Horse Slaughter Info 2

Horse Slaughter Information 2

This is a page where you can find additional information on national call in days, horse slaughter statistics, and any horse slaughter related information.

For immediate release:
Congressional Conference Committee Appropriations bill would require taxpayers to subsidize foreign horse meat industry.
Equine welfare organizations denounce the agricultural appropriations bill that if passed, would make equine slaughter for human consumption legal again in the US and dump horsemeat that is unfit and unsafe on foreign markets.
Washington, D.C. - Last night, November 14, 2011, a Congressional Conference Committee tasked with reconciling differing House and Senate versions of the FY 2012 consolidated appropriations for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science and Transportation, issued a report failing to recommend de-funding of inspections of equines for slaughter for human consumption. This means for the first time since 2006, and in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression, Americans would be required to subsidize a foreign owned industry that exports horsemeat served as a delicacy in fine restaurants in some European and other countries.
Americans don't consume horsemeat. Polls have consistently revealed over 70% of Americans oppose horse slaughter. "It is outrageous," says Vicki Tobin, vice president of Illinois-based Equine Welfare Alliance, "that American taxpayers would be required to subsidize foreign owned businesses that Americans oppose and that produces meat from animals that are not raised for food".
Simone Netherlands, founder of Respect4Horses, added, "In this time when the focus of Congress is supposedly on reducing spending and creating jobs it is a ludicrous measure to spend tax dollars in order to reinstate an inherently cruel predatory business, from which Americans stand to gain nothing. Horse slaughter plants operating until 2007 have never created a total of more than 178 jobs."
And, they are not good jobs, according to Paula Bacon, former mayor of Kaufman, Texas where a horse slaughter facility operated for years. "Horse slaughter means very few, very low wage jobs, meaning workers and their families overtaxed local resources like the hospitals and government services. This so called business brought in virtually no tax revenues and local governments incurred substantial enforcement costs in trying to regulate these facilities. The standard of living dropped during the time horse slaughter facilities operated. Having a horse slaughter facility drove away good businesses." Equine slaughter has also been found to increase and abet horse theft in areas where facilities are located or horses are held for transport to slaughter.
In addition, American horses are not raised, fed and medicated within the FDA and European Union guidelines established for food animals, making them unfit and unsafe for human consumption. Equines are given many drugs banned in food animals such as pain killers, steroids, de-wormers and ointments throughout their lives.
A 2010 study in the Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal showed a drug given routinely to equines like aspirin, phenylbutazone or Bute, is a carcinogen and can cause aplastic anemia in humans. It has no withdrawal period. The FDA bans bute in all food producing animals because of this serious danger to human health. The recent EU FVO reports on U.S. equines exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter show banned drug residues and falsified drug affidavits.
(http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/Horse_Slaughter.html)
The unsubstantiated claims of pro horse slaughter legislators such as Jack Kingston (Georgia) are that it will solve neglect and abandonment. All we have to do is look at Canada to confirm that this is erroneous. They have had the same increases in neglect cases as we have here in the US. The often talked about GAO report states: We cannot rule out the effect of the economy. The demographic of people who hang on to their horses in spite of their inability to care for them, is the kind of demographic that does not want to send their horses to slaughter, therefore horse slaughter is not a solution for that demographic. One could argue that horse slaughter in fact makes people afraid to sell their horses to anyone for fear of them ending up in the slaughter pipeline. Even Kentucky Derby winners such as Ferdinand have ended up on someone's dinner plate in a foreign country.
In fact, it creates the problems it claims to solve says R.T. Fitch, founder of Wild Horse Freedom Federation "As a convenient and lucrative means of disposal, Horse slaughter has created an over-population problem of horses, by enabling irresponsible breeding, and encouraging a quick turn around and dumping of horses. Very much like the housing market and the banking industry, the horse breeding industry is self destructing by saturating the market and horse slaughter is the bail out".
Equine Slaughter is a grave risk to public health, it is inherently inhumane and it causes the very problems it claims to solve. It is fiscally irresponsible for Congress even to consider re-funding these inspections. The focus should be on stopping the risk altogether by ending the export of American equines for slaughter for human consumption.
"After all, there is a large market for dog and cat meat as well in China and Japan, does that mean that American tax payers should foot the bill to pay for the USDA to start inspecting dog and cat meat?" asks Richard "Kudo" Couto, founder of Animal Recovery Mission.
These equine welfare groups ask Congress to de-fund horse inspections and also protect the welfare of American equines by taking immediate action to pass the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011:
Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA)
Respect4Horses (R4H)
Animal Law Coalition (ALC)
Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF)
The Cloud Foundation (TCF)
Animal Recovery Mission (ARM)
Americans Against Horse Slaughter (AAHS)
The Celebrate the Horse Network (CTHN)
Animals' Angels (AA)
Media contact: Simone Netherlands (928) 925-7212 Simone@Respect4Horses.com

From: Equine Welfare Alliance
Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 6:00 PM
Subject: 2011.11.15 A Sad Day for Our Horses
Today's News
As you've probably heard or read, the defunding language on horse inspections was removed by the committee. I don't know what else to say except a big thank you for all your hard work. Perhaps next time we communicate, we should include a check and just maybe, we'll see different results.
I would still contact your senators and representatives. They must still vote on the conference committee's bill. It's usually an up or down vote but there is always a chance they will reject it. It's not over until it's over. As taxpayers, let them know you don't want tax dollars used to slaughter horses. We don't consume horse meat and we don't raise horses as food animals.
We are working on a few things and will provide info we are ready to roll so stay tuned. We are not giving up until we see an end to the slaughter of our horses.
Also expected, is the BS from Sue Wallis. You're going to love this, not only is she relishing in the outcome but she has now started yet another organization. Just keep changing the name to keep one step ahead of the IRS.
The fact remains that our horses cannot comply with food safety laws. We must push on and continue to contact our legislators and fight for the passage of S 1176 and HR 2966. So much for Obama statement that he's not going to let lobbyists and special interests run this country.
Also, this is a good time to start local initiatives in your state for a ban on horse slaughter. If any of you are interested, please contact Laura Allen (lauraallen@animallawcoalition.com (lauraallen @ animallawcoalition.com)). She has a bill that can be customized for your state.
Horseback has an article posted where you can leave comments. Go get 'em folks!
Committee Removes Roadblock to Federal Horsemeat Inspectors, Full Congress Can Now Debate Bill
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/12598
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Fw: [New post] Animal’s Angels Investigates New Holland Slaug

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:51 am (PST)
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Can anyone I.D. this TB???
New post on Straight from the Horse's Heart
Animal’s Angels Investigates New Holland Slaughter Sales
by R.T. Fitch
New Holland, PA - Investigators arrived at the weekly auction at 4:00am. Trucks were arriving to unload animals and most of the pens in the sheep & goat barn as well as the pig barn were already occupied. No dying or injured animals were found. However, investigators saw several dead pigs in the pen area. Many of the pens still have no access to water for the animals.
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R.T. Fitch | November 14, 2011 at 8:11 PM | Tags: Animal welfare, Animals's Angels, Auction, Horse, Horse Slaughter, New Holland | Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter | URL: http://wp.me/pyapj-3rM
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Handful of Legislators Condemn Horses to USDA Approved Abuse

Washington, D.C. (November 15, 2011) – It would appear that some in Congress are all talk when it comes to seriously reducing federal spending and decreasing the size of government. Despite overwhelming objections from the American public and the horse community, and despite Congress’ own supposed belief in fiscal restraint, the fate of America’s horses was undermined by three Members of Congress and their staffs behind closed doors this week. For years, an amendment to the annual Agriculture Appropriations bill has prevented tax dollars from being used to “inspect” horse slaughter facilities in the U.S.   The House of Representatives voted this year to again include it in the Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill, but three members of the Conference Committee, Representative Jack Kingston (R-GA), Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), and Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), removed it from the final bill. A fourth member of the Conference Committee, Representative Sam Farr (D-CA), was the lone objector.

“I have been in Washington for a long time and this move baffles me. Both parties talked about making the hard cuts in federal spending and yet behind closed doors, three of the four men thought it was a good use of taxpayer dollars to ignore their colleagues and restore a federal program that will cost Americans at least $5 million a year and pull limited USDA inspectors from ensuring the humane treatment and safety of our nation’s food supply. To make matters worse, this was all done to appease a few foreign companies and Big Ag,” said Chris Heyde, deputy director of AWI’s government and legal affairs department. “This action shows the true nature of some elected officials—that they are more concerned about helping special interests than doing what they were elected to do.”

Some legislators are trying to disguise what they did as helping the horses, but there is substantial evidence of horses suffering at taxpayers’ expense when slaughter was permitted in the U.S. While a recent GAO report attempted to connect an increase in abuse to a cessation of horse slaughter in the U.S., the authors noted that there was no actual proof other than claims put forward by pro-horse slaughter proponents.

With this cynical move, there is now only one avenue left for ending the tragedy of the slaughter of horses for human consumption: Swift action on the GAO’s other recommendation—passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

“AWI commends Representative Farr (D-CA), ranking member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, for being the sole member of the Conference Committee to stand up for America’s horses and fiscal responsibility,” noted Heyde. “We look forward to working with Representative Farr and other Members of Congress on passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.”

The Animal Welfare Institute is calling on everyone who has horses and cares about the welfare of America’s horses to demand that Congress pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act immediately.

##30##

For More Information:

Chris Heyde, chris@awionline.org , (202) 446-2142

To take action on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act and see how your legislator stands on animal protection issues, please visit www.compassionindex.org.

--

CHRIS HEYDE

Deputy Director

Government and Legal Affairs

ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE

900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

T: (202) 446-2142 ~ F: (202) 446-2131

www.awionline.org ~ www.compassionindex.org

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The Animal Welfare Institute has been alleviating the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951.

Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.

Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

Fw: 2011.11.12 Updated Slaughter Stats and News from Canada

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Sat Nov 12, 2011 11:41 am (PST)

Today's News
Read 'em and weep. Exports of toxic horsemeat is on the rise. They have surpassed 2010 numbers. Our thanks to Darrell Charlton, Jr. for tracking these for us.
Yearly numbers:
http://equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/00-Slaughter_Statistics.pdf
By Week and Month:
http://equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/00-Slaughter_Statistics-week-month_2011.pdf
If you'd like to compare last year:
http://equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/Slaughter_Statistics_by_Week___Month.pdf
Growing number of abandoned horses in Saskatchewan
Our opponents would like you to believe that slaughter prevents neglect and abandonment. Here's more proof that it is the economy and not the availability of slaughter. This is from January but provides some telling information.
Thanks to Theresa N. in Canada for passing this along to us.
Growing number of abandoned horses in Saskatchewan
http://regina.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110119/sas-horse-110119/20110119/?hub=Regina
CTV Saskatoon
There have been several reports of abandoned and uncared for horses in Saskatchewan. Winter hits and owners let go of the reigns.
Paradise Stable Horse Rescue is one of the only places in Saskatchewan that takes in abandoned horses. Owner Bunnie Harasyn says during this busy winter, she's been forced to turn away horses every day.
"Right now, we've got four coming in and then we're at our max until we can rehome some. Unless we get donations of pens, and we need gates; it's a never ending saga. And we need manpower," says Harasyn.
The bitter prairie winter isn't helping the desperate situation. The Saskatchewan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says the number of calls they've received in the last several months about horses has dramatically increased.
Frances Wach works with the Saskatchewan SPCA and believes money is a big factor in abandoning horses. "I think some of the factors that impact the number of complaints we've received include economics, the market value of horses is down, there's an oversupply of horses due to overbreeding, and this year in some places, there's been poor quality hay."
Some horses have been abandoned and left to starve. Others faced being sent to slaughter. Luckily, a few horses made their way to Paradise Stable Horse Rescue.
The Harasyns care for them, but most of the money comes out of their own pocket. One way the public can help is by sponsoring a horse. Harasyn says the program costs 25 dollars a month, as long as people commit to regular visits.
The horse rescue is desperately trying to find homes for these animals so they can continue to take on more. The SSPCA says owners need to call in if they can no longer care for their horses so the animals aren't left to die. And, the agency adds, owners should prevent the animals from breeding so this cycle of abandonment can be stopped.
#
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November 9, 2011

URGENT eALERT: Constituent-Only Phone Calls Needed: Keep Taxpayers From Funding U.S. Horse Slaughter Inspections!

Dear Humanitarian,

Your help is needed on behalf of our nation’s horses. Until 2007, three foreign-owned slaughterhouses in the U.S. butchered horses for markets in Europe and Asia, where horse meat is considered a delicacy. Because of tremendous opposition from the American public and horse owners, Congress has prevented horse slaughter in the U.S. by putting language in its annual Agriculture Appropriations Bill prohibiting your tax dollars from being used to inspect horse meat. This language is in the Agriculture Appropriations Bill the House passed just a few months ago.

Even though the current Congress claims it is trying to reduce government spending, a couple of Members are trying to resume funding for inspections of horse slaughterhouses—a step that could allow them to reopen on U.S. soil! Unless the American people speak up, two or three Members of Congress will succeed in blocking the will of the American public and the majority of Congress without any say in the matter. They will quietly remove the language without a vote and that is not how our Congress should operate.

Check out the list below to see if you have either a U.S. Senator or Representative serving on the Conference Committee that is currently debating the Agriculture Appropriations Bill. This committee will play a pivotal role in determining whether horse slaughter returns to the United States. You may have an elected official in a key position to help retain this important language defunding inspections of horse slaughter facilities and he/she needs to hear from you TODAY!

