Federal Budget Stops Horse Slaughter in U.S

I just was watching a video of a couple who has a farm that cares for our veteran horses after they have aged or become disabled.
Mill Creek Farm.

They state in the video that there are NO horse slaughter facilities any longer in the U.S. and that all horses for slaughter are sent to Mexico or Canada.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCL8FaNYo-k

Golden Age Ranch STT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nkNL7I5RQU&feature=youtu.be

It's about damn time. But think about all those beautiful animals already transported to Mexico and slaughtered. You wouldn't think in this day and age that this country would allow this, but they did and still do on some level I'm sure.

It is a shame that these animals have to, at times, be put down but what are you suppose to do? :Put down sounds better than slaughter.
I feel that if it is done humanely that it is the proper course to take. The problem is that it is probably not done in a humane manner in Mexico.

These farms for the aging horses are really great. I commend the folks that operate them.

we run the only (that I am aware of) horse rescue on STX, so obviously I'm glad to hear that the US is taking a stand to stop putting horses on the dinner plate.

so far we have 16 rescue horses from the bushes of STX and the race track, it's a lot of work but the animals are amazing and it's really satisfying to bring them back to a healthy condition and/or save them from euthanasia.

https://www.facebook.com/cruzancowgirlshorserescue

What a beauty!

Here's another link: http://www.care2.com/causes/congress-protects-horses-from-slaughter-again.html

Congress Protects Horses From Slaughter (Again)
Great news for our pastured pals: thanks to a newly approved budget, the United States may be back to being a horse slaughter-free zone. In an animal welfare battle that has waged back and forth over the last few years, horses appear to have gained the upper hand, and it ended up being a simple matter of economics, as the government decided to choke off funding for the inspectors needed to oversee horse slaughter facilities. That makes it impossible for any slaughterhouse in the country to legally handle horses, no matter where the meat ends up.

Between 2005-2011, Congress refused to fund inspectors designated for horse slaughter facilities, largely sidestepping the larger issue of horse slaughter in the United States. By making it impossible to legally conduct slaughter (and produce meat for commercial sale, whether domestically or internationally), the government protected horses, without being directly engaged in the animal welfare arguments over whether horses should be spared slaughter — Republicans and Democrats alike seemed to agree that horses, as part of the heritage of the United States, were a political animal no one wanted to mess with.

But that changed in 2011, when Congress dropped the prohibition on funding inspectors for horse slaughterhouses, which made it possible to open such facilities — and this encouraged several states to explore the idea, against the heated protest of residents and people from around the country. The fact that Congress has reversed its policies yet again is a sign that it’s listening to members of the public, who take exception to the idea of seeing these majestic companion animals, working animals, and athletes trucked off for slaughter in horrible and often abusive conditions.

The Humane Society of the United States is pushing Congress to take the next step and pass the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, which would permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption. In addition to making it illegal to kill horses for food in the United States (an issue not just from an animal welfare perspective, but also a food safety one, because horses in the United States take a variety of medications that are not safe for the food supply), the SAFE Act also bars the export of horses for slaughter, effectively protecting all U.S. horses from the carving knife, even if they fall on hard times.

Meanwhile, firms standing to profit from horse slaughter are fighting these regulations hard, and undoubtedly will be arguing that the government is attempting to interfere with the market. This may create an interesting situation in the courts; while politicians may be willing to take a stand to protect horses on the grounds that 80% of people in the United States oppose the slaughter of horses for meat, judges must be impartial, and if they consider such laws to be discriminatory in nature, they may reverse regulations intended to stop horse slaughter.

This issue is particularly pressing now, as horses are becoming expensive to keep, particularly in the West, where extended drought conditions are forcing many farmers and families to buy hay and feed to supplement the diets of their animals. In such conditions, people are often forced to sell their horses, sometimes at very low cost, and such horses are precisely those who are most likely to end up in the slaughter yard, even if their owners take every possible step to avert such a fate. For those forced to make the unpleasant choice to sell a horse they can no longer afford, an assurance that their beloved former companions won’t end up being killed for food would be welcome.

I hope this ban extends to wild horses and burro's.

So they get shipped to Mexico and slaughtered there instead.

