American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act Reintroduced in Congress

Legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses for foreign dinner plates was introduced right out of the gate in the 110th Congress.

In the Senate, the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, S. 311, was launched Jan. 17 by Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and John Ensign, R-Nev., with 11 original cosponsors. In the House, Reps. Janice Schakowsky, D-Ill., Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., John Spratt, D-S.C., and Nick Rahall, D-W.V., introduced a companion bill, H.R. 503, the same day with 61 original cosponsors. The measure received tremendous bipartisan support in the 109th Congress, winning a vote of 263 to 146 in the House. It stalled in the Senate in late 2006, however, and was not brought up for a vote before Congress adjourned, even though a similar effort had been overwhelmingly approved by the Senate in 2005.


Help Save Horses Right Out of the Gate!
Contact your lawmakers in Washington today, and ask them to put an end to the slaughter of American horses for human consumption overseas. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 100,800 American horses were slaughtered in three foreign-owned slaughter houses in 2006. Opponents of the slaughter ban argue that the practice constitutes a humane way to kill old animals, but investigations by The HSUS show cruelty and abuse throughout the process. Horses are sometimes transported for days without food, water or rest, and once on the killing floor they can be subjected to multiple blows by a bolt gun to the brain before being rendered unconscious. The HSUS also recently documented barbaric treatment of American horses at a slaughter plant in Juarez, Mexico, where the animals were stabbed with short knives, leaving them paralyzed and unable to breathe but still sensible to pain as they were hoisted up by a chain to have their throats slit.


At least 33,400 horses were exported to Mexico, Canada and Japan for slaughter in 2006, according to the USDA. In addition to banning the slaughter of horses for human consumption, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act would ban the export of horses for slaughter in other countries.

SOURCE:

http://hsus.org