Slaughter Horses

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V_Key

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-----Original Message-----
From:
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 1:45 PM
To: Reynnells, Richard
Subject: Slaughter Horses

Richard,

I was concerned about what would happen to horses when the plants
closed.


Updated:2007-03-15 02:33:46

Kentucky Swamped With Unwanted Horses

By JEFFREY McMURRAY

AP



STAFFORDSVILLE, Ky. (March 15) - The bidding for the black pony
started at $500, then took a nosedive.

There were no takers at $300, $200, even $100. With a high bid
of just $75, the auctioneer gave the seller the choice of taking the
animal off the auction block. But the seller said no.

"I can't feed a horse," the man said. "I can't even feed
myself."

Kentucky, the horse capital of the world, famous for its sleek
thoroughbreds, is being overrun with thousands of horses no one wants -
some of them perfectly healthy, but many of them starving, broken-down
nags. Other parts of the country are overwhelmed, too.

The reason: growing opposition in the U.S. to the slaughter of
horses for human consumption overseas.

With new laws making it difficult to send horses off to the
slaughterhouse when they are no longer suitable for racing or work,
auction houses are glutted with horses they can barely sell, and rescue
organizations have run out of room.

Some owners who cannot get rid of their horses are letting them
starve; others are turning them loose in the countryside.

Some people who live near the strip mines in the mountains of
impoverished eastern Kentucky say that while horses have long been left
to roam free there, the number now may be in the thousands, and they are
seeing herds three times bigger than they did just five years ago.

"There's horses over there that's lame, that's blind," said Doug
Kidd, who owns 30 horses in Lackey, Ky. "They're taking them over there
for a graveyard because they have nowhere to move them."

It is legal in all states for owners to shoot their unwanted
horses, and some Web sites offer instructions on doing it with little
pain. But some horse owners do not have the stomach for that.

At the same time, it can cost as much as $150 for a veterinarian
to put a horse down. And disposing of the carcass can be costly, too.
Some counties in Kentucky, relying on a mix of private and public
funding, will pick up and dispose of a dead horse for a nominal fee.

The cost is much higher other places, and many places ban the
burying of horses altogether because of pollution fears.

Sending horses off to the glue factory is not an option anymore.
Adhesives are mostly synthetic formulations nowadays, according to
Lawrence Sloan, president of the Adhesive and Sealant Council. And
because of public opposition, horse meat is no longer turned into dog
food either, said Chris Heyde of the Society for Animal Protective
Legislation.

Eventually, anti-slaughter groups insist, the market will sort
itself out, and owners will breed their horses less often, meaning fewer
unwanted horses.

Nelson Francis, who raises gaited horses, a rare, brawny breed
found in the Appalachian mountains, said the prices they command are
getting so low, he might have to turn some loose. He houses about 57 of
them, double his typical number.

"I can't absorb the price," Francis said. "You try to hang on
until the price changes, but it looks like it's not going to change. ...
What do I do? I've got good quality horses I can't market because of the
has-been horse."

"Kill buyers" used to pay pennies a pound for unwanted horses,
then pack them into crowded trucks bound for slaughterhouses that would
ship the horse meat to Europe and Asia.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained
in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The
Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.



However, public opposition to the eating of horse meat has
caused the number of horses slaughtered each year by American companies
to drop from over 300,000 in 1990 to around 90,000 in 2005, according to
the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Only one U.S. slaughterhouse - in
Illinois - still butchers horses for human consumption.

"What do you do with them all?" said Lori Neagle, executive
director of the new Kentucky Equine Humane Center in Lexington. "What do
you do with 90,000 head of horses? That's something that has to be
addressed. It'll be interesting to see if people financially can do the
right thing or if they will leave their horses to starve."

Federal law prohibits the use of double-decker trucks for
transporting horses to slaughter. Many members of Congress
<javascript:;> have also been pushing a national ban on the butchering
of horses for human consumption.

