The two Texas 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. With
all three horse slaughter plants in the U.S. now
closed, passage of a permanent slaughter ban to
prohibit American horses from being trucked over
the border for slaughter is crucial.
Horses are still being crowded into trucks,
enduring hours without food, water and rest, and
driven to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. The
American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S.
311), introduced in the U.S. House by
Reps. Jan Schakowsky
(D-IL), John Spratt (D-SC),
Ed Whitfield (R-KY), and Nick Rahall
(D-WV), and in the U.S. Senate by Sens. Mary
Landrieu (D-LA) and John Ensign (R-NV), closes
this loophole and prevents the exportation of
American horses to slaughter plants in foreign
countries. It also ensures that horse slaughter
is permanently banned in the United
States.
During the 2004 budget process former Senator
Conrad Burns (R-MT) inserted a rider to strip 30
years of protection from slaughter for wild
horses and burros. Since 2004, several dozen
previously protected wild horses have been
slaughtered and exported for human consumption.
H.R.
249, introduced by Reps. Rahall
(D-WV) and Whitfield (R-KY), will restore
federal protections for wild horses and burros.
The 110th Congress presents exciting
possibilities for horse protection legislation.
Senator Burns, who acted as the major impediment
to any horse protection bills, was defeated for
re-election. With him out of the way, and with
all three horse slaughter plants in the U.S. now
closed, our chances are brighter than ever.
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 American Horse Slaughter Prevention 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.
Read more»
Get the Facts about Horse
Slaughter
How many horses are slaughtered each
year?
Prior to the closure of all three
foreign-owned plans in the U.S., over 100,000
horses were being slaughtered in the United
States and processed for human consumption. Now,
tens of thousands of live horses are transported
across the border to Mexico and Canada for
slaughter. After these horses are killed, their
flesh is shipped to Europe and Asia for human
consumption. Their owners are often unaware of
the pain, fear, and suffering their horses
endure before being slaughtered.
Read more»
The
HSUS and Horse Protection
The HSUS has worked to protect horses and
other equines in our society from abuse,
neglect, and slaughter for human consumption
since our organization's inception in 1954.
We’ve conducted workshops for law enforcement,
animal control officers, and humane society
officials on equine neglect, immunocontraception
for wild horses and burros, and we’ve engaged
directly in pilot programs with the Bureau of
Land Management for implementation of population
control for wild mustangs. Our investigators
have been undercover at equine
auctions and horse slaughter facilities,
documenting the inhumane treatment of these
animals, in transport and during their
slaughter.
We have worked at the state and federal level
in advocating for the adoption of strong horse
protection and anti-cruelty laws, and we have
sought funding and provided training for
enforcement. The HSUS stands firmly in
opposition to horse slaughter and is a leading
advocate in support of the American Horse
Slaughter Prevention Act, as well as legislation
at the state level to prohibit this gruesome and
unnecessary practice.
Posted Nov. 22, 2006. Updated October 3,
2007.