What You Can Do

Because Congress is acting on this issue right now, a call is the best option for having your voice heard. Place a brief, polite phone call to your legislator and say:

“As a constituent (and if you own a horse let them know), I ask that you retain language in the Agriculture Appropriations Bill that bans the use of our limited tax dollars to fund horse slaughterhouse inspections. Maintaining this prohibition is of great importance to me and I will be watching for the final outcome.”

Making the call will be fast and easy, and could make a real difference for thousands of American horses while we work to pass a permanent ban on horse slaughter. You can also check out AWI’s Compassion Index to see how your legislator stands on the issue of horse slaughter and other animal protection measure.

Please ONLY call the legislator listed alongside the state you live in:

Alabama:    Senator Richard Shelby (202) 224-5744

Arkansas: Senator Mark Pryor (202) 224-2353

Arizona:    Representative Ed Pastor (202) 225-4065

California:    Senator Dianne Feinstein (202) 224-3841

Connecticut: Representative Rosa DeLauro (202) 225-3661

Florida:    Representative Bill Young (202) 225-5961

Georgia: Representative Jack Kingston (202) 225-5831

Hawaii:    Senator Daniel Inouye (202) 224-3934

Iowa:        Senator Tom Harkin (202) 224-3254

Kansas:    Senator Jerry Moran (202) 224-6521

Kentucky: Senator Mitch McConnell (202) 224-2541

Massachusetts: Representative John Olver (202) 225-5335

Maryland: Senator Barbara Mikulski (202) 224-4654

Maine: Senator Susan Collins (202) 224-2523

Missouri:   Senator Roy Blunt (202) 224-5721

Mississippi: Senator Thad Cochran (202) 224-5054

North Carolina: Representative David Price (202) 225-1784

North Dakota: Senator John Hoeven (202) 224-2551

Nebraska: Senator Ben Nelson (202) 224-6551

Ohio:    Senator Sherrod Brown (202) 224-2315

Pennsylvania:    Representative Chaka Fattah (202) 225-4001

South Dakota: Senator Tim Johnson (202) 224-5842

Texas: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (202) 224-5922

Virginia:    Representative Frank Wolf (202) 225-5136

Washington:    Representative Norm Dicks (202) 225-5916

Wisconsin:    Senator Herb Kohl (202) 224-5653

Please help us to alert everyone that their calls are vital to keep limited tax dollars from being used to slaughter American horses. Be sure to share this Dear Humanitarian eAlert with friends, family and coworkers, and encourage them to take action today!

Thank you,

Chris

--

CHRIS HEYDE

Deputy Director

Government and Legal Affairs

ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE

900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

www.awionline.org ~ www.compassionindex.org

Facebook ~ Twitter

The Animal Welfare Institute has been alleviating the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951.

Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.

Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

Fw: 2011.11.04 Appropriations and MUST READ EU report from Animals'

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Sat Nov 5, 2011 4:49 am (PDT)

Today's News
For information on action to take on the Appropriations reconciliation and list of committee members, please visit
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1887
We cannot stress enough how important it is to remain professional. This is a finance bill so please keep your comments limited to finances. The government is cutting budgets, not increasing them. We don't want taxpayer dollars wasted on inspections for an animal that is not raised or regulated as a food animal. This bill is about funding for inspections so please do not rant and do not bring in other topics related to horse slaughter. We've got one shot at this, folks so please, fax and call and be sure to contact your representatives and senators. Constituent calls are extremely important.
The timing on the EU report couldn't be better to address the fact that our horses are not safe for human consumption.
FINALLY, THE LIGHT BULB HAS GONE ON!
Please visit Horseback for the full article
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/12402
European Union Dubs Inspection Report and Handling on Drug Residue "Unreliable"
WESTMINSTER, MD (Animal's Angels) - On U.S. soil or Canadian, the issue of drug residues in U.S. horses is hugely concerning to the EU, as evidenced in their most recent inspection report. The report, released on October 26, 2011, uses phrases like, "no official guarantee", "could not be considered reliable", "inadequate", "no supporting evidence", "standards are not industry practice", and focuses on concerns about traceability and certification.
Bluntly labeled "Not satisfactory" were the "identification and movement of horses", "controls of veterinary drugs", and "residue controls and certification." In other words, without focusing on humane slaughter issues, EU inspectors found handling is in many ways deficient.
Calling kill buyers' sworn statements 'affidavits,' the report admits, "horses from the US were accompanied by the signed Affidavit (EID) of the last owner, covering the medical treatment during the last six months, which in many cases was a horse dealer. Nevertheless, no official guarantee was received by the CFIA from US authorities that this guarantee was verified and could be considered as reliable.".............
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Guest Column:EWA President Charges Monkey Business With Petitions | Horse Back Magazine

horsebackmagazine.com

By John Holland, President, Equine Welfare Alliance CHICAGO, (EWA) - During his 2008 campaign, President Obama promised his unequivocal support for a ban...

http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/12365

Fw: [New post] Ag Passes Bill Without Prohibition Against Federal Ho

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Wed Nov 2, 2011 5:38 am (PDT)

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New post on Straight from the Horse's Heart
Ag Passes Bill Without Prohibition Against Federal Horse Meat Inspectors

by R.T. Fitch
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – Horse slaughter enthusiasts got a rare victory, of sorts, when the United States Senate passed an agriculture appropriations bill that did not contain a provision banning horsemeat inspections at U.S. slaughter plants. HR 3233, will now move to conference committee where conferees will hammer out the final legislation that will be passed by both houses of Congress.
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R.T. Fitch | November 2, 2011 at 3:07 AM | Tags: American Quarter Horse Association, Arabian Horse Association, Cruelty to animals, Dave Duquette, Equine, fraud, Horse, Horse Eaters, Horse Meat, Horse Slaughter, Mental Disorder, Sue Wallis | Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter | URL: http://wp.me/pyapj-3p4
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Fw: [New post] Wyoming’s “Slaughterhouse” Sue W

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Wed Nov 2, 2011 5:41 am (PDT)
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New post on Straight from the Horse's Heart
Wyoming’s “Slaughterhouse” Sue Wallis Condones Slaughtered Horse Desecration
by R.T. Fitch
It's all over the internet about the petite, 21-year-old Oregon woman, Elizabeth Herrick, killing her own 32-year-old horse, stripping off her clothes, climbing "inside" the dead horse's body, asking her boyfriend to take pictures of her, eating the flesh of her horse and then posting the bloody pictures on the web and wondering why people are flipping out?!?!? DUUUHHHHH!!!
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R.T. Fitch | November 2, 2011 at 7:22 AM | Tags: Dave Duquette, fraud, Horse, Horse Meat, Horse Slaughter, Naked Woman, perversion, Sue Wallis | Categories: Horse Rescue, Horse Slaughter | URL: http://wp.me/pyapj-3pa
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Canadian Food Inspection Agency - Designated Border Ports of Entry for Feeder and Slaughter Horses Entering Canada from the United States.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is implementing new measures to verify that horses are being humanely transported in accordance with the Health of Animals Regulations.

Read more here: http://inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/trans/20111031inde.shtml

Updated AWI Horse Slaughter Brochure and Action Alert Insert Now Available

For years, the Animal Welfare Institute’s brochure on horse slaughter has been used by horsemen and activists across the US to help raise awareness about this cruel industry. AWI has just released an updated version of this fact filled color brochure and will be providing copies for free to those working to help educate the public. We have also created an insert filled with information about how you can take action in support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act currently pending before Congress.

If you would like come copies of this brochure and the new insert, please send an email to chris@awionline.org (chris @ awionline.org) with the quantity of each you would like.

Thanks for your continued help with this important issue. While you are waiting for your brochures please visit AWI’s Compassion Index to see how your Representative and Senators stand on horse slaughter and other animal protection measures. While there, be sure to send them an email in support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

Thanks, Chris

--

CHRIS HEYDE

Deputy Director

Government and Legal Affairs

ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE

900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

www.awionline.org ~ www.compassionindex.org

Facebook ~ Twitter

The Animal Welfare Institute has been alleviating the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951.

Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.

Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

Fw: 2011.10.06 Double Deckers

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Thu Oct 6, 2011 11:55 am (PDT)

Today's News - Double Decker Monitoring
As you know, effective tomorrow, October 7, the new USDA rule goes into effect banning double deckers for slaughter bound horses. Please do not confuse this with the federal legislation introduced by Senator Mark Kirk (IL) banning double deckers for all horse transport (S. 1281). We must be diligent in ensuring its passage.
We also know that USDA has an abysmal record of enforcing transport laws. To ensure the laws are being followed, HSUS will be monitoring violations and is asking for our help. Below is a message from Valerie Pringle with information on what to do if you catch a hauler violating the new rule.
Please direct any questions on the monitoring to Valerie.
On October 7, 2011 the new rule affecting double decker transport of horses will become effective. The Humane Society of the United States wants to be in a position to monitor compliance/violations while urging the USDA to enforce the new regulations. We are in the process of developing a monitoring plan and would like your assistance. We are aware that many rescues attend auctions on a regular basis and are often in a position to observe violations of the humane transport of equines. If you witness any violations, please contact us with the following information:
1. name, date, and address of the auction
2. name of the truck cab and trailer and the name of the trucking company
3. license plate information of the double decker trailer
4. If you are able to take video or stills with time and date stamps, that is preferred. Video and stills without that information is still acceptable. Information without any photos is fine too.
5. We will work with the information provided to us and you are allowed to remain anonymous.
6. You may use my contact information below and either email or call me.
We all need to work together to make sure the USDA does its job and enforces this new law. Thanks for being the voice of the horses.
Valerie Pringle
Equine Protection Specialist, Equine Protection
vpringle@humanesociety.org
t 301.258.1408 f 301.258.3078
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MP introduces bill to ban horse meat for human consumption

New Democrat Agriculture Critic Alex Atamanenko (BC southern Interior) has re-introduced a Private Members Bill that would effectively shut down the slaughtering of horses for human consumption in Canada.

“Since I first introduced this bill in the last Parliament, tens of thousands of Canadians have petitioned the government to legislate an end to this practice,” said Atamanenko. “I think it’s high time the government listened.”

According to the B.C. MP, the odds are enormous that certain drugs, prohibited for use during the life of any animals destined for the human food supply, are routinely being administered to horses.

Read more here: http://castlegarsource.com/news/mp-introduces-bill-ban-horse-meat-human-consumption-14189

Fw: 2011.10.04 Press Release | Response to UH on Bute letter

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Wed Oct 5, 2011 5:08 am (PDT)

Press Release
October 4, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
John Holland | 540.268.5693 | john@equinewelfarealliance.org
Vicki Tobin | 630.961.9292 | vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org
Equine instructors face off against medical experts over horse meat
Chicago (EWA) - In a press release today titled "Equine Scientists Debunk Horsemeat Health Risk Claims", United Horsemen (UH), an extremist pro horse slaughter group, cited a letter from four equine instructors ostensibly written to the Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology complaining about the accuracy of the landmark study that found that the meat derived from horses administered the carcinogen phenylbutazone (PBZ/bute) is being shipped to the European Union for human consumption.
In an embarrassing attempt to discredit the peer reviewed paper, Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: A public health risk, the instructors cherry picked facts to make their case, but merely succeeded in demonstrating the risk of offering a professional opinion outside of one's area of expertise.
None of the authors of the UH letter are medical doctors and they provided no information that is contrary to the mandate by the EU and FDA banning Phenylbutazone in all food producing animals, including horses.
The letter begins by stating the paper's authors did not cite the levels of Phenylbutazone (PZB, bute) in the study horses. But there are no acceptable levels. One only needs to prove the administration of bute at any time in the horse's life to make the horse ineligible for human consumption. The paper by Drs. Marini (PhD/MD neurology), Dodman (PhD/DVM) and Blondeau (PhD in neuroscience), did exactly that. The study proved without doubt, through tracing race track drug records, that horses given bute are making their way into the food supply.
In the letter, the equine scientists/instructors pasted revelations, such as the rapid rate at which bute disappears from the blood stream, ignoring the fact that the same information was presented in the study paper, and omitting details like the fact that phenylbutazone metabolizes into oxyphenylbutazone (also linked to blood dyscrasias such as aplastic anemia) which persists much longer, or that phenylbutazone is taken up in injured tissue where it may later be released back into the bloodstream.
The letter concludes by casting McCarthyisms on all who were mentioned in the paper, incorrectly stating, for example, that EWA's John Holland (who provided historical data on the slaughter industry) was "linked to PETA".
If these equine instructors intend to put a plug into the growing wellspring of revelations about the dangers of US horse meat, they will have their work cut out for them. A recent paper issued by Irish Veterinarians further cement the dangers of bute and the disciplinary action to veterinarians for sending an animal to slaughter that has been administered bute.
The paper states "The difficulty with phenylbutazone is that it, or its metabolite, can cause aplastic anemia in children. If a child were to consume an animal-based product containing even the minutest amount of bute or its metabolite [oxyphenylbutazone] then the child may develop aplastic anemia."
In addition, the paper warns, "It is a statement of fact that if the European Commission on its audit of this country find evidence of bute use in animals not excluded from the food chain, then the product will immediately lose its license Europe-wide. If samples prove positive for phenylbutazone or its metabolite in equine meat of Irish origin, it will be traced back, and the prescribing veterinary practitioner will be in the firing line of prosecution."
Only a week ago Food Production Daily exposed the risk of tainted horse meat in an article titled Tainted US horse meat puts world consumers at risk.
"US horses are not raised as meat animals", said EWA spokesperson Vicki Tobin, "It is just that simple. If we want to keep sending our horses to slaughter, we will have to give up most of the effective medications we currently enjoy."
#
The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues-free 501c4, umbrella organization with over 200 member organizations and hundreds of individual members worldwide. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.www.equinewelfarealliance.org
Links
Wallis Release:
Equine Scientists Debunk Horsemeat Health Risk Claims
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/11839
Horseback Article:
Wyoming Politician Challenges Bute Findings by Medical and Veterinary Experts
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/11856
Our Release:
EWA Strongly Rebukes Letter Criticizing Landmark Study While Ignoring Food Trade Publication Tainted Meat Warning
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/11852
#
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Fw: 2011.10.04 EWA News, Wallis World and Petition Update

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Today's News
We had 24 new members join us this past week and want send a huge EWA welcome. We are now 929 members strong with 201 member organizations.
In keeping with tradition in recognizing members from outside the US, we want to give a warm welcome to Professor Waheed Hassan, an animal scientist with the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science.
Wallis World
Are all of you getting as tired as we are with the propaganda machine? The latest is a tirade of talking points that she sent to the senate members and her supporters in anticipation of a vote this week on the appropriations bill. I have prepared a quick rebuttal that is posted on RTs site and have also provided a link with a more formalized document (cleaned the doc a bit and removed my opening commentary!). She has overdone herself on this one with more inaccurate numbers and information that can only be described as propaganda on steroids.
I was going to let this one slide but it is so outrageous that we need to let our senators know the facts. Please keep calling! We must retain the language from the house bill that defunds horse inspections. Feel free to use what you want, add your own comments and present in your own words. The important thing is that your senators receive the correct information so they are armed with accurate information. If anyone wants the word document, let me know and I'll send it to you.

