Headlines Horse Slaughter

[ferengi]

I don't know about anyone else here, but being a horseman, and a general animal lover, it absolutely sickens me that H.R. 857, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, never came to the floor for a vote in the House of Representatives. Furthermore, I am appalled by the inclusion of provisions in the recent appropriations bill passed by congress that allow the sale of wild horses for slaughter.

A horse is a companion animal, like a dog or a cat. The idea that they are being slaughtered, and their flesh is being exported overseas to tickle the palates of the French, Japanese, and numerous other countries, is just abhorrent to me.

Wild horses are part of our country's heritage. They are a symbol, to many people, of the strong, defiant, free spirit of America. To me, the fact that they are being captured at ALL is an injustice, but captured and sold for slaughter? Absolutely despicable.

Another bill was introduced to reverse the affects of these provisions in the appropriations bill:

Your help is needed to pass HR 297, a bill that would restore prohibitions on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild horses and burros. Earlier this year, the Burns Amendment to the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act opened the door to the slaughter of thousands of our wild horses. The Burns Amendment was inserted in a must-pass appropriations bill last year, and forced the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service to allow individuals and corporations to buy these animals with the clear intention of slaughtering them for profit. HR 297, known as the Rahall-Whitfield legislation, would restore prohibitions on the commercial sale and slaughter of wild free-roaming horses and burros. Selling and transferring wild horses and burros for processing into commercial products was illegal for thirty-three years prior to the passage of the Burns Amendment. Now, these historically significant creatures can and will be slaughtered so their meat can be offered on menus in France, Belgium and Japan.

Humane alternatives to the slaughter of these animals are available. Federal agencies have the authority to carry out actions such as adoption, sterilization, relocation, and placement with qualified individuals and organizations. The current slaughter policy fails to recognize these alternatives, and instead authorizes the animals’ slaughter.

Please click here to send a letter urging your representative to cosponsor or support the Rahall-Whitfield Legislation and call for hearings on this issue to stop the needless slaughter of wild free-roaming horses and burros.

source: ASPCA

I sincerely hope this bill passes.

I contacted the HR representative for the area in which I live, and this is what he had to say:

Dear Mr. XXXXX*:

Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 857, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. It is always good to hear from you.

The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which was introduced during the 108th Congress, would prohibit a person from slaughtering a horse for human consumption, importing to, or exporting from, the United States horseflesh or horses for human consumption and selling, bartering, transferring, receiving, or distributing horseflesh or horses for human consumption. Once on the decline, the number of American horses going to slaughter has increased at an alarming rate. This trend may be due to European and Japanese concerns about mad cow disease and foot and mouth disease, and the subsequent desire to find "safer" sources of meat. More than 55,000 horses were slaughtered in America in 2004 to satisfy consumer demand overseas.

As you know, a provision was inserted into the Consolidated Appropriations Act, H.R. 4818, that would affect wild horses and burros. This provision allows the sale of a wild horse or burro that is more than ten years of age or that has been offered for adoption three times without success. I voted for the Consolidated Appropriations Act because it included funding for many projects that will benefit our part of Ohio; however, I am disturbed by the inclusion of this provision.

You may be interested to know that I cosponsored H.R. 857. Unfortunately, this good bill was not called to the House floor for a vote before the end of the 108th Congress. Please be assured that I look forward to supporting any similar legislation that comes before me during the 109th Congress.

Once again, thank you for contacting me. It I can be of assistance to you in the future, please do not hesitate to let me know.



Sincerely,

Ted Strickland
Member of Congress

* name removed for privacy purposes

I hope that any and all anti-horse slaughter legislation passes soon. In such a civilized country as America, there is no place for the systematic, brutal killing of thousands of innocent companion animals to feed foreigners, or for any other purposes for that matter.

 

[blw72887]

I absolutely agree with you, for the mere fact of people slaughtering horses and exporting them for human consumption is just preposterous, I hope that this bill passes and stops this despicable act.

 

[ferengi]

I absolutely agree with you, for the mere fact of people slaughtering horses and exporting them for human consumption is just preposterous, I hope that this bill passes and stops this despicable act.

Indeed. However, the slaughter of all horses needs to be stopped, not just those killed for human consumption.

 

[DanGeo23]

some people have no problem eating horse... hell they eat all kinds of shit all around the world... horse is a large animal that could yield lots of burgers or roasts... I haven't tried it but would be more than happy to if given the opportunity..
some people oppose the eating of cows... and I am sure a cow could be considered a "companion animal" if it were treated as we treat most of our dogs and horses...


side note.... horses were extinct in North America until they were brought here by I believe it was the Spaniards...

 

[countrygrl]

The problem is that humans are encroaching upon where the horses roam and feed. There are more horses than the land can support so they have to keep them culled or the whole herd suffers from lack of food. Then the illnesses start spreading.