While California is the only state that has expressly banned
horse slaughter, in a 1989 ballot initiative, similar measures are under
consideration elsewhere, including Kentucky, Maryland, New York and
Illinois. Connecticut has made it illegal to sell horse meat in public
places, and many states have tightened up the labeling and
transportation requirements governing horses bound for slaughter.

A federal court ruled recently that Texas must start to enforce
its long-ignored 1949 ban on the transportation and possession of horse
meat. That put a stop to horse slaughter at the two slaughterhouses in
Texas that engaged in the practice.

While the market price for horses has plummeted, the cost of
food, lodging and veterinary care has not.

Kathy Schwartz, director of Lisbon, Md.-based Days End Farm
Horse Rescue, which adopts abused and neglected horses, said that rescue
operations that choose not to euthanize horses are generally full.

"We had one horse we brought in that was a rack of bones - in
pain both from starvation and parasite infestation and injury," Schwartz
said. "His owner thought life was better than going to slaughter. Well,
life is - if you're going to feed it and take care of it."

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained
in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The
Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
 
This is the type of rhetoric that the anti-slaughter side is using to sway people and congress.Z

In light of the recent U.S. Fifth Circuit Court Decision upholding current Texas law banning the slaughtering of horses for human consumption, the horse slaughter plants and their supporters have introduced companion bills in the Texas Legislature to legalize horse slaughter in Texas. The bill number in the House of Representatives is HB 2476* and the Senate companion bill is SB 1742. These bills are the horse slaughter plants absolute last chance to keep operating in Texas and they will do everything possible to pass these bills. We must be prepared for an all out fight to kill these bills and make sure that horse slaughter stays banned in Texas. *This is the correct bill number. An incorrect bill number was listed in the 3/12/07 Action Alert. Please note the correct bill number is HB 2476.
The horse slaughter plants have lots of money to spend on highly paid and very influential lobbyists. Although we don't have a lot of money, we do have a great grassroots network and if we all work together, we can and will defeat these bills.

The first thing you can do is to immediately contact your state representative and state senator and tell them you are opposed to these bills. Also, notify your friends, neighbors, and members of horse organizations to do the same. Our game plan is to inundate the legislators with calls, letters, faxes and e-mails and let them know how we feel. You can get the name and contact information for your state representative and senator online at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us or by contacting your county clerk (the phone number will be listed in your phone book under county government).

The second thing you can do is to be ready on short notice to go to Austin when these bills are open for public comment before the committees considering them. Our goal is to have at least 250 people to pack the hearing room and sign in against these bills. In addition, if you would like to speak against the bill, you are invited to do so. It is your right to voice your opinion at these hearings. We must have a large turnout to let the legislators know we are serious. We will generally only be able to give you 4 or 5 days notice of these hearings, so try and be flexible and do everything possible to get to Austin so our voices can be heard. Also, if you go to Austin, be sure and make a personal visit to your representative and senator and again tell them that you oppose these bills.

Some talking points for you to use when you contact your representative and senator are:

1. There are three slaughter plants in the United States. Two are in Texas; one in Fort Worth (Beltex) and the other in Kaufman (Dallas Crown). Both are foreign owned and all profits go to the foreign owners. Because of accounting loopholes, these plants pay little or no federal income tax.

2. Texas has banned the slaughter of horses for human consumption since 1949. However, due to lack of enforcement, the two Texas horse slaughter plants have operated for many years with impunity. Finally, in 2002, the Texas Attorney General ruled that these horse slaughter plants were violating a criminal law and could be prosecuted. Through various court actions, the horse slaughter plants were able to hold off prosecution for over four years, but finally in January of this year, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of the prosecutors and denied the horse slaughter plants any court protection.

3. Now, as a last ditch stand, the slaughter plants are attempting to repeal the nearly 60 year old ban on horse slaughter. HB 2476 and its Senate companion, SB 1742 will legalize horse slaughter in Texas and allow these plants to continue to slaughter our horses and ship their meat to satisfy the palates of foreign diners in France, Belgium and Japan.