This is the article on RTs site
http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/wyoming-equine-terrorist-pumps-public-with-preposterous-propaganda/
Here is the cleaned/formalized document
http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/Talking_Points_101.pdf
Petition and Popvox Update
The white house site is now stating as of October 3, a petition must have 25,000 signatures to receive a response. So I'm not sure what happens at 5,000. Our three petitions still indicate we need 5,000.
House anti slaughter - we lost one point on this and we're now at 78%
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2966
Senate anti slaughter bill - we're holding at 76%
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2966
Senate Double Decker - we're holding at 84%
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/s1281
***This needs more votes in opposition. It is a bill introduced by Sue's buddy Barrasso (WY) that amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (aka grazing for welfare ranchers) so that it would be immune to review and makes the mismanagement permanent. We have 79% in opposition but only 165 users have voted.
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/s1129
White House Wild Horses & Burros - 3,143 signatures
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/protect-wild-horses-and-burros-reform-inhumane-interior-department-management-program-wastes-tax/MYTbsKg6
White House anti-slaughter - 3,976 signatures (vs. 1842 on Wallis')
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/support-ban-horse-slaughter/q30gJg1k
Petition2Congress - we're behind on this one 6,130 vs. 6,692 (this is the one where an advocate told people to sign the opposition's petition but to leave a comment against slaughter so I suspect that's why we are behind on this one)
http://www.petition2congress.com/5049/stop-slaughter-our-american-horses-pass-s1176/
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Fw: [New post] Anti-Horse Wyoming Politician Promotes Fraud Against

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Sun Oct 2, 2011 6:14 am (PDT)
WordPress.com
New post on Straight from the Horse's Heart
Anti-Horse Wyoming Politician Promotes Fraud Against President and Congress on Facebook
by R.T. Fitch
Long time equine terrorist and pro-horse slaughter extremist, Wyoming State Rep. Sue Wallis, crossed the line on Saturday when she publicly urged her few Facebook followers to fraudulently use false names when signing a preposterous pro-horse slaughter petition on President Obama's White House website. Fanatical while swimming upstream against a 70% public disdain for killing and eating a companion animal "Slaughterhouse" Sue encourages all to use the names of others to sign a petition that fact, science and public opinion stand strongly against.
Read more of this post
R.T. Fitch | October 2, 2011 at 6:14 AM | Tags: Barack Obama, Facebook, Horse, Horse Meat, Horse Slaughter, Matt Mead, Sue Wallis, White House, Wyoming | Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter | URL: http://wp.me/pyapj-3jt
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2011.10.01 International Equine Conference Presentations

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International Equine Conference
Conference Info:
Sept 26, 27 & 28
Marriott Residence Inn
1456 Duke Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3403
703.548.5474
Web Page
Good morning! We are beginning to post conference presentations on the conference page (http://equinewelfarealliance.org/Int_l_Equine_Conference.html) on the EWA website. For the two film screenings, we have posted links to the trailers. We will also be posting pictures and will provide a link to all photos within the next few days. As soon as plans are finalized on videos, we'll let you know. Our photojournalist Terry Fitch [& RT) and videographer Jeff Hudson [& Virginia] extended their stay to visit Assateague.
In addition, we are also creating a buzz sheet so if you have any comments [and logos] you'd like to add, please send them to iec@equinewelfarealliance.org.
We'd also like to thank our organizers, attendees, sponsors and those that were with us in spirit. The huge success exceeded our expectations. Thank you one and all!
Here are the presentations we've received, thus far.
Keith Dane, The Humane Society of the United States
Marjorie Farabee, Wild Burro Protection League
Handout 1 | Handout 2
Madeleine Pickens, Savings America's Mustangs
Film Trailers
Wild Horses and Renegades
Saving America's Horses: A Nation Betrayed
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http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/Int_l_Equine_Conference.html

need comments must be approved

Unwanted horses create problems

By Meghan L. Anderson

Published: Sunday, October 2, 2011 12:13 AM CDT

http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2011/10/02/opinions/letters/doc4e8658edd179e643780060.txt

2011.09.29 We're Back!
Today's News
Wow! What a turn out. One of my former bosses made a comment that I would not be impressed by a flying elephant. I was impressed beyond my high expectations by our presenters and attendees. The brainpower in that room was inspiring. Wow! We'll be sending details and additional info as soon as we get a good night's rest and can get our thoughts together.
Until then, here are three articles. Two good and one unbelievable.
The good:
Tainted US horse meat puts world consumers at risk: welfare body
http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/Tainted-US-horse-meat-puts-world-consumers-at-risk-welfare-body
Interior's Wild Horse Chief Strongly Denies Claims of 'Extinction' Management
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/09/28/28greenwire-interiors-wild-horse-chief-strongly-denies-cla-94366.html
The Unbelievable:
I was greeted with this tonight. I don't know why I am still surprised with Wallis' rants but I had to read the title several times. I thought that I might not be exhausted but suffering from a more serious medical issue that was causing hallucinations.
Please remove all liquid from your mouth and don't adjust your monitors because you are indeed seeing what you think you're seeing. Honestly. Even John with his sense of humor, couldn't have come up with this one.
Feel free to comment because I'm speechless. Yes, me!
Guest Commentary: Killer Horse Buyers Are Heroes and Saviors
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/11761
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Fw: 2011.09.30 Massachusetts Alert!

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Fri Sep 30, 2011 11:18 am (PDT)

Anti-Slaughter Bill hearing set
This pertains to MA residents only. FYI to our members in other states/countries so you are aware.
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1640
The MA anti-slaughter bill comes up for committee hearing Oct. 5. This is a joint committee hearing, meaning it's for both House and Senate. This is also supported by HSUS and MA SPCA.
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There are a number of ways for you to voice your opposition to horse slaughter and register your support for a permanent ban on this practice, including responding to AWI eAlerts, taking action through AWI’s Compassion Index at www.compassionindex.org and calling the offices of your Members of Congress.

I wanted to let you know that the Obama administration has created a new petition website where citizens can communicate with the White House on issues that matter to them. If a petition gets 5,000 signatures within a month of being posted, White House staff will review it, ensure it is sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue a formal response.

The petition, https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/support-ban-horse-slaughter/q30gJg1k, was posted on September 23, 2011 asking for the Administration’s support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which was recently introduced in the Senate, S. 1176, and the House, H.R. 2966. In order for the White House to respond, 5,000 signatures are needed By October 23, 2011.

Supporters of horse slaughter have also posted their own petition so it’s important that we speak up to protect our horses from this tortuous treatment by those who seek to profit from their misery. Thank you for taking action on their behalf.

Finally, if you haven’t signed up for AWI’s eAlerts, click here.

--

CHRISTOPHER J. HEYDE

Deputy Director, Government and Legal Affairs

ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE

900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

T: (202) 446-2142 ~ F: (202) 446-2131

www.awionline.org

www.compassionindex.org

The Animal Welfare Institute has been working to alleviate the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951.

Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.

Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

(Note from Brandi: This is from a forward from facebook.)

Thanks to Laura Allen for creating and posting the petition. Here is the link to the White House Petition. We only have 30 days to get 5,000 signatures. Please direct everyone to this petition. It doesn't do us any good to have a dozen petitions. If everyone goes to one petition we have a greater chance of reaching the required signatures in record time.

Short URL: http://wh.gov/gMq
Save and Share this URL: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/support-ban-horse-slaughter/q30gJg1k
Speaking of record time, even though the darkside had a two week lead on us, we have passed them on the Petiton2Congress petition! 5,296 vs. 5,260
http://www.petition2congress.com/5049/stop-slaughter-our-american-horses-pass-s1176/
Way to go! All of you are awesome.
Popvox has increased one point on the senate bill to 76%. Several more organizations have joined in support of the bill including Habitat for Horses and Veterinarians for Equine Welfare.
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/s1176
The House bill on Popvox is at 77% in favor.
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2966
Keep spreading the word.

We petition the Obama administration to:

Support a Ban on Horse Slaughter

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/support-ban-horse-slaughter/q30gJg1k

Fw: 2011 09.20 Updated Slaughter Stats & Legislative Activity

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Tue Sep 20, 2011 5:25 am (PDT)

Today's News
Here are the updated slaughter stats
By Year: http://equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/00-Slaughter_Statistics.pdf
By Week/Month: http://equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/00-Slaughter_Statistics-week-month_2011.pdf
Our thanks to Darrell Charlton, Jr. for providing the monthly numbers to us.
The legislative activity page on my site has been updated to include the new House bill, HR 2966.
http://www.vickitobin.com/Legislative_Activity.html
It was brought to our attention that an equine advocate on facebook was advising advocates to sign the PRO SLAUGHTER Petition2Congress but to comment against the petition. I don't know what this person was thinking because all that does is increase their numbers. If anyone knows of a way that a signee can remove their name from the petition, please let me know. I don't see anything on the site to contact anyone or a button to remove a name - unless it pops up after you add your info.
This is the correct petition that opposes horse slaughter. Although slaughter proponents had a good head start on us, the gap has narrowed to 680 signees that we are behind.
http://www.petition2congress.com/5049/stop-slaughter-our-american-horses-pass-s1176/
We are holding steady at 75% in favor of ending horse slaughter on Popvox.
FYI, AAEP has signed on as opposing the legislation.
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/s1176
The new house bill has been added so please log in and register your vote in favor of HR 2966.
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr2966
This is legislation was introduced by Brasso in WY to amend the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 that we oppose. Wallis has indorsed it so need we say more!
https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/s1129
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To view this press release online, please visit: http://www.awionline.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/48157/pid/200

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

House Moves to Protect American Horses Here and Abroad

American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 2966) Reintroduced

Washington, DC (September 19, 2011) – As Congress heads into their busy fall season, Representatives Dan Burton (R-IN) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), along with 55 bipartisan cosponsors have reintroduced H.R. 2966, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. The bill, similar to the one approved by a strong bipartisan vote in the House several years ago, would outlaw the slaughter of American horses here and—most urgently—would stop these horses from being exported for slaughter.

“I personally believe in the importance of treating all horses as humanely and respectfully as possible,” said Rep. Burton. “That being said, I look forward to working with Rep. Schakowsky to end the cruelty, after decades of effort to stop these practices.”

“The Animal Welfare Institute commends Reps. Burton, Schakowsky and their colleagues from both sides of the isle for their continued leadership and commitment to protecting America’s horses,” said Chris Heyde, the Institute’s deputy director of government and legal affairs. “They realize the cruel slaughter of horses must stop. It is certainly not fiscally responsible or humane to resurrect slaughter in the U.S. Doing so would require new federal regulations and increased bureaucracy while spending millions of taxpayer dollars—all in an attempt to ‘manage’ rather than simply outlaw the abuses perpetuated by this industry.”

Recently, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) issued a report assessing horse welfare since 2007 and the closure of the last three foreign-owned horse slaughter plants in the U.S. However, the GAO was not asked and did not consider the impact slaughter had on America’s horses while plants were operating in the U.S., or the impact should slaughter be restored—both vital to understanding the welfare implications. In the end, one of two recommendations was to ban slaughter in the U.S. and the export of horses for the same purposes—what the Animal Welfare Institute has said for years and the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act would do. Our elected officials should follow GAO’s recommendation that Congress “… consider instituting an explicit ban on the domestic slaughter of horses and exports of U.S. horses intended for slaughter in foreign countries.”

“I am proud to join Rep. Burton in supporting this bill to put a stop to the cruel practice of shipping horses abroad for slaughter,” said Rep. Schakowsky. “As a strong supporter of animal rights and a horse lover, I recognize the need to protect animals that aren’t able to protect themselves. Protecting animals ought to be a bipartisan issue and this bill is a strong step in the right direction.”

