The year 2015 was not a great one for U.S. opponents of horse slaughter. Although the last two U.S. horse slaughter plants were closed in 2007, an estimated 140,000 American horses are being exported annually for slaughter in Canada and Mexico, purchased at stateside auctions by meat suppliers who truck them across the borders. The animals are more often […]
Animal protection groups are battling efforts to open horse slaughter plants, filing suit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court on grounds that the requisite National Environmental Protection Act impact reports were not conducted for proposed facilities in Illinois and New Mexico. The Humane Society of the United States, Front Range Equine Rescue, […]
Who doesn’t love a horse with character? Well, this one was not only a war hero, but loved to eat pancakes and eggs for breakfast. Sgt. Reckless was a 14-hand Mongolian mare who joined the Marine Corps on October 26, 1952 as a humble pack horse. Distinguishing herself with feats of bravery and intelligence, Reckless […]
Equine welfare advocates were struck a blow in November, when Congress passed a 2012 budget that was, at the last minute, stripped of an amendment that effectively prevented horse slaughter plants from operating in the U.S. This marks the first time since 2006 that this protection has not been part of the budget. The clause, […]
Wildlifekeepers.org has pulled together a rally and political fact-finding meet in Victorville tomorrow. Beginning at 11 a.m. with a rally outside City Hall, the event will then segue to a 1-3 p.m. community meeting with politicians and government agency representatives. SoCal activist Randal Masaro conceived the event prior to this morning’s cataclysmic conference vote on […]
It’s a bad news day for opponents of horse slaughter. A congressional conference committee passed a version of the 2012 Agriculture, Commerce and Transportation/Housing budget that excised language preventing the opening of horse slaughter plants in the U.S. That protective language ― which de-funded the USDA’s inspection of horse meat destined for human consumption ― […]
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) in June issued a report on the economic of horse welfare that is generating controversy among predictably partisan lines: organizations supported by breeders, veterinarians and other commercial interests have endorsed the 69-page study, Horse Welfare: Action Needed to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter; animal welfare groups are […]
Lawmakers are rallying to keep horses off dinner plates. Backed by 16 senators, the “American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011” was introduced June 9. The bill, S. 1176, would explicitly outlaw the killing of horses for meat in the U.S and prohibit the transport of horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. With bi-partisan […]
There are practical as well as commercial arguments that can be made in favor of horse slaughter. There are ethical and environmental reasons to oppose it. Horse slaughter proponents see the matter primarily in terms of dollars and cents. The so-called “killer buyers” who purchase horses on behalf of slaughterhouses typically shop at auction, where […]
There has been a veritable stampede on Capitol Hill, with no fewer than three horse protection bills introduced since the beginning of the year. One has already cleared the House of Representatives with a decisive 239 to 185 win, while companion bills under the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009 are parked in the […]
