Although all U.S. based horse slaughterhouses have been shut down, thousands of American horses are still shipped across our borders into Mexico and Canada where they are inhumanely butchered and sold for human consumption abroad.
Dramatic new images of the cruelties of this transport caught on film by a Humane Society of the United States investigative team were unveiled today at a Capitol Hill news conference.
Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), chief sponsors of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S.311/H.R. 503), joined The HSUS at the news conference to emphasize the critical importance of this legislation. The two lawmakers called on colleagues to swiftly pass the bill this year. If enacted, this law would prohibit the export of America horses for slaughter. Additionally, it would impose a federal prohibition against any resumption of domestic horse slaughter.
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| The HSUS |
| Horses slaughtered as a foreign delicacy in Mexico face a grim death. |
Horses Stabbed to Death
"Our past film footage from inside American horse slaughter facilities demonstrated what a horror show these plants were—horses were not adequately stunned and then left kicking while hoisted and having their throats slit," said Nancy Perry, vice president of government affairs for The HSUS.
"Now that states have shut their plants, our horses are subjected to intense suffering and abuse during long trips to Mexican slaughterhouses where they are stabbed to death. It is time for this carnage to end and for Congress to pass H.R. 503/S. 311 and ban the slaughter of American horses—and their export for such a purpose—once and for all."
Overwhelmingly, Americans are against the slaughter of horses to satiate the palate of diners overseas; only Congress has the authority to effectively prohibit export of horses across international borders. State laws, such as ones in Texas and Illinois, have successfully shut down local horse slaughter plants—but the United States still lacks a comprehensive federal ban to end this cruel practice.
Legislation previously passed both chambers by large, bipartisan majorities, yet no bill permanently prohibiting the slaughter of American horses for human consumption has ever made it to the President's desk.
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| The HSUS |
| Horses are trucked through Texas to Mexico for slaughter. |
Congress Can End the Export
"The recent 7th Circuit court ruling upholding Illinois' ban on horse slaughter is a very positive step," said Sen. Landrieu. "But it is not enough—we must ensure that horse slaughter is prohibited in every state in America. Now America's horses are being beaten and dragged across the border into Mexico and Canada so that they can be inhumanely slaughtered for food. I will continue to fight in Congress to end this brutal practice and ensure that American horses will no longer be savagely slaughtered for human consumption."
"While this footage is disturbing for us to watch, our discomfort pails in comparison to the pain and suffering these horses are forced to endure before they are brutally slaughtered," said Rep. Schakowsky. "Watching this graphic video only strengthens my determination to ban horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter. We need to put an end to this barbaric practice once and for all."
Facts:
- According to the USDA, 100,800 American horses were slaughtered in three foreign-owned slaughterhouses in 2006. Another 37,000 were sent to Mexico or Canada for slaughter and 4000 were imported from other countries into the U.S. for slaughter.
- The United States Department of Agriculture documents that more than 92 percent of horses slaughtered were in good condition. These healthy, productive horses could have been adopted through one of the 400 plus rescue operations in existence today.
- A bipartisan group of lawmakers (Senators Mary Landrieu (D-La.), John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Reps Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), John Spratt (D-S.C.), and Nick Rahall (D-W.V.) is working to ban horse slaughter nationwide. The legislation would prohibit the export of horses for slaughter.