The Animal Welfare Institute is calling on all Americans to demand that Congress halt horse slaughter by passing H.R. 2966, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act immediately. For far too long, the few who profit from this cruel industry have been misleading Congress and the public, to the detriment of hundreds of thousands of horses. Since the Animal Welfare Institute began its national campaign to end horse slaughter in 2001, horse owners, veterinarians, agriculture organizations, equine rescues and the American public have all come together to help advocate for our horses. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act represents a critically important opportunity to safeguard American horses. The choice is clear. Rather than sanction cruelty, Congress must provide American horses permanent sanctuary from the slaughterhouse.

##30##

For More Information:
Chris Heyde, (202) 446-2142

ps. Please check out AWI’s Compassion Index at www.compassionindex.org to take action on the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act and other important issues.

--

CHRIS HEYDE

Deputy Director

Government and Legal Affairs

ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE

900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

T: (202) 446-2142 ~ F: (202) 446-2131

www.awionline.org ~ www.compassionindex.org

Facebook ~ Twitter

The Animal Welfare Institute has been alleviating the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951.

Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.

Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

Fw: 2011.09.19 Press Release | Irish Veterinary Paper

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:52 am (PDT)

Press Release
September 19, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
John Holland
540.268.5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org
Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org
Children at Risk from Slaughter of US Horses
Chicago (EWA) - As Senator Max Baucus and the horse slaughter lobby make a concentrated effort to persuade Congress to reverse the 2007 defunding of USDA horse slaughter inspections, evidence is growing that the main consumers of US horse meat are not likely to welcome the move.
An Irish Veterinary Journal white paper, released in December of 2010, has recently come to light. The paper gives an inside account of the EU (European Union) deliberations that are leading to tough new restrictions on drug residues in animals, including horses, intended for human consumption horses. The new EU regulations clearly define food animals and the risk to humans, particularly children, of ingesting horse meat containing banned substances.
Focusing on one such banned substance, phenylbutazone, the paper outlines the extreme dangers to children and warns veterinarians, "It is a statement of fact that if the European Commission on its audit of this country find evidence of bute use in animals not excluded from the food chain, then the product will immediately lose its license Europe-wide. If samples prove positive for phenylbutazone or its metabolite in equine meat of Irish origin, it will be traced back, and the prescribing veterinary practitioner will be in the firing line of prosecution."
The paper states "The difficulty with phenylbutazone is that it, or its metabolite, can cause aplastic anemia in children. If a child were to consume an animal-based product containing even the minutest amount of bute or its metabolite then the child may develop aplastic anemia."
Horses have always been shipped to Mexico and Canada for slaughter. The closing of the plants didn't save U.S. horses from slaughter as the industry began shipping all horses across the borders. Moreover, phenylbutazone is one of the most popular and effective drugs used in equine practice in the U.S.
In a 2010 paper in the Journal of Food and Chemical Toxicology, doctors Marini, Dodman and Blondeau found that all 18 of the race horses that the study tracked to slaughter had been given phenylbutazone. The study further explains that the drug can take up in injured tissues and be released back into the blood stream later as the tissue heals, and that there is no acceptable washout period for the drug.
Ignoring food safety laws, outspoken slaughter proponent Sue Wallis has declared on several occasions that she wants to feed US horse meat to children and prisoners in Wyoming, as well as the starving children in Africa. Wallis went so far as to sponsor a Wyoming law, HB0122, which would provide that seized animals be slaughtered for use in such state institutions.
European Regulations [(EU Comm Reg No 504/2008] require all horses in Europe to have a passport [tracking system]. All passports issued to horses over six months of age will automatically be excluded from the food chain as will horses with duplicate passports. By 2013, the EU has announced that all third countries, including the US, will have to meet the same traceability standards.
Both Canada and Mexico are instituting tracking programs based on RFID tagging technology in order to meet the new requirements. However, after years of resistance from ranchers and horse owners, the U.S. scrapped a similar program called NAIS (National Animal Identification System) in 2010.
It is a well known fact that horses in the US are not raised or regulated as food animals. The US has no mechanism to remove animals from the food chain that have received substances banned in food animals or any way to trace horses back to the owner(s) or veterinarians that allowed the animal to enter the food chain.
Congress must start taking food safety seriously and realize the risk to the U.S. for knowingly allowing unsafe food into the foreign markets. Horse slaughter in this country is not used for food production but as a dumping ground for owners that no longer want to be held accountable for their animals and breeders that continually produce excess horses that far exceed the demand for horses. These animals should never enter the food chain.
Equine Welfare Alliance calls on Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 [S 1176] to protect US horses and foreign consumers.
#
The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues-free 501c4, umbrella organization with 195 member organizations and hundreds of individual members worldwide. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids. www.equinewelfarealliance.org
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Fw: 2011.09.15 Breaking News from Texas and UT Update

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Thu Sep 15, 2011 4:45 pm (PDT)

Today's News
Kill Buyer, Trent Saulters [of Presidio fame], has fled and is being pursued by agents.
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/11486
Two Indictments in UT Mustang Kill Buyer case
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/11468
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September 12, 2011

Protect America’s Horses and Promote Responsible Government!
Please tell your Senators to Support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act

Dear Humanitarian:

Turn on the news and much of what you will hear from our elected officials in Washington, D.C. is “cut federal spending,” “stop wasteful federal programs,” or “decrease federal regulation.” For those truly interested in cutting waste, we have a winning issue: banning horse slaughter. Not only does the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 1176) help end the abuse of over 100,000 American horses being hauled to and slaughtered in Mexico and Canada for human consumption, but this bill would also eliminate a federal program while saving the American taxpayer millions of dollars a year.

Amazingly, however, while some in Congress talk about cuts, a few of the same politicians are quietly trying to restore a USDA program that was eliminated six years ago. At the time Congress shut this program down, it was costing taxpayers $5 million a year, almost exclusively for the benefit of foreign interests. Restoring it now would cost much more— and require an increase in federal bureaucracy to boot. It is time for the American people to stand up for horses while taking a stand against those in Congress working both sides of the issue when it comes to federal spending.

Contact your Senators TODAY in support of S. 1176, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. For more background on the issue and the legislation, please visit www.awionline.org/horseslaughter.

What You Can Do:

Call both of your Senators today and urge them to help end horse slaughter, while saving the American taxpayer millions of dollars a year, by cosponsoring S. 1176, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

To find your Senators’ contact information, please visit AWI’s Compassion Index. While there, you can also send them an email in support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

Remember, Paul Revere, a member of the original tea party, didn’t walk from town to town alerting the colonists that the British were coming, he rode a horse! Please help us to alert everyone that the time has come to end horse slaughter. Be sure to share this Dear Humanitarian eAlert with friends, family and coworkers, and encourage them to take action today!

Sincerely,

Chris

--

CHRIS HEYDE

Deputy Director

Government and Legal Affairs

ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE

900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

T: (202) 446-2142 ~ F: (202) 446-2131

www.awionline.org ~ www.compassionindex.org

Facebook ~ Twitter

The Animal Welfare Institute has been alleviating the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951.

Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.

Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

Another Step to Crack Down on Horse Slaughter Abuses

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Tue Sep 6, 2011 4:16 pm (PDT)
Wayne Pacelle: A Humane Nation
--
Another Step to Crack Down on Horse Slaughter Abuses
Posted: 06 Sep 2011 04:01 PM PDT
Last week, the Obama administration took action on a couple of HSUS priorities, offering the prospect of greater protection for captive chimpanzees in the United States and the promise that young puppies from foreign puppy mills will not be legally brought into our country for commercial resale. Tomorrow, in the third in a series of pro-animal actions announced within a week, the administration officially announces a final rule to tighten the ban on the use of double-deck trailers to transport American horses to slaughter, closing a gaping loophole in the humane horse transportation standards adopted by the agency in 1996.
The 1996 rule only barred the transportation of horses in double deckers if they were en route directly to slaughter plants. Haulers could evade the horse transport regulations, including the prohibition on double-deck trailers, for a long portion of the trip by moving the horses first to intermediary stops like a holding facility or other assembly point, a feedlot, or a stockyard before shipping them on the final leg of the trip to a slaughter plant in Canada or Mexico. In the rule to be published tomorrow in the Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Agriculture closes that loophole. The USDA states that “Double-deck trailers do not provide adequate headroom for adult equines, which may acquire cuts and abrasions on the tops of their heads. Because equines cannot stand in a normal position with their heads raised, they cannot maintain balance as easily and may suffer injuries from falling.”
Kathy Milani/The HSUS
It is another step in our effort to crack down on horse slaughter industry abuses. First, in 2007, we helped to close all the foreign-owned plants in the United States, putting an end to the slaughter of horses on American soil. Now we have the rule published tomorrow on inhumane transport. The third element–always central in our plans–must be to convince the Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 1176), which will, among other things, ban the long-distance transport and export of live American horses for slaughter in neighboring nations.
I am amazed at the incredible propaganda advanced by the horse slaughter industry and their allies in agribusiness and in Congress. They claim that the shut-down of U.S. plants a few years ago has created a glut of unwanted horses. But they fail to note that the same number of American horses are being slaughtered now as compared to five years ago–about 100,000. Now more are slaughtered in Canada and Mexico, but the overall numbers are the same. How would reviving domestic horse slaughter solve the problem of “unwanted horses” if the industry is still killing the same number of animals now as it did when the plants were operating in the U.S.? It makes no sense. No sane person would propose slaughtering dogs and cats for food as a humane solution to pet overpopulation, but that’s the same kind of pap the horse slaughter crowd is spreading on Capitol Hill.
Because horse slaughter plants still operate in North America, there’s a commercial incentive for disreputable people to discard horses, steal them, or otherwise gather them up often under false pretenses, and send them into the slaughter pipeline. Equine rescue groups line up at auctions to take in unwanted horses, but they are often outbid by the "killer buyers" who want to sell the animals' meat to foreign markets. If the commercial incentives were eliminated, then horse owners would have to either care for their horses, send them to a sanctuary or a rescue group, or have them euthanized–which eliminates the nasty, long-distance transport that so many tens of thousands of horses endure. Or if they decided just to abandon them, they would be prosecuted under state law for that recklessness.
It’s time for the horse slaughter proponents to stop spewing propaganda and to start to exhibit and promote some level of responsibility. If we have unwanted horses, let’s handle them in the most humane way possible. Does any serious-minded person really believe that the horse slaughter industry is interested in humane treatment–the same industry that has jammed horses into double-deckers for years, that has sanctioned stabbing as a method of slaughter in Mexico, and that obtains horses from owners under false pretenses at auctions throughout the nation and whisks them off to slaughter? Give me a break.
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Warrant Issued in Texas Horse Deaths

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=18689

Fw: 2011.08.18 Texas Horses Update 5

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:03 am (PDT)

Today's News
Just when you though it couldn't get any worse, there is a possible outbreak of strangles.
Possible Strangles Outbreak Reported at Presidio Horse Death Pens
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/10918
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Texas Prison Horses Returned to Custody of Slaughter Holding Pen as Sheriff Fails to File Cruelty Charges

http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/10778

State Investigator Confirms Wholesale Flouting of Coggins Documents

http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/10800

Fw: 2011.08.14 Update 4 on Texas Horses

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Sun Aug 14, 2011 1:36 pm (PDT)

Today's News
Horseback posted two pictures from Presidio and the latest information available.
In addition, he also posted the latest from Wallis. Instead of addressing the horrible abuse in Texas and how slaughter has caused it, Wallis instead has posted a video of how HSUS is causing the suffering of our horses and is taking away their freedom to own horses.
Please visit the site for details, to comment and for the links to their video/slide show.
Charges Not Filed in Texas Horse Pollution Case
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/10832
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Second restaurant in Toronto decided to STOP serving horse meat!

In light of Toronto Star article, La Palette puts a moratorium on selling horsemeat

http://www.postcity.com/Eat-Shop-Do/Eat/August-2011/In-light-of-Toronto-Star-article-La-Palette-puts-a-moratorium-on-selling-horsemeat/

From the article:

--

It’s no coincidence that La Palette put a moratorium on selling horsemeat on the same day that The Toronto Star published an in-depth investigation (http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1032379--shooting-horses-canada-s-slaughter-industry-under-fire ) into horse consumption in Canada. That article points out several gruesome details about the horsemeat industry.

Most disturbing, for Amlani, is the fact that unwanted horses from the U.S. — where consumption of horsemeat has been banned since 2007 — are apparently making their way to Canada, including the Richelieu meat plant in Quebec, La Palette’s former horsemeat supplier.

Amlani was under the impression that Richelieu used only horses raised specifically for human consumption; that they were raised ethically and with adherence to health regulations. The problem with U.S. horses, experts say, is that they weren’t raised with human consumption in mind — they’re potentially contaminated with drugs like phenylbutazone (PBZ), an anti-inflammatory.

“It’s a health regulation violation,” a professor of neurology told The Star. “We’re sending contaminated horse meat to the people eating it.”

(Note from Brandi: this is from a forward, so I don’t know anything more than what you see here.)

Deputy Broad sent to slaughter

This is the initial post:

Deputy Broad owned and trained by Danny Bird last raced at Mountaineer July 11, less than 48 hrs after running his last race where he placed dead last, Bird had arranged for this Florida bred 2005 son of Deputy Commander to be taken directly to Ohio kill buyer Fred Bauer. Bauer confirmed today the horse was sent to Richelieu in a load on Monday. Richelieu confirmed the load arrived on Tuesday...