4. In 2003, these horse slaughter plants tried to legalize horse slaughter in Texas and failed. At that time, a survey of Texans was conducted and the findings were as follows:


89% were unaware that horses were being slaughtered in this state for human consumption.
72% were opposed to the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
77% were opposed to changing the state law to permit the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
77% said they would be less likely to vote for a legislative candidate who supported a change in the law to permit the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
By an 8 to 1 margin, Texans associate the value of horses with Texas state culture, heritage and economy rather than the horse's value as a simple livestock commodity like cattle.

Bottom line, Texans do not want their horses slaughtered for human consumption.

5. Last year, over 100,000 horses were slaughtered in the United States and their meat exported to France, Belgium and Japan. Contrary to the claims of the horse slaughter plants that the slaughtered horses were old, sick, injured or had behavioral problems, the USDA, who inspects the slaughtering of these horses, found that over 92% were fit and healthy and had no behavioral problems.

6. Horse slaughter also promotes horse theft. The slaughter plants are a perfect outlet for horse thieves to dispose of their stolen horses. This is quick and all evidence is destroyed. The slaughter plants brag that a horse "goes from the stable to the table in 48 hours". After California banned horse slaughter in 1998, reported horse thefts fell by over 34%.

7. The slaughtering process is extremely cruel and inhumane, beginning with cruel transport where horses unfamiliar with each other are crammed together in over crowded transfer vehicles normally used to haul cattle. Stallions are mixed with other stallions, mares, pregnant mares, and mares with foals are also included in the mix. Many horses are injured or dead at the time they arrive at the slaughter plant. The slaughter process itself is done using a "captive bolt gun". This is applied to the head and triggered to render the horse unconscious before it is hoisted to the killing line to have its throat slashed. Often times the procedure is imprecise and the horse is hit numerous times with the bolt gun and often the horse regains consciousness while its throat is slit.

8. Banning of horse slaughter will not, as some contend, cause horses to be abandoned or left in the field to starve. First of all, such conduct is a criminal offense in Texas and most other states. Also, there are various options such as horse retirement sanctuaries and other adoption facilities and if all else fails, the humane euthanasia of the animal by a qualified veterinarian.

9. Banning horse slaughter does not deprive a horse owner of any of his "property rights". Instead, it protects those rights from horse thieves and from a fraudulent market place in which "killer buyers" posing as horse brokers buy horses from unsuspecting sellers thinking their horses are going to a good home, when in fact they will be slaughtered.


Texas Humane Legislation Network
 
Most of us eat pork. Pigs are supposed to be smart but they sure are tasty. Koreans used to eat dog. Not so much any more but I don't care if they do or not. I don't care if people eat horse. If they like it why not. Oxen were used as labor similiar to horses but we sure do like beef. The only problem I have is why are we selling anything to the french. :eek:

Walt
 
Whats the difference in how horses are transported and slaughtered and the way cattle are done ? None, and you dont hear people whining for the cattle. Like it or not horses are livestock first and companion animals second. I dont care if somebody eats horse, to each his own. One livestock species is no different from the other in terms of use by humans. The bunny huggers just need to go away.
 
89% were unaware that horses were being slaughtered in this state for human consumption.
72% were opposed to the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
77% were opposed to changing the state law to permit the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
77% said they would be less likely to vote for a legislative candidate who supported a change in the law to permit the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
By an 8 to 1 margin, Texans associate the value of horses with Texas state culture, heritage and economy rather than the horse's value as a simple livestock commodity like cattle.

Bottom line, Texans do not want their horses slaughtered for human consumption.

It would be interesting to know how many of these people would say the same thing when asked about killing beef or pigs or chicken. If you think that this is inhumane, wait and see what happens to these horses left at home.
 

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