I would much rather have the herd size managed and keep good strong wild horses roaming the land than to have a bunch of sick starving wild horses roaming the land. I don't see a problem with having the meat be sold for food rather than just being thrown away.

 

[ferengi]

I would much rather have the herd size managed and keep good strong wild horses roaming the land than to have a bunch of sick starving wild horses roaming the land. I don't see a problem with having the meat be sold for food rather than just being thrown away.

The PROBLEM with it is the violent, cruel death that they face. Do you see us rounding up any other wild animals for slaughter, just because "the herd is getting too big?"

There are other ways to "manage" the population of wild horses than rounding them all up and putting them through the horrifying ordeal of being slaughtered.

Humane alternatives to the slaughter of these animals are available. Federal agencies have the authority to carry out actions such as adoption, sterilization, relocation, and placement with qualified individuals and organizations. The current slaughter policy fails to recognize these alternatives, and instead authorizes the animals’ slaughter.

Wild horses are not the only horses that face slaughter. Many horses that end up at slaughterhouses are bought at auctions, or are racehorses that can no longer perform on the racetrack, so their reward for years of serving humans is a cruel death. It's just not right.

some people have no problem eating horse... hell they eat all kinds of shit all around the world... horse is a large animal that could yield lots of burgers or roasts... I haven't tried it but would be more than happy to if given the opportunity..
some people oppose the eating of cows... and I am sure a cow could be considered a "companion animal" if it were treated as we treat most of our dogs and horses...

Cows have ALWAYS been bred for the purpose of meat and milk production. Most meat cattle are born on large ranches (probably more than 100+ head of cattle). People just don't get attached to them like they do horses, as THAT IS NOT THEIR PURPOSE. The consumption or sale of horse meat within the United States is ILLEGAL.

Most domesticated horses are or at one point were a very close personal companion to someone. They are bred for that purpose, COMPANION ANIMALS, just as dogs and cats are. Think about it for a minute. What if the slaughter of dogs or cats was legal in the United States? If you had a dog or cat that you were very close to, but circumstances forced you to give that dog or cat away, would you want to have to worry about whether or not that dog or cat ends up suffering an excruciating death at a slaughterhouse? It's no different for horses.

SCENARIO: There's a 15 year old horse living on a few acres with a very loving owner. The owner raised the horse from a foal, and is closer to that animal than anything else in the world. One night, someone steals that horse. Now that owner is terrified as to whether or not that horse has been sold to slaughter. (This is often the case with stolen horses)

SCENARIO: Someone buys a pony for their children. They have the pony 4 or 5 years, when one or both of the parents lose their job. They are forced to sell the pony, which all the children have grown very attached to. They take him to an auction, and someone bids on him and buys him. The parents talk to the person, and he seems to be an okay person, claiming to be buying the horse for his own children. The parents trust him, and the next day the man sells the animal for slaughter. The parents find out about this, and when their children ask if he went to a loving home, they now have to explain to them the horrible fate their beloved pet has met, or lie to their children and have to put up with a guilty conscience, knowing what REALLY happened to the pet their kids loved so dearly.

SCENARIO: A race horse isn't doing so well at the track. He hasn't won any races, and instead of giving him to a loving home, the owners sell him for slaughter to maximize their profits. That horse's reward for putting up with years of training (and injury, in a lot of cases) and service to humans is a painful, lonely death.

There's a reason why we don't slaughter dogs or cats in the United States, and why the SALE OR CONSUMPTION of horseflesh in this country is illegal. Horses, dogs, and cats are all considered COMPANION ANIMALS. Horses are the only companion animals that are slaughtered in the United States, and this is for the sole purpose of satisfying foreign demand. How would you feel if dogs were slaughtered and their meat was exported to Korea? How would you feel if cats were slaughtered and their meat was exported to a country where cat is considered a delicacy? It just wouldn't fly, and neither should the slaughter of horses.

 

[countrygrl]

I'm not going to argue with you about it because my heart just isn't in it. I'm a horse owner myself and would become very dangerous if someone tried to hurt any of my animals. If I had the land I would adopt every wild horse, burro etc that is put up for adoption.


I can see the sense in the other side of this issue though and I can't condemn people of other countries for eating horse while I eat chickens and cows and fish. Europeans are migrating more toward horse than cow because with mad cow disease it's becoming so dangerous to eat beef.

Oh and it's not illegal in this country to consume horse. It is illegal to sell horse meat for the purpose of consumption in this country. Has to do with inspections and drugs that horse may be given that don't meet standards for animals to eat and still be consumable.