It ended there and then new post came up a few minutes later:

I would like to thank Deb for posting the story of Deputy Broad. Also, Deb networked today in an attempt to uncover if Deputy was still alive. Yesterday, Deputy's former trainer contacted me because Deputy had run poorly in his last race on July 11th. Deputy's current trainer, Danny Bird, told my contact that he had gotten "rid" of him and he didn't deserve a home because he was nasty, mean and ornery. My contact said that he was a "doll baby" when she trained him. Bird actually admitted to me on the phone today that he handed Deputy off to someone who handed him off to Fred Bauer, the kill buyer here in Ohio. Deputy went direct to kill, not through an auction so he had little chance of being saved. When I asked Bird if he knew about the Mountaineer anti-slaughter policy, he said he didn't care and would "take care" of anyone who came after him. When I told him that he had broken the law, he promptly hung up on me.

Real nice. Another situation where a jerk is exploiting the animals. Mountaineer has committed to deny race priviledges to those in the industry who knowingly sell to slaughter. Contact them, mail, contact the W.Virginia Racing Commission. This guy needs to go. By the way, Danny, if your reading, come on and "take care of me". Looking forward to the meeting.

Texas Prison Horses Found in Waco

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Fri Jul 15, 2011 4:09 am (PDT)
WordPress.com
Update:Texas Prison Horses Found in Waco
R.T. Fitch | July 14, 2011 at 11:50 PM | Tags: American Quarter Horse, Auction, Cruelty to animals, Horse, Horse Slaughter, Prison, Steven Long, Texas, Texas Department of Criminal Justice | Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter | URL: http://wp.me/pyapj-36v
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – At least some of the horses once belonging to the State of Texas and in custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice have been found after being sold at auction. The TDCJ prison horses were located at a facility owned by a former Texas prison inmate and equine kill buyer whose wife confirmed that the horses were the same ones purchased Monday night at a Huntsville, Texas livestock auction. “We are not selling these horses for food,” said TDCJ chief spokeswoman Michelle Lyons. “They were sold at a public auction to the public.”
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Fw: 2011.07.11 The True Unintended Consequences

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Tue Jul 12, 2011 4:22 am (PDT)
A must read!
Editorial by John Holland and Vicki Tobin
http://equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/Unintended_Consequences.pdf
July 11, 2011
The True Unintended Consequences of Horse Slaughter
Over the years, we've written about the nonsensical arguments used by those in support of horse slaughter. We've scratched our heads and wondered why seemingly intelligent people would use the most illogical, ill conceived arguments and ridiculous euphemisms like "horse harvesting" to try to sway public opinion to embrace horse slaughter.
Time after time horse advocates have exposed the horrendous cruelty involved in the industry in ways that were completely indisputable. Yet, slaughter proponents steadfastly insist on calling the process "euthanasia" which of course means "good death", the very polar opposite of what the gruesome evidence shows.
Animal Agriculture organizations, from turkey growers to pork producers, have always been tacitly opposed to banning horse slaughter on the flimsy supposition that it would lead down a slippery slope toward the banning of all meat production.
Unlike slaughter supporters who throw out unsubstantiated statistics and comments, we are always under a microscope. We must have our facts, figures and sources straight before going to press. We have consistently had enough research and data to resink the Titanic but more often than not, we have been unable to break the stronghold on the press by our opponents.
That is until the drug issue came to light. We had warned of drug residues in US horses for years, but eventually food safety regulators in European Union (EU) came to realize that there was a huge hole in their system, and that thousands of contaminated horses were slipping into the EU. It took human food safety to finally provide an irrefutable reason why the slaughter of U.S. horses should be banned immediately.
Initially, all the propaganda and disinformation was about the innocuous preservation of horse slaughter for the large quantity breeders. The big support came from the American Quarter Horse Association, the largest breed registry with over 125,000 foals registered every year. The major driver of excess horses, or as our opponents have renamed them, "unwanted" horses, are the large breeders that produce hundreds of horses, sell a small portion and then cull the excess to slaughter. It is a never ending cycle that had to be protected and is a practice that is never addressed by slaughter proponents.
Then when the US horse slaughter plants were closed down the horse slaughter battle began to shift from a conflict within the horse community to a full-fledged proxy war with animal agriculture.
The first clue that slaughter supporters were switching strategies was the new argument that opponents of horse slaughter really wanted to bring down animal agriculture. Now, equine advocates were labeled PETA, and animal rights extremists, with some going as far as to call us "animal terrorists". No doubt, this was to garner support from food producers and ranchers to support a foreign meat business that had nothing to do with the horse industry.
Next, was the emergence of HumaneWatch, an organization frequently quoted by slaughter supporters, that is run by Rick Berman, dubbed Dr. Evil by 60 Minutes. Berman is a lobbyist and shill for corporations that oppose any type of animal welfare. Their sole purpose is to bash the Humane Society of the United States because of their successes in animal welfare for farm animals.
Finally, there was the "Summit of the Horse" meeting in Las Vegas earlier this year that featured a keynote speaker from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. The animal agriculture supporters of horse slaughter had been forced to come to the aid of their flailing allies on the horse slaughter front.
In a feckless attempt to throw up a smoke screen on the issue, the outspoken slaughter spokesperson, Sue Wallis, resorted to inventing her drug regulations and facts out of thin air. She declared phenylbutazone (bute) is safe in food animals after 30 days, ignoring that the FDA and European Union have banned bute in all food animals.
In the heat of the blog wars that followed, some ranchers attempted to bolster the Wallis argument by stating they often gave bute to their cattle! Their reasoning, to whatever degree reasoning might have existed, appeared to be that if food safety regulations are being flaunted by cattlemen, then these drug residues must be okay in horses.
Once the drug issues came to light, an unintended consequence emerged. Americans are becoming increasingly interested and suspicious about how their own meat is being produced. Some are asking why the EU bans our beef that is raised using growth enhancing steroids and/or antibiotics.
Perhaps this is the true "slippery slope" that the animal agriculture proponents were concerned about. Those who know how outrageously this safety issue has been covered up are now asking what might really be going on "behind the curtain" of our meat production.
Our issue has always been and remains solely horse slaughter but our opponents, in attempting to dismiss the drug issues in horses, now have taken this beyond horse owners. If the meat industry supporters of horse slaughter had any regard for food safety, why would they support the slaughter of an animal that is not raised or regulated in the U.S. as a food animal?
Slaughter proponents have not only backed themselves into a corner but have now painted themselves into that corner. They are stuck and the desperation is becoming quite humorous because it is they that brought food production into the mix. The disinformation in their slaughter handbooks has no answers on how to twist and spin food safety laws or explain why food producers support horse slaughter.
In light of all the push back from the European Union on U.S. horses, increased FDA authority and increased awareness on food safety, there should be no debate on whether or not horse slaughter should be banned.
A member of Equine Welfare Alliance and the food production industry, Diana Bodensteiner, stated it best, "Slaughter is food production. It is a serious, tightly regulated business. It is not the place we send unwanted cows, swine, sheep, and horses."
Today our horses are being slaughtered in Canada and Mexico, but there are plans in both countries to appease the EU by requiring horses to be electronically tracked from birth if they are to be slaughtered for human consumption. That will most probably be how American horses finally become protected against slaughter.
We now know the true unintended consequences of horse slaughter.
--

Equine Welfare Alliance is an umbrella organization representing 176 organizations and hundreds of individuals across the United States and 14 countries worldwide.The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids. www.equinewelfarealliance.org
Contacts: John Holland | 540.268.5693 | john@equinewelfarealliance.org
Vicki Tobin | 630.961.9292 | vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org
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Richard Cuoto and animal advocate recommended Beauty's haven to be on nbc. Theresa accepted and it aired last night I think locally in Naples on nbc. This is the gentleman I believe who set everything up and who did the camera work and just sent Theresa the link to view. So the link is below if anyone wants to view. I am going to post it everywhere on facebook.
Congratulations Theresa and Beauty's Haven
Teddi

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/15061679/2011/07/11/nbc2-investigators-takes-\
you-inside-illegal-horse-slaughter-farms

Dennis Chavez Slaughter Horse Feedlot, Los Lunas, NM

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:15 am (PDT)
Chavez ships close to 400 horses every month to slaughter in Mexico. Records also indicate that many of the horses in his shipments end up at the municipal slaughter plant in Juarez, which is not approved by the European Union and still uses the Puntilla knife.
Dennis Chavez Slaughter Horse Feedlot, Los Lunas, NM 5/26/11
www.animalsangels.org
Official website of Animals’ Angels USA, we work to prevent animal cruelty and to improve conditions for North American farm animals.

To view this release online, please visit: http://www.awionline.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/43147/pid/200
For Immediate Release
Senator Kirk Introduces Bill to End Inhumane Transport
of Horses on Double Deck Trailers
Washington, D.C. (June 28, 2011) – Late Monday night, Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced The Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2011 (S. 1281) to ban double deck trailer transportation of horses in the United States. Senator Kirk has worked to end the use of double deck transports for hauling horses since serving in the House of Representatives, following a horrific double deck trailer accident that took place in his state.
“Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is elated that Senator Kirk has chosen to reassert his strong commitment to the issue since his election to the Senate last year,” said Christine Sequenzia, federal policy advisor at AWI. “Humane horse transportation is one of our top priorities and we felt that committee passage of a standalone bill during the 111th Congress was an important step forward. We now look forward to seeing the Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2011 signed into law.”
Double deck livestock trailers on the road today were built to meet the specific design and engineering requirements of short-necked livestock species, like cattle, sheep, and swine. Unfortunately, a few irresponsible haulers have used these trailers against manufacturer intent to transport horses, leading to inhumane travel conditions for equines and unsafe roadways for drivers. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the National Agriculture Safety Database (NASD) have recommended ceiling heights no lower than 7’-8’ to transport horses safely, while average double deck trailer ceiling heights range from 4’7”-5‘11”. The U.S. Department of Transportation only requires bridges to have a vertical clearance of 14' in both rural and urban areas, making it impractical to build or modify a trailer large enough to transport equines on two levels.
“Besides being an inhumane way to transport horses, double-deck trailers pose a major safety threat to the drivers of the imbalanced, oversized vehicles, as well as to other motorists,” said Senator Kirk. “Unfortunately, crashes due to these factors have occurred, and the results of the accidents are devastating. Following an accident in 2007 in Wadsworth, Ill., authorities worked for five hours before they were able to free the horses from the wreckage.”
Today, most professional horse haulers believe double deck trailer transportation of horses has been banned. While there are a few state laws prohibiting the use of double deck trailers, there are no federal guidelines regarding the humane transport of horses, other than those going to slaughter. Even those are flawed; current USDA regulations banning double deck transportation only cover horses heading directly to a slaughterhouse. Horses bound anywhere else, or en route to a midpoint in their journey (such as an auction house or feedlot) legally may be hauled in a double deck trailer—notwithstanding the cruelty. The USDA has expressed a desire to strengthen regulations banning this inhumane practice, but has yet to take action on the matter.
The Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2011 (S.1281) is necessary to protect horses from being transported across the United States in a trailer having more than one level. To learn more about this issue or to write a letter to your Senator in support of S. 1281, please visit http://www.compassionindex.org/.
##30##
Media Contacts:
Christine Sequenzia, Animal Welfare Institute (202) 446-2140

GAO Study Wastes Time and Tax Dollars

Washington, D.C. (June 27, 2011) – After almost two years and tens of thousands of tax dollars, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released its report, HORSE WELFARE: Action Needed to Address Unintended Consequences from Cessation of Domestic Slaughter with two conflicting conclusions: restore horse slaughter or ban horse slaughter. Really?

The GAO was given the responsibility of assessing horse welfare from 2007 forward following the closure of the last three foreign-owned horse slaughter plants in the U.S. However, and vital to understanding horse welfare, the GAO was not asked to consider the impact slaughter had on America’s horses while plants were operating in the U.S. or what it would be like for the horses if restored. In the end, one of two contradictory recommendations was to ban slaughter in the U.S. and the export of horses for the same purposes (what the Animal Welfare Institute has said for years).

In addition to this being the best alternative for the horses, this will also virtually eliminate any regulatory burden whatsoever to the USDA. In this time of economic strife, it is ludicrous to expend taxpayer dollars to benefit a few foreign investors (whether the plants are located in the U.S. or abroad). The only way to stop the abuse inflicted on American horses by the slaughter industry is for Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, banning horse slaughter domestically and prohibiting the export of horses to Mexico and Canada.

To offer the option of restoring horse slaughter in the U.S. as the other recommendation ignores the cruelty inflicted on American horses’ right under the nose of the grossly underfunded and highly inadequate USDA inspection capabilities. There is ample documentation from the USDA, private investigations and the first hand observations by AWI staff, substantiating the inhumane treatment of horses at plants when they were operating in the U.S., and there is documentation of the inhumane treatment of horses at plants that are operating outside the U.S. First and foremost, it should be acknowledged that slaughter is not a form of humane euthanasia as claimed by horse slaughter advocates.   Second, though the report touched on neglect and abuse of horses, all this does is introduce a separate horse welfare issue with no substantiated relevance to slaughter. Everyone agrees that neglect and abuse of horses is horrendous, however, it is happening irrespective of the horse slaughter issue and needs to be addressed—as the separate welfare issue it is.

The Animal Welfare Institute urges Congress to swiftly pass the S. 1176, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, sponsored by Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). To do otherwise will only perpetuate animal abuse.

##30##

For More Information:

Chris Heyde, 202-446-2142

--

CHRIS HEYDE

Deputy Director

Government and Legal Affairs

ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE

900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

www.awionline.org ~ www.compassionindex.org

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The Animal Welfare Institute has been working to alleviate the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951.

Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.

Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

Slaughter ban sending horses across borders

GAO says policy has led to ‘unintended consequences’

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/23/slaughter-ban-sending-horses-across-borders/#.TgXvHxamoh4.facebook

Full Report on transport of horses to Mexico Slaughter Plant. Must Read

http://animalsangels.org/images/stories/pdf/texas%20slaughter%20horse%20export%20investigations%202010-2011.pdf

Act Now to Stop American Horses from Being Slaughtered in the U.S. and Abroad!

Contact Your Senator Today!

On June 9, 2011, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reintroduced S. 1176, the "American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011" that would end the slaughter of American horses here and - most urgently - would stop these horses from being exported for slaughter. The sponsors, who have long championed the cause, have bipartisan support from 16 colleagues who are co-sponsoring the bill. This bill is identical to the version that passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee in 2009.

Click here (http://capwiz.com/compassionindex/issues/alert/?alertid=50698776) to send an email to you Senators urging them to support this important bill.

Thanks for your continued commitment to America’s horses!

Best, Chris

--

CHRIS HEYDE

Deputy Director

Government and Legal Affairs

ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE

900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

www.awionline.org ~ www.compassionindex.org

Facebook ~ Twitter

The Animal Welfare Institute has been working to alleviate the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951.

Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.

Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

Amendment to Restore Horse Slaughter not Considered by Full House

Earlier today on the House floor, Representative Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) offered an amendment to strike the prohibition on fee-for-service in the defund language. This would have allowed for slaughterhouses to pay the USDA for part of their inspections and resume operation. She claimed people should be able to pay for their own inspections and it wouldn’t cost taxpayers anything. Of course, that isn’t true. Individuals wouldn’t be paying for these inspections, the foreign owned plants would. Furthermore, even a fee-for-service program costs federal tax dollars. The slaughterhouses would only pay a small portion of the USDA inspector’s salary. The taxpayer would pay most of their salary, benefits, training etc…. As horse welfare champion Representative Jim Moran noted in his speech in opposition to the amendment on the floor, it would also pull critical inspectors away from our own food safety oversight. Fee-for-service is basically another taxpayer subsidy for corporations.

After debate on her amendment was concluded, Representative Lummis withdrew it from consideration and the House moved on to the next item on the agenda. We can be assured horse slaughter proponents are not going away on this issue. Their arguments persist and have become very emotional therefore horse owners and those concerned about the welfare of America’s horses must continue to contact their legislators in support of a permanent ban on horse slaughter.

Thankfully, Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) and Representative Dan Burton (R-IN) were on the floor to talk about overwhelming support for the full ban. AWI commends them for their continued leadership on this important issue.

To view this eAlert online, please visit: http://goo.gl/98skh

Sincerely,

Chris Heyde

Deputy Director, Government and Legal Affairs

Animal Welfare Institute

www.awionline.org

Fw: 2011.06.12 Wallis aims, fires and shoots herself in the foot, ag

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Sun Jun 12, 2011 4:13 pm (PDT)

Today's News
Please see the latest reply to our comments on the EU report article. She's citing an old report on European horses claiming we are saying it reflects drugs but that's not the report we are citing. The report we are using is the recent report that Animals' Angels passed on that reflects data through December 2010 indicating drug residues and falsified paperwork on US horses. Why on earth would we use a report on European horses? Duh!
Horseback has it posted as a separate article.
Horsemeat Group Feels Heat, Fires Back at Critics
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/9404
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Logo copyright Lissa Brooks & Joan Dillon

June 13, 2011

URGENT eALERT: Calls Needed TODAY in Support of Keeping Federal Government out of Horse Slaughter Business!

Dear Humanitarian,

This week, the House of Representatives will decide whether or not to save taxpayer dollars and protect horses from slaughter for human consumption.

On May 30^th, the House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to the FY2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill that prevents your tax dollars from being used to fund inspections of horse slaughter facilities. This bipartisan language has been included in every Agriculture Appropriations bill since 2005. Without this important provision, foreign investors will be able to reestablish horse slaughter in the U.S. at the expense of taxpayers, our own food safety, and the welfare of horses.

At a time when Congress is dramatically cutting back federal spending and eliminating wasteful federal programs, it is disappointing that some in Congress want to allow the reestablishment of a taxpayer-subsidized federal program that existed solely to support foreign-owned horse slaughter facilities that inflicted tremendous suffering on American horses.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

The full House of Representatives will vote on the FY12 Agriculture Appropriations bill this Wednesday, June 15. An amendment may be offered to remove the Committee-approved language prohibiting the USDA from spending your tax dollars to inspect horse slaughter facilities. Maintaining the USDA language defunding inspections of horse slaughter facilities as currently included is vital to protecting our horses. It is critical that you call TODAY and urge your legislator to strongly OPPOSE ANY amendment to restore horse slaughter.

There is time to have your voices heard, but you must act immediately; your Representative must hear from you (see additional information below and visit www.awionline.org/horseslaughter). The majority of legislators have supported previous efforts to end horse slaughter and you can see how your Representative has stood on the issue by visiting AWI’s Compassion index. If your Representative has supported a ban on horse slaughter, mention that when you call and urge him/her to stand strong and oppose any effort to restore horse slaughter.

Because of the urgency, AWI recommends you call your Representative starting today! You can call the main Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative’s office or you can visit AWI's Compassion Index to find his/her record and direct number.

Please call your Representative immediately, urging opposition to any attempt to restore horse slaughter. Be sure to share this eAlert and ask friends, family, and coworkers to do the same. As always, thank you for your continued and critical support on this important issue.

Sincerely,

Chris Heyde

Deputy Director, Government and Legal Affairs

Animal Welfare Institute

www.awionline.org

Agriculture Appropriations:

Retain Language Defunding Federal Inspection of Horse Meat and Horses for Slaughter

-On the FY2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, Representatives John Sweeney (R-NY), Spratt (D-SC) and Whitfield (R-KY) offered an amendment to eliminate federal funding for the inspection of horsemeat – required by federal law – for horses being slaughtered for human consumption. This amendment passed 269-158. The Senate overwhelmingly approved a similar amendment in the Senate sponsored by the late Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Senator John Ensign (R-NV).

- Funding federal inspection of horse slaughter plants is fiscally irresponsible. Only foreign corporations, which deal in horsemeat for consumption by wealthy foreign gourmands overseas, would benefit from federal inspection of horse slaughter plants. Funding these inspections will only benefit foreign markets - at the expense of American taxpayers - and will add to the size of the federal deficit. Precious federal dollars should be conserved and put to better use by funding worthy domestic programs, including those programs that ensure the safety of food that is consumed in our country.

-Inspecting horse slaughter facilities is a federal responsibility. Horse slaughter is a federally regulated industry. Opponents claim that slaughtering horses for human consumption is a states’ rights issue. The slaughtering of any animal for human consumption in the U.S. is a federally regulated process. This is the same for beef, hogs or other livestock (Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 603); Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 1901). In addition, since horses sent to slaughter come from all 50 states, and horsemeat is not consumed in the U.S., it must be hauled across state lines and the over the U.S. border. Prior to the closure of the horse slaughter plants in the U.S., very few of the horses slaughtered in a state actually came from that state. Further, if federally-funded inspections were to begin, none of the meat would be consumed in the state where a horse was slaughtered, as we do not consume horsemeat in this country. Lastly, if a horse slaughter plant were to open in the U.S., the plant would slaughter horses transported across state lines, including horses from states strongly opposed to horse slaughter. A state should have the “right” to protect its own horses from slaughter.

-Live horses benefit the U.S. economy. The horse industry (racing, showing, eventing, etc.) bring billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. While selling a 5-year-old horse to slaughter might bring $50 to a killer buyer, and more to the foreign investor, keeping that horse alive and in the local economy will bring far greater return for years to come in income and job growth.

-Horses sent to slaughter are healthy and robust, not “unwanted.” The USDA estimates that 92.3 percent of the horses being sent to slaughter are healthy and can continue to be productive animals – they are not old or infirm.

-American horsemeat poses a serious risk to human health. Horses in the U.S. are not raised as food animals, so while their flesh may be considered a delicacy by foreign gourmands, it poses serious risks to human health. According to a recent Food and Chemical Toxicology report, substances routinely given to American horses cause dangerous adverse effects in humans. If federally funded inspections were to begin, not only would taxpayer dollars be needed to inspect these facilities, but additional funding would be required to enforce transport regulations and increased food safety testing as required by new European Union mandates.

-Horse slaughter for human consumption is a cruel process and one that should not be practiced here in the U.S. Americans do not eat horsemeat. Over 70 percent of the country believes that this is a cruel and unnecessary practice.

-Approximately 100,000 American horses are exported to slaughter each year. There are 9 million horses in the U.S. Of the 900,000 horses that die annually, approximately 100,000 are sent to Mexico and Canada for slaughter for human consumption by foreign gourmands. Despite claims made by horse slaughterhouse lobbyists, each year the same number of American horses are slaughtered that were slaughtered when U.S. based plants were in operation. Our horses are simply being hauled to a location outside of the U.S. for slaughter for human consumption. The closure of the horse slaughter plants in the U.S. have not led to an increase in “unwanted” horses, as the same number of horses are being slaughtered now that were prior to the closure of the plants in the U.S.

-Slaughter is not humane euthanasia. The average cost to humanely euthanize a horse by a licensed veterinarian is $225, roughly the same cost that it takes to feed and shelter a horse for one month. Properly euthanizing a horse is not cost-prohibitive and is what the vast majority of Americans choose to do with their horses at the end of their lives.
-This language must be retained. This defund language has prevented horse slaughter plants in the U.S. from operating, and any new facilities from opening, which is why it is crucial in eliminating this cruel practice in the U.S. This defund language has been included in every Agriculture Appropriations bill since FY06. Americans taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for this unnecessary practice now, or ever.

Senate Reintroduces Bill to Permanently Ban Horse Slaughter

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Washington, D.C. -- A bill to ban horse slaughter was reintroduced in the United States Senate today. Sponsored by Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the "American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011" will end the slaughter of American horses here and, most urgently, will stop these horses from being exported abroad for slaughter. The sponsors, who have long championed the cause, have the bipartisan support of 14 colleagues who are co-sponsoring the bill.

"As a lifelong horse lover and rider, this practice is appalling to me, and more importantly, the majority of Americans oppose it. We raise and train horses to trust us, perform for us, and allow us on their backs, and as such, they deserve to be treated with human compassion. When horse owners are faced with the sad reality of having to put their animals down, it should be by humane euthanasia," said Senator Landrieu. "I intend to work with Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina and my other colleagues to get this bill passed and permanently end the slaughter of our American horses."

The legislation comes at a time when horse slaughter no longer occurs on U.S. soil, but each year approximately 100,000 American horses are hauled to Canada, Mexico and beyond. Reports show that horses regularly travel for hundreds or even thousands of miles to the slaughterhouses on double-deck cattle trucks without food, water or rest. At some Mexican slaughterhouses horses are stabbed repeatedly in the spine until they are paralyzed, after which they are butchered while still fully conscious. This country’s three remaining horse slaughter plants - two in Texas and one in Illinois - were shut down in 2007 under state law.

"The slaughter of horses is not a substitute for humane euthanasia though it is often mischaracterized as such by opponents who are more concerned with wringing a few bucks from a suffering animal than doing what is right," said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs for the Animal Welfare Institute. "AWI commends Senator Landrieu and Senator Graham for their continued leadership and for reintroducing this very important measure."

For years, the pro-slaughter camp has led a concerted and disingenuous effort to resurrect the industry domestically and has used scare tactics in an attempt to defeat the federal ban. The federal legislation is desperately needed to stop the slaughter of American horses, irrespective of where the killing takes place.

##30##

Media Contact:
Chris Heyde, (202) 446-2142, chris@awionline.org

CHRIS HEYDE

Deputy Director

Government and Legal Affairs

ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE

900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE

Washington, DC 20003

T: (202) 446-2142 ~ F: (202) 446-2131

www.awionline.org ~ www.compassionindex.org

Facebook ~ Twitter

The Animal Welfare Institute has been working to alleviate the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951.

Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org.
P Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

The High Price of Horse Slaughter | Animal Law Coalition

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Tue Jun 7, 2011 1:15 pm (PDT)
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1813

Drug residues in meat revealed in European report

June 7, 2011

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2011/06/059.shtml

AWI Press Release: House Appropriations Committee Approves Amendment Blocking Tax Dollars from Being Used to Continue Horse Slaughter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
House Appropriations Committee Approves Amendment Blocking Tax Dollars from Being Used to Continue Horse Slaughter
Washington, D.C. (May 31, 2011) -- In yet another resounding victory for America's horses, the House Appropriations Committee voted in favor of language sponsored by Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) prohibiting the U.S. Department of Agriculture from spending tax dollars on inspecting horse slaughter facilities. The language, originally passed into law back in 2005, has halted horse slaughter operations for years, but for some reason, was not included in the current Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations bill approved by the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee late last week.
"The Animal Welfare Institute commends Representative Jim Moran for his introduction of the amendment restoring this important language before the full Committee," said Chris Heyde, deputy director of government and legal affairs for AWI. "Representative Moran and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) spoke strongly about the need for this amendment while pointing out now is not the time to start spending tax dollars to prop up a foreign owned and driven industry that prays on the suffering of American horses."
While the amendment was approved by the House Appropriations Committee, AWI will remain vigilant to ensure horse slaughter proponents do not try other tactics to have it removed as the bill makes its way to the full House for a vote or even in the Senate when the time comes.
##30##
For more information:
Chris Heyde, 202-446-2142

Non graphic anti horse slaughter video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbwLPmxu6cc&feature=channel_video_title

Please use this to help us educate the public.

can you help us spread this most important call in day for our horses?

