The House of Representatives' decision on Wednesday to approve an amendment halting taxpayer support of horse slaughterhouses could put an end to the practice of killing American horses for human consumption abroad. The House overwhelmingly approved the amendment to its Agriculture appropriations bill in a 269-158 vote.
Known as the Sweeney-Spratt-Rahall-Whitfield amendment, the measure may effectively put an end to the slaughter of American horses for food by stipulating that U.S. tax dollars can no longer be used to fund U.S. Department of Agriculture inspections of horse slaughter plants or to approve the export of horses slated for slaughter outside the nation's borders. Passage of a similar measure championed by Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) in the Senate would spell the end of horse slaughter for food in the United States.
"The 109th Congress is off to a galloping start for animal welfare, and we thank lawmakers for recognizing that horses have a special place in our country," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS.
Passage of the amendment as part of the Agriculture appropriations bill means that USDA inspectors would no longer visit the three remaining U.S. plants that slaughter horses for food. It also means that USDA inspectors would no longer approve the export of horses destined for slaughter.
But in effect, the measure would halt the slaughter of American horses entirely. Without the benefit of USDA approval, horse meat intended for foreign consumers will be unable to reach overseas markets. Most human consumption of horsemeat takes place in Italy, Japan, France and Belgium, where it is considered a culinary delicacy. Ferdinand, winner of the 1986 Kentucky Derby, was slaughtered in Japan in in 2002.
A Long Battle
The funding limitation amendment, offered by Reps. John Sweeney (R-NY), John Spratt (D-SC), Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Nick Rahall (D-VA), marks the first major legislative victory in a years-long struggle to ban the slaughter of American horses for food.
Bills to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption were introduced in the last few Congressional sessions. Legislation known as the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act was introduced in 2002, 2003, and 2004, but each time failed to reach the floor for a vote. Last year's bill, H.R. 857, enjoyed the support of 228 members of the House. Earlier this year, legislation to ban horse slaughter in the United States—H.R. 503—was again introduced by Reps. Sweeney and Spratt.
Numerous states, including Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, New Mexico and New York also considered bills to ban horse slaughter this year. California banned horse slaughter for human consumption in 1998.
So why the need for a ban?
There are three plants that currently slaughter horses for human consumption in the United States, and all of them are foreign-owned. BelTex Corporation in Ft. Worth, Texas and Dallas Crown in Kaufman, Texas, export horsemeat to France and Belgium, respectively. A third plant, Cavel International in DeKalb, Illinois, was shut down in 2002 and subsequently reopened. Last year, a legislative effort spearheaded by Illinois State Rep. Bob Molaro to ban the slaughter of horses in Illinois before the Cavel plant reopened failed.
According to the USDA, more than two million horses have been slaughtered in USDA-approved slaughter plants since 1989. An estimated 90,000 American horses are slaughtered for food each year, about two-thirds of them at BelTex, Dallas Crown, and Cavel.
The conditions at horse slaughterhouses are notorious. Amid deafening noises and the stench of blood, workers have been known to beat horses around the neck, head, backs and legs in order to move the animals into the "kill box," all of which causes fear responses in the horses. What's more, federal regulations still permit horses to be transported in crowded, dangerous, double-deck trailers, where the animals may languish for more than 24 hours without food or water.
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. Some horses, however, are improperly stunned and may still be conscious when they are hoisted by a rear leg to have their throats cut.
"This inhumane and disgusting practice, which only serves to promote animal cruelty, needs to be brought to an end," said Sweeney. "Support for this legislation is stronger than ever, and I look forward to the day when the American horse no longer ends up on a dinner plate overseas."
'A Truly American Icon'
The horse slaughter issue attracted more attention this year after Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) quietly slipped an amendment into an omnibus spending bill last December. When President Bush signed the bill into law that same month, the Bureau of Land Management was allowed to start selling certain wild horses, a reversal of a 34-year-old ban on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild free-roaming horses and burros.
On May 19 the House took the first step in attempting to restore the law that Burns surreptiously gutted by approving an amendment prohibiting the BLM from using any of its budget to sell wild horses and burros to commercial interests, who can then resell the animals to slaughterhouses. That decision came too late for 41 wild horses sent to slaughter in April, but was pivotal in solidifying Congressional opposition to killing animals that best symbolize the American West.
Growing constituent concern for protecting horses, both domesticated and wild, is a driving force behind the latest push to ban their slaughter. In recent weeks, Congressional offices have twice been flooded with phone calls and e-mails from constituents in support of the two amendments, something that gives hope to animal advocates as they turn their attention to passage of a more definitive legislative package to ban horse slaughter. H.R. 503 already boasts more than 100 bipartisan cosponsors in the House, and Sen. Ensign is expected to introduce a bill to ban horse slaughter in the Senate soon.
"Sweeney-Spratt-Rahall-Whitfield was a critical legislative battle in the struggle to protect horses," said Nancy Perry, vice president of Government Affairs for The HSUS. "The positive House vote on the amendment reflects widespread constituent support for a ban on the slaughter of horses, and paves the way for more comprehensive legislation to pass in both chambers."
"Americans clearly don't want these beloved companions ending up on someone's plate in Europe," notes Mike Markarian, HSUS executive vice president for External Affairs. "We're glad that the issue is out in the open now, and that Congress is listening."
Rep. Rahall, one of the amendment's sponsors, called the horse "a truly American icon."
"If you've grown up with and ridden horses as I have, you develop an affinity for these special creatures," added Rep. Spratt.
What You Can Do
Click here to find out how your representative voted. If your representative voted "Aye," please thank him or her for protecting our horses; if your representative voted "No," please let him or her know how disappointed you are.
Please also contact your two U.S. senators, and urge them to support Sen. John Ensign's bill to ban horse slaughter for human consumption when it is introduced.
To identify your federal legislators and learn how to contact them, visit our elected official lookup page.
If you would like to help The HSUS do even more to protect horses and pass other animal protection laws, please make a donation.