 

[fucktheliberals]

Sorry to burst your bubble DanGeo23 but horses were not EXTINCT in North America they were just not introduced yet.Horses were first introduced to North America with the come of the first Spanish expeditions. :offtopic:
I dissagree with slaughtering horses for human consumption because my neighbor Mr.Rabbit has a ranch and i feed and groom his horses in exchange for him allowing me to ride them.I have grown close to the horses and see them as pets like dogs or cats not food.

 

[Descent]

Horses are such wonderful animals. It's shit like this that makes me sick.

 

[DanGeo23]

The PROBLEM with it is the violent, cruel death that they face. Do you see us rounding up any other wild animals for slaughter, just because "the herd is getting too big?"
There are other ways to "manage" the population of wild horses than rounding them all up and putting them through the horrifying ordeal of being slaughtered.

no but we do allow other wild animals to be hunted.. maybe that would make you happier

Wild horses are not the only horses that face slaughter. Many horses that end up at slaughterhouses are bought at auctions, or are racehorses that can no longer perform on the racetrack, so their reward for years of serving humans is a cruel death. It's just not right.

and we have lots of hungry people... why not let the horse feed some people... so it doesn't just get slaughtered...

Cows have ALWAYS been bred for the purpose of meat and milk production. Most meat cattle are born on large ranches (probably more than 100+ head of cattle). People just don't get attached to them like they do horses, as

and if horses were born on large ranches and weren't given attention as a "pet" and were treated the same as we treat meat cows... people wouldn't be as attached to them.. and if a cow was placed in a stable and groomed daily and given the same amount of attention we give to a dog or a horse... it to would be viewed as a pet and the same attachments would be formed...

THAT IS NOT THEIR PURPOSE. The consumption or sale of horse meat within the United States is ILLEGAL

One man’s protein is another man’s pet! I don't think that the government should be allowed to tell us what we can eat and what we can't... excluding cannabolism...

just as dogs and cats are. Think about it for a minute. What if the slaughter of dogs or cats was legal in the United States?

we would have less strays

If you had a dog or cat that you were very close to, but circumstances forced you to give that dog or cat away, would you want to have to worry about whether or not that dog or cat ends up suffering an excruciating death at a slaughterhouse? It's no different for horses

if you give up a dog or cat to the humane society.. well they might not get adopted .. so they will end up dead... or they may get adopted by an abusive family...

SCENARIO: There's a 15 year old horse living on a few acres with a very loving owner. The owner raised the horse from a foal, and is closer to that animal than anything else in the world. One night, someone steals that horse. ..

stealing ones property is wrong and illegal... I in no way condone stealing animals... ... and I totally disapprove of abusing animals... but seriously if someone steals a horse.. they are doing something against the law.. what makes you think that another law disallowing them to sell that horse to be slaughtered would make them leave the horse in the stable... ...what makes you think that they would follow current laws that already outlaw abusing animals... stealing is wrong and illegal.. abuse to animals is wrong and illegal..

SCENARIO: Someone buys a pony for their children. They have the pony 4 or 5 years,...parents lose their job. They are forced to sell the pony, ..... They take him to an auction, and someone bids on him and buys him. The parents talk to the person, ....buying the horse for his own children. The parents trust him, ....man sells the animal for slaughter. The parents find out about this, ...children ask if he went to a loving home, they now have to explain ...horrible fate their beloved pet has met, or lie to their children and .... guilty conscience, knowing what REALLY happened to the pet their kids loved so dearly

if you sell it ... then it is no longer your property.. they no longer have control over its fate...
I have fish tanks... 7 of them... I have a couple fish that will let me pet them... they respond happily when I come around their tank... but won't respond when others approach the tanks.... I have had some of them for more than 2 years... I recently was informed that I will be activated some time in the summer... I don't want my wife to have the burden of taking care of the many different needs of my different tanks... so I am selling my fish to a local pet shop that I consider to be the most reputable... so my wife will only have one tank to deal with... when I took three of my fish last week to the store (all over 13 inches) my wife cried.... now... my fish might get purchased by someone that has a tank too small for the fish.. they might not know the proper water parameters.. my fish might suffer and die... hell someone might look at my fat, healthy fish and want to buy it for dinner... after all they are a common food source in other countries... that is something I had to understand before I did it.. we can get attached to any animal... if we allow ourselves to...

There's a reason why we don't slaughter dogs or cats in the United States, and why the SALE OR CONSUMPTION of horseflesh in this country is illegal. Horses, dogs, and cats are all considered COMPANION ANIMALS.

which to me is more excessive government intervention in our lives... Cows, pigs, lambs, fish, deer... etc all have feelings.. humans can get attached to one as a pet...
you are reacting emotionaly to your own cultural bias...French, Italians, Swiss, Japanese and Quebecois in Canada are horse meat aficionados who are we to say what is an acceptable food source...