Thank you Jen.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=204038679639305

May 30, 2011
URGENT eALERT: Calls Needed TUESDAY in Support of Amendment Keeping Federal Government out of Horse Slaughter Business!
Dear Humanitarian,
Late last week the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee approved the FY2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill. The language defunding the required USDA inspections of horse slaughter facilities was not included for the first time since 2005, despite strong bipartisan support in Congress. This first step, if successful, may allow foreign investors the opportunity to reestablish horse slaughter in the US.
At a time when Congress is dramatically cutting back federal spending and eliminating wasteful federal programs, it is disturbing that some in Congress would allow for the reestablishment of a taxpayer subsidized federal program that existed solely to support foreign owned horse slaughter facilities that inflicted tremendous suffering on American horses.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
The full House Appropriations Committee will be voting on the FY12 Agriculture Appropriations bill this Tuesday afternoon. An amendment will be offered to restore the prohibition on putting USDA inspectors in horse slaughter facilities. Restoring this USDA defund language is important, and it is critical that you call and urge your legislator to support the amendment.
There is time to have your voices heard, but you must act immediately. If your Representative is on the House Appropriations Committee (see list below), they need to hear from you. These members have supported a ban on horse slaughter so you should remind them of their previous support and urge them to vote in favor of the amendment. Please give them a call first thing Tuesday morning and urge friends, family and coworkers to do the same.
You can call the main Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-2131 and ask to be connected to your Representatives office or you can visit AWI's Compassion Index http://capwiz.com/compassionindex/dbq/vote_info to find their direct number.
Harold D. Rogers, KY C.W. Bill Young, FL
Jerry Lewis, CA Frank Wolf, VA
Rodney Frelinghuysen, NJ Robert B. Aderholt, AL
Ander Crenshaw, FL Rodney Alexander, LA
Ken Calvert, CA Steve LaTourette, OH
Mario Diaz-Balart, FL Charles Dent, PA
Norm Dicks, WA Marcy Kaptur, OH
Pete Visclosky, IN Nita Lowey, NY
Jose Serrano, NY Rosa DeLauro, CT
Jim Moran, VA John Olver, MA
Davis Price, NC Maurice Hinchey, NY
Lucille Roybal-Allard, CA Sam Farr, CA
Jesse Jackson, IL Chaka Fattah, PA
Steve Rothman, NJ Barbara Lee, Ca
Adam Schiff, CA Betty McCollum, MN
Agriculture Appropriations:
Retain Language Defunding Federal Inspection of Horse Meat and Horses for Slaughter for Human Consumption
• On the FY2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, Representatives John Sweeney (R-NY), Spratt (D-SC) and Whitfield (R-KY) offered an amendment to eliminate federal funding for the inspection of horsemeat – required by federal law – for horses being slaughtered for human consumption. This amendment passed 269-158. The Senate overwhelmingly approved a similar amendment in the Senate sponsored by the late Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Senator John Ensign (R-NV).
• Funding federal inspection of horse slaughter plants is fiscally irresponsible. Only foreign corporations, which deal in horsemeat for consumption by wealthy foreign gourmands overseas, would benefit from federal inspection of horse slaughter plants. Funding these inspections will only benefit foreign markets - at the expense of American taxpayers - and will add to the size of the federal deficit. Precious federal dollars should be conserved and put to better use by funding worthy domestic programs, including those programs that ensure the safety of food that is consumed in our country.
• Inspecting horse slaughter facilities is a federal responsibility. Horse slaughter is a federally regulated industry. Opponents claim that slaughtering horses for human consumption is a states’ rights issue. The slaughtering of any animal for human consumption in the U.S. is a federally regulated process. This is the same for beef, hogs or other livestock (Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 603); Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 1901). In addition, since horses sent to slaughter come from all 50 states, and horsemeat is not consumed in the U.S., it must be hauled across state lines and the over the U.S. border. Prior to the closure of the horse slaughter plants in the U.S., very few of the horses slaughtered in a state actually came from that state. Further, if federally-funded inspections were to begin, none of the meat would be consumed in the state where a horse was slaughtered, as we do not consume horsemeat in this country. Lastly, if a horse slaughter plant were to open in the U.S., the plant would slaughter horses transported across state lines, including horses from states strongly opposed to horse slaughter. A state should have the “right” to protect its own horses from slaughter.
• Live horses benefit the U.S. economy. The horse industry (racing, showing, eventing, etc.) bring billions of dollars to the U.S. economy each year. While selling a 5-year-old horse to slaughter might bring $50 to a killer buyer, and more to the foreign investor, keeping that horse alive and in the local economy will bring far greater return for years to come in income and job growth.
• Horses sent to slaughter are healthy and robust, not “unwanted.” The USDA estimates that 92.3 percent of the horses being sent to slaughter are healthy and can continue to be productive animals – they are not old or infirm.
• American horsemeat poses a serious risk to human health. Horses in the U.S. are not raised as food animals, so while their flesh may be considered a delicacy by foreign gourmands, it poses serious risks to human health. According to a recent Food and Chemical Toxicology report, substances routinely given to American horses cause dangerous adverse effects in humans. If federally funded inspections were to begin, not only would taxpayer dollars be needed to inspect these facilities, but additional funding would be required to enforce transport regulations and increased food safety testing as required by new European Union mandates.
• Horse slaughter for human consumption is a cruel process and one that should not be practiced here in the U.S. Americans do not eat horsemeat. Over 70 percent of the country believes that this is a cruel and unnecessary practice.
• Approximately 100,000 American horses are exported to slaughter each year. There are 9 million horses in the U.S. Of the 900,000 horses that die annually, approximately 100,000 are sent to Mexico and Canada for slaughter for human consumption by foreign gourmands. Despite claims made by horse slaughterhouse lobbyists, each year the same number of American horses are slaughtered that were slaughtered when U.S. based plants were in operation. Our horses are simply being hauled to a location outside of the U.S. for slaughter for human consumption. The closure of the horse slaughter plants in the U.S. have not led to an increase in “unwanted” horses, as the same number of horses are being slaughtered now that were prior to the closure of the plants in the U.S.
• Slaughter is not humane euthanasia. The average cost to humanely euthanize a horse by a licensed veterinarian is $225, roughly the same cost that it takes to feed and shelter a horse for one month. Properly euthanizing a horse is not cost-prohibitive and is what the vast majority of Americans choose to do with their horses at the end of their lives.
• This language must be retained. This defund language has prevented horse slaughter plants in the U.S. from operating, and any new facilities from opening, which is why it is crucial in eliminating this cruel practice in the U.S. This defund language has been included in every Agriculture Appropriations bill since FY06. Americans taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for this unnecessary practice now, or ever.
Thanks for your help. Be sure to share this eAlert with friends, family and coworkers and encourage them to contact their legislator as well.
Sincerely,
Chris Heyde
--
CHRISTOPHER J. HEYDE
Deputy Director, Government and Legal Affairs
ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE
900 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20003
www.awionline.org
www.compassionindex.org
The Animal Welfare Institute has been working to alleviate the suffering inflicted on animals by humans since 1951.
Please join us in our work to protect animals – visit our website to find out more and to sign up for AWI eAlerts: www.awionline.org
P Please consider the animals and their habitat before printing.

Horse slaughter dream could be financial nightmare | Horsetalk - International horse news

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2009/05/097.shtml?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4dd4186bd18968d9%2C1

Animal Recovery Mission | A.R.M.

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Fri May 6, 2011 9:37 am (PDT)
http://animalrecoverymission.org:80/

from Bangor Maine Daily News

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Fri May 6, 2011 9:57 am (PDT)
from Bangor Maine Daily News
http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/04/29/politics/state-house/opposition-brings-proposed-horse-slaughter-ban-to-halt/
AUGUSTA, Maine - A bill proposing a ban on selling and transporting horses for slaughter was withdrawn by its sponsor Friday. Hundreds of people had been expected to testify both for and against the measure at a public hearing originally scheduled for next Tuesday.
Rep. Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls, said he will resubmit the bill next winter. "This will now give me time to create a cleaner bill," he said, referring to his wanting to remove language that didn't reflect the measure's original goal.
LD 1075 would have prevented Mainers from selling horses for slaughter. It also would have outlawed the transport of horses from meat auctions in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania through Maine to Quebec slaughterhouses.
The original bill also proposed the registration of horses for export, a registry of ownership for purposes of export, a penalty of $5,000 for failing to register, and the reclassification of horses from livestock to companion animals.
Knight said all of the registration provisions will be removed from the next bill. He said they were unacceptable to many in the equine industry.
"I must have received more than 300 angry emails and calls," he said Friday.
Opponents of the ban, which include many horse breeders, feel they need the option available to them to dispose humanely of livestock, similar to how cows and pigs are handled, while proponents - such as Maine Friends of Animals, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the U.S. Humane Society - feel that horses are pets and should not be considered for human consumption.
"This is a very, very emotional issue," Donald Marean, a former member of the Legislature and a trustee with the Maine Harness Horsemen's Association, said Friday. The association objected to the bill, saying that slaughter is a viable solution for horse disposal, particularly for aging horses.
"Which is more abhorrent," Marean said, "humane slaughter or horses dying by inches for a year or two or three?"
One of the ban's most ardent supporters is Robert Fisk of Maine Friends of Animals, the organization that brought the bill to Knight to sponsor.
Fisk said the bill is necessary to prevent the slaughter of thousands of horses.
The meat from horses is used for human consumption and food for pets and zoo animals. Currently, no slaughterhouses in the U.S. process horses. All have been handled in either Mexico or Quebec since 2005, when the U.S. government withdrew funding for federal horse meat inspections. The nation's last three horse slaughterhouses - all in Texas and Illinois - were effectively shut down.
Fisk estimates that between 1,000 and 1,500 horses are taken from Maine to slaughter each year. Marean said that number is grossly exaggerated and that fewer than 300 horses head to Quebec each year.
"To most horse owners in Maine, horses are pets or beloved companions," Fisk said. "And unlike cows, goats and chickens, horses are not bred for human consumption. Maine should not be complicit in the slaughter process. It is a horrific event."
Dr. Timothy Powers is a large- and small-animal veterinarian in Pittsfield, a horse racer and owner of horses.
He is often called on to euthanize a horse or provide information about slaughter sales.
"No one looks forward to it but there is no alternative plan," he said Friday. "For many people, selling to the market is the only economical choice."
Euthanizing a horse can cost more than $500 after adding the cost of an excavator to bury the animal and the veterinarian's bill.
Between now and winter, opponents and supporters of the slaughter ban are expected to work on a compromise measure to introduce.
Fisk said that if a compromise is not reached the ban bill will be reintroduced in January 2012.
"The issue of horse slaughter for human consumption stirs emotions on both sides, but if we are both interested in the welfare of the animal we should be able to find some common ground in addressing horses in Maine that are abused, neglected and inhumanely treated," he said.
Fisk said that while the bill is being recrafted, Maine Friends of Animals will continue to work on private solutions which include finding new homes for unwanted horses, promoting euthanasia for ill or feeble animals, and decreasing the birth rate of horses.
"We believe efforts should be made to assist rescues, help owners in caring for their horses, and to in general increase the ability to rehome unwanted horses," Fisk said. He said that euthanasia clinics and composting facilities could be expanded and that the friends group is working on options.
By Sharon Kiley Mack, BDN Staff
Posted April 29, 2011, at 1:28 p.m.

To view this release online, please visit: http://www.awionline.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/40326/pid/200

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 5, 2011

Bonnie-Jill Laflin, NBA's First Female Scout, Joins Animal Welfare Institute

in Full Court Press to End Horse Slaughter

(Washington, DC) – The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to welcome television sports personality and NBA insider Bonnie-Jill Laflin to AWI’s campaign to end horse slaughter. Bonnie-Jill—a member of the LA Lakers front office and the NBA’s first and only female scout—has been

actively involved in the horse community her entire life. She will help AWI expand its efforts to educate the American public and Members of Congress about the continuing cruelty of horse slaughter.

”It is hard to fathom that we still permit the slaughter of American horses,” said Bonnie-Jill. “Horses are powerful and intelligent, and a symbol of American freedom and spirit—they deserve more respect. I’m anxious to partner with AWI to build support for protecting these graceful and amazing athletes.”

AWI began the national campaign to end horse slaughter in 2001, after witnessing the abuse of horses collected by killer-buyers at a livestock auction in Pennsylvania. Over the past decade, AWI has documented inhumane conditions at horse slaughter facilities and during horse transport throughout the U.S. and across the border. Although horse slaughter plants—operating in the U.S. as recently as 2007—are dormant for now, the same numbers of American horses are being slaughtered. Sadly, the only thing that has changed is the location of the slaughterhouses—now across the border in Canada and Mexico.

“We are extremely grateful to have Bonnie-Jill join us on this campaign,” said Chris Heyde, AWI’s deputy director of government and legal affairs. “As a knowledgeable horsewoman and management team member for one of the nation’s elite sports franchises, Bonnie-Jill can help us reach out to a whole new audience to shed light on this shameful practice.”

With Bonnie-Jill on board, AWI will redouble our efforts to expose the horse slaughter industry and remind the public and Members of Congress that horse slaughter has not been banned in the U.S., and American horses are still being killed. Those profiting from the brutal practice continue to hide abuse and spread misinformation, but with Bonnie-Jill’s help, we can help take horse slaughter out of the game.