More jobs exported to Mexico, and no net change to the processing of horse meat.

So they get shipped to Mexico and slaughtered there instead.

More jobs exported to Mexico, and no net change to the processing of horse meat.

GO NAFTA!

it seems like a lot of politics is just tricking interested parties into thinking you took care of their concerns, yet actually not only not doing that, but making it worse in almost every way.

"The Humane Society of the United States is pushing Congress to take the next step and pass the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, which would permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption. In addition to making it illegal to kill horses for food in the United States (an issue not just from an animal welfare perspective, but also a food safety one, because horses in the United States take a variety of medications that are not safe for the food supply), the SAFE Act also bars the export of horses for slaughter, effectively protecting all U.S. horses from the carving knife, even if they fall on hard times."

"The Humane Society of the United States is pushing Congress to take the next step and pass the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, which would permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption. In addition to making it illegal to kill horses for food in the United States (an issue not just from an animal welfare perspective, but also a food safety one, because horses in the United States take a variety of medications that are not safe for the food supply), the SAFE Act also bars the export of horses for slaughter, effectively protecting all U.S. horses from the carving knife, even if they fall on hard times."

ahh good follow up; I think Cruzan must have been talking about the previous practice? I should have checked into it before making a judgement.

The current 'ban' (defunding FDA inspection) is for the processing of horse meat for human consumption.
The current facilities do not have restrictions banning the processing for other purposes, such as dog or lion food.
All references that I have seen refer to human consumption.

The SAFE Act is not a law, and it also refers to only the export for processing for human food, not for othjer purposes.

Here is a good article on how horse meat is used in the feeding of big cats:

http://www.2ndchance.info/bigcatdiet.htm

Now, where do you think that horse meat is coming from?

Seriously! One more reason for wild animals to stay in the wild!
The SAFE Act is not yet a law but the legislation is there waiting to be passed.

Yes, the horses should be allowed to stay in the wild and not forced by humans to do things they don't do in nature,
like carrying burdens on their backs.

Our wild horses are national treasures and should be treated as such. The only reason they are rounded up, sold and slaughtered is to protect the damn ranchers grass lands from being eaten down to the knub by the wild horses leaving little for their cattle. Oh well, they should have taken measures to stop that like putting up fences or sectioning off their cattle in certain areas. I'm sure there is enough pasture land for both.

Here's another article which is disturbing:

It’s Time to Retire Horse Slaughter for Good
By Matt Bershadker
ASPCA President & CEO

Some foreign companies look at beloved American horses—wild mustangs on the range, show horses, race horses, even work horses— and see only two things: profit and food. They want to turn these majestic animals into frozen meat products for Europe and Asia, with no concerns about the unconscionable cost on life, health, the environment, or the integrity of our culture.

Fortunately, this industry was blocked from slaughtering horses in the U.S. when the president and Congress, echoing the voices of a clear majority of Americans, passed legislation late last week to prohibit the use of tax dollars to inspect U.S. horse slaughter facilities. This protection, included in a major bipartisan budget package, effectively reinstates a ban on domestic horse slaughter for the 2014 fiscal year.

Two aspects of that last line are worth calling out: “domestic” and “2014.” These are significant because the regulation does not prohibit the transport of U.S. horses for slaughter to other countries, and because it must be reapproved every year.

Congress failed to include the language in the 2012 budget, opening the door for a return of horse slaughter in the U.S. Applications to open horse slaughter facilities were filed with the USDA in New Mexico, Missouri and Iowa and these plants came perilously close to opening.

The international transport loophole is equally disturbing. In 2006, two foreign-owned facilities in Texas and one in Illinois killed more than 90,000 horses for human consumption in countries like France, Belgium and Japan. In 2007, all three slaughterhouses for horses in the U.S. were closed, and several states have implemented laws banning the selling, giving and possessing of horse meat intended for human consumption.

But protecting our horses coast to coast in a lasting way requires passage of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act (S. 541/H.R. 1094), bipartisan legislation that would end the export of American horses for slaughter abroad, once and for all.

Americans are overwhelmingly on the side of the horses. In a national poll commissioned by the ASPCA, 80 percent of American voters expressed opposition to the slaughter of U.S. horses for human consumption.

