trucked by
the tens of thousands to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, passage of a permanent
slaughter ban to prohibit horse slaughter - and the transport of horses for this purpose –
is crucial. The two Texas horse slaughter facilities shut down after the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the 5th Circuit Court upheld a 1949 Texas law that prohibits the sale of
horsemeat. A separate decision affirming Congress' intent in the FY06 Agriculture
Appropriations language to prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from inspecting
horsemeat from slaughtering facilities shut down the Illinois plant for a time. In May, the
state of Illinois enacted a ban on horse slaughter, shutting down Cavel International, the
last operating plant in the country. Cavel International sought to delay its inevitable
closure by obtaining a temporary restraining order, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
7th Circuit upheld the State of Illinois' decision to ban the slaughter of horses for human
consumption.
Horses are still being crowded into trucks, enduring hours without food, water and rest,
and driven to Mexico and Canada for slaughter.Undercover footage shows the extreme
suffering endured by horses shipped across our borders to slaughter plants in Mexico.
Crammed onto crowded trailers with no regard for age, sex breed, condition or
temperament, the horses are transported for hours and sometimes days a time, horses
without food, water or rest. It is not uncommon for these animals to arrive at the plants
dead or seriously injured.
Fortunately, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S. 727), has been introduced
in the 111th Congress. Similar to past legislation (the American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act), H.R. 503/S. 727 would finally prohibit the slaughter of American horses
for human consumption and their export for slaughter in other countries.
The 111th Congress presents exciting opportunities to once and for all end this cruelty to
our horses.
Common Myths about Horse Slaughter
Myth: A ban could result in "unregulated shipment of horses to slaughter" and horses
being shipped longer distances to slaughter.
Fact: Untrue. The passage of the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act will
prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption, as well as the trade and
transport of horseflesh and live horses intended for human consumption. This legislation
will terminate any legal option for sending American horses to slaughter within the United
States and over the border as well.
Who eats horses?
The biggest consumers of horsemeat are France, Italy, Belgium, and Japan. Horsemeat,
considered a delicacy, is used as an alternative to beef. This hurts the US beef industry. Japan
regulates the amount of American beef imported into the country, but these regulations are not
imposed on American horse meat. Eating horses has never been an accepted part of American
culture.
What kind of horses are slaughtered?
No horse is safe from slaughter. Children's ponies, show horses, family horses, retired show
horses, or horses from families who just can't afford them any longer are all at risk of being
slaughtered for human consumption. Stolen horses also often end up at slaughter houses.
Slaughter is an easy way for a horse thief to make a quick $300-700 on a stolen horse and the
evidence is destroyed. 90% of horses slaughtered for human consumption are young, healthy,
sound horses who deserve a better life.
What's the big deal anyway?
Both the transport of horses to slaughter and the slaughter itself is inhumane. Equipment used in
the transport of horses to slaughter is designed for cows. Horses often end up trampled and
injured, even dead, while being transported 24 hours or more with no food, water, or rest. The
equipment used to stun the horse before being slaughtered is also made for cows. Horses are
often slaughtered while still consciously alive.
How are the horses killed?
Under federal law, horses are required to be rendered unconscious prior to slaughter, usually
with a device called a captive bolt gun, which shoots a metal rod into the horse's brain. Prior to
the closure of the U.S. horse slaughter plants, it was not uncommon for horses to be improperly
stunned and therefore conscious when they were hoisted by a rear leg to have their throats cut.
With the export of horses to slaughter increasing more than 300 percent, undercover footage
shows live horses being dragged, whipped, and crammed into trucks in 110 degrees on their way
to a horrific form of slaughter in Mexico and Canada. These horses are stabbed multiple times in
the neck with a "puntilla knife" to sever their spinal cords. This procedure does not render the
horse unconscious, and it is not a stunning method. Rather, it paralyzes the horse, leaving
him/her twitching on the ground, unable to move or breathe, and then the animal dies from
suffocation (because their lungs stop working) or from blood loss and dismemberment.