How would you feel if dogs were slaughtered and their meat was exported to Korea? How would you feel if cats were slaughtered and their meat was exported to a country where cat is considered a delicacy? It just wouldn't fly, and neither should the slaughter of horses.

I would prefer this to just killing and wasting the nutritional possibilities by burying them or cremating them..
what right would Vegetarians have to stop us from eating meat... none... what right right should you have to stop people from eating meats that you don't like...

as I stated earlier... I don't agree with animal cruelty... but if killing an animal to eat it is cruel.. then it is no more cruel to kill and eat an animal that someone else considers a pet... you wouldn't want Hindus to stop us from eating beef would you....

Traditionally, Indians had cows in every household. They were part of the family, with names and personalities. Just like one would not hurt/eat their pets, the Indians did not hurt the cows and respected them.

...

the word slaughter has more than one meaning..

~The killing of animals especially for food.
~The killing of a large number of people; a massacre: “I could not give my name to aid the slaughter in this war, fought on both sides for grossly material ends” (Sylvia Pankhurst).
I think you might be using the term "slaughter" to get a certian emotional response out of people .. because of course they are opposed to massacres...

EDIT~~~[QUOTE]Sorry to burst your bubble DanGeo23 but horses were not EXTINCT in North America they were just not introduced yet.Horses were first introduced to North America with the come of the first Spanish expeditions.[/QUOTE]sorry to burst you bubble.. but...

Mustang Horses (American Indian Horses or Spanish Horses) were brought to the New World by the Spanish in the 1500s. These were the best horses of that time - a mixture of Barb, Arabian, and Andalusia blood. The native horses that inhabited the North American continent became extinct about 10,000 years ago. The horse was absent in that area until the Spanish Conquistador Cortez reintroduced them.
Photo courtesy of
Apache Trail Spanish Mustangs

ohhh and horses don't get mad cow disease or hoof in mouth disease...

 

[Lost86]

I am so not reading all of that. I don't have the time right now. But I'll support you all the way, Ferengi.

 

[RageAgainst]

What about the cows???Did someone think about the cows?????What's gonna happen to the cows!!????Oh God...WILL SOMEONE PLEASE THINK ABOUT THE COWS????!!

 

[DanGeo23]

Side note... glad to see that people are using the "neg rep" as opposed to the "rebuttal".. its easier ... I understand... and I shall go on... wondering what a Mr. Ed cheesburger would taste like...

 

[Woodreaux]

As a Cajun, I reserve the right kill and eat anything that moves! However, dogs and horses are not on my menu. I agree that horses have a special relationship with man, like dogs do. It would disturb me to eat horse meat, as much as eating a dog. I also agree that horses are animals that symbolize America, probably moreso than eagle do.
However, I do not believe the Congress has the right legislate which animals can and cannot be slaughered and eaten. Religions do not have this right, nor do governments.
It is a dilema: selling horses for slaughtter is unAmerican, but outlawing selling of horses for slaughter is also unAmerican. What todo? It's sort of like flag burning. It very unAmerican to burn an American flag in America. But it also violate the 1st Admendment to outlaw it. That's how social justice picks up where legal justice leaves off: a man was arrest for assualt & battering another man who was in the middle of burning an American flag. The assailant was found guilty, has punishment a fine of one dollar! I think it's society's job to handle horse slaughtering.

 

[fucktheliberals]

Yeah it would be good if society could control what animals could be killed for meat ect, but also bad.I myself am a deer hunter and would not like my rights to hunt to be taken away.And if society had the power to control what animals were to be slaughtered for food then horses would probobly be killed for meat because all the red-necks around were i live say they would eat horse.

 

[Skitch0o0]

there is no place for the killing ... of ... animals to feed foreigners...

Everybody knows that those damn, pesky foreigners don't need to eat!

 

[edub1371]

Hell, I like horses more than most french or japanese people that I have met. I say we slaughter their sorry horse eating asses and make dog food out of them!

 

[DanGeo23]

you shouldn't say such things.. the French have prolly already read your post.. they will be lining up at slaughterhouses, with arms in the air, waving white flags....

 

[dustinzgirl]

If my family was hungry, and there were no "safe" traditional methods of feeding them, you can bet your ass I would kill a horse, cat, dog, or roger the fucking rabbit to feed them.

However, the slaughter of animals for no reason other than to kill them would really piss me off.

Scenerio: Guy works his farm for years, feeds his family off of it. A herd of wild horses tramples through and eats everything.

Scenerio: Bessy the Cow has become rather attached to littel Billy Joe Farmer. His parents kill her and eat her because they can (but,t hat is apparently OK)

You do realize that do to the near extinction of wolves and other predatory animals, wild horses have no natural enemies. Except us.