Opposing horse slaughter on humanitarian grounds alone is a no-brainer. The majority of horses killed for human consumption are young, healthy animals who could go on to lead productive lives with loving owners. These equines suffer incredible abuse even before they arrive at the slaughterhouse. They’re often transported for more than 24 hours at a time, without food, water or rest, in dangerously overcrowded trailers. Horses slip and fall and are often seriously injured or killed in transit.

Some erroneously liken horse slaughter to euthanasia, but make no mistake: Methods used to slaughter horses rarely result in quick, painless deaths. Horses are difficult to stun and may often remain conscious during their butchering and dismemberment.

Others argue that slaughtering horses in America is an acceptable alternative to shipping horses overseas for slaughter. They may be surprised to learn that even when there were active horse slaughter facilities in the U.S., tens of thousands of American horses were still exported to other countries for slaughter.

Consuming horse meat is actually very dangerous. Unlike pigs or chickens, horses are not raised for food in this country. Over their lifetimes, they’re routinely given drugs and other substances—both legal and illegal—that can be toxic to humans if ingested. And few of these substances have been approved by the FDA for use in animals intended for human consumption.

A New York Times article revealed the hodgepodge of drugs regularly administered to American race horses, and resulting food safety threats. And the shocking discovery of horse meat in beef products in the U.K. and other European countries certainly underscores the potential threat to American health if this grisly practice returns to the U.S.

Last year, more than 160,000 American horses were sent to cruel deaths by foreign industries that produce unsafe food for consumers. We should no longer be party to such cruelty. Horse slaughter is simply inhumane, whether here or abroad, and a lasting end to this vile practice is the only just solution.

http://www.aspca.org/blog/its-time-retire-horse-slaughter-good?ms=em_new_blogpost-horseslaughter-20140124&initialms=em_new_blogpost-horseslaughter-20140124&utm_source=newsalertemail_20140124&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsalert

My points still stands.

Horse processing for non-human consumption is not affected and continues today.

TAKE ACTION
Two Days Left to Tell BLM to Protect Wild Horses & Burros in Sage Grouse Conservation Plans

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking public comments on plans in Idaho and Utah to protect sage grouse habitat. The plans will impact wild horses in 19 Herd Management Areas (HMAs) in Utah and six HMAs in Idaho – including the Challis Mountains HMA, home to the gorgeous horses pictured at left in a photo by Elissa Kline. The BLM hopes to avert the federal listing of the sage grouse as endangered, thus protecting the industries – livestock grazing, energy extraction and commercial development – that are destroying the sagebrush habitat on which the sage grouse depend. As expected, the BLM's plan would allow the agency to reduce wild horse and burro populations and habitat, even though mustangs and burros are federally protected and their numbers are dwarfed by the massive numbers of cattle and sheep grazing on BLM lands.

The comment period ends on Jan. 29, so let's get as many comments in as possible to tell the tell the BLM that the public will not let the agency get away with using the sage grouse as an excuse to get rid of or reduce wild horses and burros in Utah and Idaho!

http://act.wildhorsepreservation.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16349

Music Legend & Wild Horse Advocate Carole King to Perform at Tonight's Grammy Awards

Music legend Carole King, supporter of Return to Freedom and the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign, will perform and present Song of the Year at tonight's Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

On Friday, King was honored as the “MusiCares Person of the Year" for her artistic and humanitarian achievements. The award follows a string of honors she received last year, including the prestigious Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

A long-time environmentalist, King has used her voice in recent years to advocate for wild horses as well. Her interview with NBC News correspondent Lisa Myers was a key part of the network's hard-hitting expose on the federal wild horse roundups, which aired on the Today Show in May. AWHPC congratulates Carole for all of her well-deserved honors -- we are very grateful for her support!!

American Wild Horse Preservation

Do retired horses on STX get money from the government?

"- divide the 0.5 percent of any net lottery funds that are statutorily devoted to the care of retired and injured horses between Islands Horse Welfare and Golden Age Ranch;"
http://stcroixsource.com/content/news/local-news/2014/01/31/dejongh-signs-hate-crimes-law

The islands' humane society/welfare programs who are charged with picking up strays, etc. get very little $$ from the Gov. for the services they perform.