Conditions in the slaughterhouse—inside and outside of our borders—are stressful and
extremely frightening for horses.
the tens of thousands to Mexico and Canada for slaughter, passage of a permanent
slaughter ban to prohibit horse slaughter - and the transport of horses for this purpose –
is crucial. The two Texas horse slaughter facilities shut down after the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the 5th Circuit Court upheld a 1949 Texas law that prohibits the sale of
horsemeat. A separate decision affirming Congress' intent in the FY06 Agriculture
Appropriations language to prohibit the U.S. Department of Agriculture from inspecting
horsemeat from slaughtering facilities shut down the Illinois plant for a time. In May, the
state of Illinois enacted a ban on horse slaughter, shutting down Cavel International, the
last operating plant in the country. Cavel International sought to delay its inevitable
closure by obtaining a temporary restraining order, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
7th Circuit upheld the State of Illinois' decision to ban the slaughter of horses for human
consumption.
Horses are still being crowded into trucks, enduring hours without food, water and rest,
and driven to Mexico and Canada for slaughter.Undercover footage shows the extreme
suffering endured by horses shipped across our borders to slaughter plants in Mexico.
Crammed onto crowded trailers with no regard for age, sex breed, condition or
temperament, the horses are transported for hours and sometimes days a time, horses
without food, water or rest. It is not uncommon for these animals to arrive at the plants
dead or seriously injured.
Fortunately, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S. 727), has been introduced
in the 111th Congress. Similar to past legislation (the American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act), H.R. 503/S. 727 would finally prohibit the slaughter of American horses
for human consumption and their export for slaughter in other countries.
The 111th Congress presents exciting opportunities to once and for all end this cruelty to
our horses.
Common Myths about Horse Slaughter
Myth: A ban could result in "unregulated shipment of horses to slaughter" and horses
being shipped longer distances to slaughter.
Fact: Untrue. The passage of the Conyers-Burton Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act will
prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption, as well as the trade and
transport of horseflesh and live horses intended for human consumption. This legislation
will terminate any legal option for sending American horses to slaughter within the United
States and over the border as well.
Who eats horses?
The biggest consumers of horsemeat are France, Italy, Belgium, and Japan. Horsemeat,
considered a delicacy, is used as an alternative to beef. This hurts the US beef industry. Japan
regulates the amount of American beef imported into the country, but these regulations are not
imposed on American horse meat. Eating horses has never been an accepted part of American
culture.
What kind of horses are slaughtered?
No horse is safe from slaughter. Children's ponies, show horses, family horses, retired show
horses, or horses from families who just can't afford them any longer are all at risk of being
slaughtered for human consumption. Stolen horses also often end up at slaughter houses.
Slaughter is an easy way for a horse thief to make a quick $300-700 on a stolen horse and the
evidence is destroyed. 90% of horses slaughtered for human consumption are young, healthy,
sound horses who deserve a better life.
What's the big deal anyway?
Both the transport of horses to slaughter and the slaughter itself is inhumane. Equipment used in
the transport of horses to slaughter is designed for cows. Horses often end up trampled and
injured, even dead, while being transported 24 hours or more with no food, water, or rest. The
equipment used to stun the horse before being slaughtered is also made for cows. Horses are
often slaughtered while still consciously alive.
How are the horses killed?
Under federal law, horses are required to be rendered unconscious prior to slaughter, usually
with a device called a captive bolt gun, which shoots a metal rod into the horse's brain. Prior to
the closure of the U.S. horse slaughter plants, it was not uncommon for horses to be improperly
stunned and therefore conscious when they were hoisted by a rear leg to have their throats cut.
With the export of horses to slaughter increasing more than 300 percent, undercover footage
shows live horses being dragged, whipped, and crammed into trucks in 110 degrees on their way
to a horrific form of slaughter in Mexico and Canada. These horses are stabbed multiple times in
the neck with a "puntilla knife" to sever their spinal cords. This procedure does not render the
horse unconscious, and it is not a stunning method. Rather, it paralyzes the horse, leaving
him/her twitching on the ground, unable to move or breathe, and then the animal dies from
suffocation (because their lungs stop working) or from blood loss and dismemberment.
Conditions in the slaughterhouse—inside and outside of our borders—are stressful and
extremely frightening for horses.
| THE THREE U.S. SLAUGHTER PLANTS ARE CLOSED AT THIS TIME 2008, HOW EVER HORSES ARE STILL BEING TRANSPORTED TO MEXICO AND CANADA FROM THE U.S. TO SLAUGHTER PLANTS IN THOSE STATES. |