US Slaughter Plants are finally CLOSED, but slaughter remains an issue!
US Slaughter Plants are finally CLOSED, but slaughter remains an issue!
US Plants are no more!
State level legislation has shut down the slaughter plants in Illinois and
Texas, but horses are still being shipped by truck and by boat outside of
the USA for slaughter in Canada, Mexico, and Japan. It's more important now than
ever to pass a federal law protecting our horses from slaughter for human
consumption!
Who eats
horsemeat?
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 cosumption 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 (2,500 or more horses met their fate this way
last year
alone).
What can
you do?
Contact your members of Congress and ask them to support
The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. This bill
will stop horse slaughter for human consumption in the USA as well
as the transport and sale of horses across our borders for the purpose
of
slaughter
for
human consumption. Ask your Representative to become
an original co-sponsor of this bill and help end the suffering of
American horses to feed wealthy Europeans and Japanese. The 109th
congressional
session is over. HR 503, the 2005-2006 bill, did not pass. It will
be reintroduced in the 110th Congressional Session! HR 503 passed
the House
by a very good
majority, but was held up by Senator Conrad Burns in the Senate.
It was not allowed to come before the Senate for a vote. Please contact
your
Senators and House Representatives NOW and ask them to support the
American Horse
Slaughter Prevention Act! It will ammend the Horse Protection Act
to
protect horses from horse slaughter for human
consumption,
including
the sale and transportation of horses for the purpose of slaughter
for human consumption.
There are currently three bills in Congress about Horse Slaughter. Click on the bill numbers to be connected to the actual bill.
Links to contact your Congress Representatives, and some sample letters/arguments:
For more
information on horse slaughter, facts, statistics, links to videos, and
photos,
visit the following pages and documents on this site:
Here are some helpful outside links:
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