##30##

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Chris Heyde, (202) 446-2142

European Commission Food & Veterinary Office releases report about their visit of Mexican Horse Slaughter Plants and US Export Pens – effective traceability of drug residues questionable

Read more here: http://www.animalsangels.org/about-us/news.html

Fw: 2011.04.18 Conference Announcement

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:36 am (PDT)

International Equine Conference
Ann Marini, Equine Welfare Alliance and Animal Law Coalition are pleased to announce the first International Conference on Equine Welfare, a two part symposium to discuss issues related to (1) America's Wild Horses and Burros and (2) Slaughter: the Equine Welfare, Human Health and Environmental Implications. The conference has been in the planning stages since early 2010 and is now scheduled to take place...
When: September 26, 27 & 28, 2011
Where: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS)
4301 Jones Bridge Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Additional conference details will be provided as plans are finalized. The agenda, along with the speakers will be released over the next couple of weeks. The speakers are selected based upon their scientific background and/or expertise in relevant topic areas such as stress, food safety, human health, equine health, ecology, law, training and other disciplines impacting equines. We encourage you to attend to hear the facts from the experts and engage in constructive dialog.
Please add iec@equinewelfarealliance.org to your address books as future messages relating to the conference will be sent from the conference email address. We ask that you use iec@equinewelfarealliance.org for all conference related correspondence.
You can also follow conference activities on our facebook page here - http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Equine-Conference/200233270007336?sk=wall
We are looking forward to a productive conference and finally meeting everyone face-to-face!

Fw: [New post] Elected Wyoming Politician Takes Horse Eating to the

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Sat Apr 16, 2011 5:30 am (PDT)

WordPress.com A must read!!
Elected Wyoming Politician Takes Horse Eating to the Public
R.T. Fitch | April 16, 2011 at 5:47 AM | Tags: Cruelty to animals, Dave Duquette, fraud, Horse, Horse Meat, Horse Slaughter, Lack of Ethics, Law Suit, perversion, Sue Wallis, United Horsemen, Wyoming | Categories: Horse News, Horse Slaughter | URL: http://wp.me/pyapj-2QD
Just when you thought that it couldn’t get any more twisted or perverse Wyoming Rep. Sue Wallis rushes in waving a butcher cleaver and BBQ tongs while salivating over her new cookbook on how to prepare horses to EAT.
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Wyoming slaughter plant may not be constructed

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:40 am (PDT)
John Holland
Please visit the site for the full article and to comment.
http://www.theprairiestar.com/news/regional/wyoming-slaughter-plant-may-not-be-constructed/article_6990ef26-62e7-11e0-a4b5-001cc4c03286.html
Wyoming slaughter plant may not be constructed
By TERRI ADAMS The Prairie Star The Prairie Star
With all the on-going talk about building a horse slaughter facility in Wyoming, John Holland is concerned that people understand the legal concerns of such a venture. Holland is president and CEO of Equine Welfare Alliance.
"We've been following slaughter plants here in the U.S. and Canada for years," he said.
He and his volunteer team of lawyers, accountants, doctors and other professionals are up-to-date on legal issues surrounding horse slaughter plants.
In fact, legal issues shut down the U.S. horse plants in Texas and Illinois.
The Texas plants were closed because of a long overlooked 1949 law that said it was illegal to sell or transport horsemeat anywhere in Texas.
The Illinois plant, a brand-new state-of-the-art facility, was closed by a new state law in Illinois banning the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
The Kaufman Texas plant and the Illinois plant were also in danger of being closed down because of repeated sanitation and pollution violations.
At almost the same time, Congress withdrew funding for required federal inspectors in horse meat plants.
Without them, the meat cannot be exported out of the state for human consumption.
"In order to open a horse slaughter plant you have to be able to legally dispose of every product and byproduct that comes out of that plant; and you have to have adequate revenues to pay back the cost of the plant and its operation," he said.
That includes disposing of more than just horsemeat. Plants must also be able to properly dispose of the bones, teeth, hooves, hides, blood, entrails and manure.
Drugs used to treat horses for a variety of ailments from worms and parasites, to injuries and infections, are having negative consequences even after the animal is slaughtered.
Because many of these drugs stay in the horse's system, the meat and byproducts cannot be used., he said. Those that can be used often cannot be shipped.
Holland said in order to ship horsemeat out of Wyoming, the proposed plant must meet federal standards and maintain federal inspectors on the kill floor and out in the yard.
By law, these inspectors must be paid by the federal government, and that funding has been terminated. In 2007, the USDA temporarily allowed the plants to pay for their own inspections, but the courts ruled that was illegal.
Proponents of the Wyoming slaughter plant say they will simply use all the horsemeat produced by the plant inside state lines, either........
trueCOWBOY Magazine
There are several good articles in the new April issue, including an article from Laura Leigh, James Kleinert on his new film, Willie Nelson and a report from RT Fitch.
This is a direct link to the magazine.
http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1rt1u/trueCOWBOYmagazineth/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl
If it doesn't work (constant contact adds scripting to links in the emails so sometimes, they don't work) go to the website,
http://www.truecowboymagazine.com/ and click on the magazine cover

Lets give this kid the truth about horse slaughter.

From: Taylor Stillman
Sent: Monday, April 11, 2011 10:47 PM
To:
Subject: Brief horse slaughter survey; your opinion is valuable

I am a high school student in Georgia, and in my English class, I am researching horse slaughter. I would very much appreciate your responses to my survey. I know that your time is valuable; therefore, I've designed the survey to be extremely brief. Thank you for your time and for sharing your opinions.
My survey link:http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5LM3MWM

PLEASE SEND EMAILS TO MEXICAN OFFICIALS AND ASK THEM TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE THE MERCADO DE SAN BERNABE IN Almoloya de Juárez, State of Mexico, Country of Mexico.
http://thepersianhorse.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/the-most-cruel-equine-slaughter-in-the-world-send-emails-now/
Authorities, while having total law enforcement faculties, and all the proof required to permanently close the place (via images in different media), have done nothing about it.
SAN BERNABE IS THE LARGEST ILLEGAL UNREGULATED LIVESTOCK MARKET IN MEXICO. It makes a mockery of humanity and is one of the most shameful examples of animal brutality and ill health in Mexico. The San Bernabe market has existed for over 60 years. Origin of horses at the San Bernabe market – Estado de Mexico, Chihuahua, Michoacan and the United States.
Seen for sale on site are donkeys, horses, mules, dogs and wildlife, whose origins are uncertain and many are visibly sick, arrive and depart transported in sadistic and deplorable conditions with exposed fractures, bleeding open wounds and ulcers. Others are hung with ropes, when they no longer have the strength to stand upright. These suffering “animal waste” are kept alive just because a kilo of live meat costs twice that of a dead one. If an animal finally ends its agony and dies it is cut open right there and its vescera is extracted and thrown on the ground in the middle of the market.
PLEASE SEND EMAILS NOW. TELL MEXICAN OFFICIALS TO CLOSE SAN BERNABE MERCADO IN ALMOLOYA DE JUAREZ IMMEDIATELY, AND THAT YOU WILL BE BOYCOTTING ALL PRODUCTS AND TRAVEL TO MEXICO UNTIL THIS ATROCITY HAS ENDED.
http://thepersianhorse.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/the-most-cruel-equine-slaughter-in-the-world-send-emails-now/

WFLF Humanion Films
Los Angeles, CA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2010
Now see the powerful review PSA from the premiere screening of “Saving America’s Horses – A Nation Betrayed”!
The premiere screening was a success and the film was well received by members of the industry in attendance. Audience members were interviewed by WFLF's Compassionate Animal TV at the after party for their comments and reviews which have been produced into a special PSA to help promote this ground breaking film on behalf of the horses.
Watch the review PSA on the Website! Watch the review PSA on YouTube! Watch it below!
Supporters are requested to help get the word out in support of this film by telling their friends. Please forward this information along with a link to the promo clip or even embed the clip straight into your email for others to see. (Use the code blow)
How to Help:
Donations are essential to bring this film to the public eye. The film is being produced on donations and in order to move forward significant funds are needed. Various levels of giving are available. Producer and Sponsorship opportunities are still open and people can also donate online or through the mail. Tell your friends about the film! Please help us to save the horses. We are their voice and they need to be heard.
What’s Next:
The film screens next at the International Wildlife Film Festival in Montana May 7th and 10th, 2011. Production will showcase the film through select festivals in the US and abroad as various levels of distribution such as theatrical release, television broadcast and DVD release are developed and considered.
Quotes:
“A masterpiece and an amazing example of expose`.” -Michael Bailey, Producer/ Director Planetviews Productions, Environmentalist
“A well made, shocking, controversial documentary that blows the lid off the abysmal horse slaughter industry in America.” - Harrison Held Star Media
“The film is a tour-de-force of technical filmmaking and covers an impressive scope of issues associated with horses." -Craig C. Downer, Wildlife Ecologist
"Saving America's Horses is the mouthpiece of the horse."-Morgan Griffith, San Diego, CA
About the Film:
"Saving America's Horses A Nation Betrayed is about a journey of courage, honor and betrayal in a country divided; inspiring great hope for compassion and protection of all horses and burros from cruelty. The film features appearances by Paul Sorvino, Michael Blake, Tippi Hedren, Linda Gray, Chief Arvol Looking Horses, Ken Wahl, The Barbi Twins, Willie, Amy & Raelyn Nelson, Jennifer Lee Pryor and more!
Include this code to embed the Review PSA:
<object width="425" height="349"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DWoeX6j1VAg?fs=1&amp%3Bhl=en_US&amp%3Brel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DWoeX6j1VAg?fs=1&amp%3Bhl=en_US&amp%3Brel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349"></embed></object>
Visit www.savingamericashorses.org to learn more!

Proponents for Horse Slaughter

http://www.savingamericashorses.org/Slaughter_Proponents_WFLF_Resource.pdf

Nebraska bill renews debate over killing horses for food

By Jed Portman

March 28, 2011

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/economy/nebraska-bill-renews-debate-over-killing-horses-for-food/8179/

CHDC Important Spring 2011 Alert

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Sun Mar 27, 2011 3:09 pm (PDT)
Canadian Horse Defence Coalition Newsletter
March 2011
We do this for them
We believe that horses are a companion animal and, as such, should never be in the slaughter pipeline.
Quick Links...
CHDC Home
Our blog
CHDC on Facebook
Dear Fellow Horse Advocate,
CHDC Important Spring Update
Spring Election
As a result of the Canadian federal election this spring, Bill C-544 has died and another anti-slaughter bill will have to be re-introduced in the next session. The fantastic petitioning effort by many people brought the number of petitions tabled in Parliament to 62. Petitions that have been sent are on record, and any future petitions will have to mention an Act based on the principles of Bill C-544. The CHDC will amend our on-line petition and post it shortly.
During this campaign season please advise your local candidates about your opposition to the slaughter of horses and live export of them for their meat. Ask if they would support such legislation, and provide information if they are unaware. For reference, here is Bill C-544 as it was presented:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4633655&Language=e&Mode=1
Thinking About Animals Conference - March 31-April 1
Brock University , St. Catharines , ON
This two-day conference will explore a variety of issues concerning the current and historical situation of nonhuman animals and interactions with humans. The CHDC's Twyla Francois will be speaking on March 31st on Exposing the Rhetoric of the Canadian Livestock Industry through Investigative Case Studies, and Shelley Grainger will speak on April 1st on The Changing Landscape of Canada's Horse Slaughter Industry.
Registrations are still available at:
http://www.brocku.ca/social-sciences/undergraduate-programs/sociology/thinking-about-animals
Norval Meats Permanent Closure and Memorial
Norval Meats, Ontario 's last horse slaughter plant, has recently been removed from the list of federally inspected plants. In February 2010 a suspicious fire closed the facility, but only until this month has its name been removed and its closure become official.
When the CHDC had a memorial at Saskatchewan 's closed Natural Valley plant, the response was overwhelming. We want to do the same for the horses that perished at Norval Meats. During the week of April 4th, we plan to gather at the plant in Proton Station to lay flowers, poems and tributes, and ask anyone who'd like to participate by submitting their tributes and prayers to us, and we'll place them there on your behalf. People are welcome to join us, so anyone who'd like to attend, please let us know. Submissions deadline is April 3rd to info@defendhorsescanada.org.
Ground-breaking Initiative in B.C. to Save Wild Horses
The CHDC is pleased to report on a B.C. rescue project that involved salvaging numerous wild horses from eventual slaughter. Not only did these individual lives escape Canada 's brutal equine slaughter industry, but Critteraid (the organization behind the rescue) convinced the B.C. Ministry of Natural Resource Operations that humane alternatives can be found if only everyone can work together. This from Critteraid's website: "Minister (Steve) Thomson has directed that the two horses be handed over to Critteraid without any costs attached. Thomson has also directed Ministry staff to review current legislation to help find a long term solution to save any future feral horses from going to slaughter when rounded up":
http://www.critteraid.org/equus.htm.
More wild horses have since been rescued under "Project Equus", and Critteraid is further looking at birth control management for the wild herds of B.C. Donations are urgently required for training, hay, farrier and other expenses incurred during this huge project (please click on link above to donate). Kudos to Critteraid and amazing horse rescuer Theresa Nolet for paving the way to a brighter future for B.C. horses!
Equine Awareness Week - May 15-21
The CHDC will be promoting Equine Awareness Week on-line during the 3rd week in May and asking supporters to participate in daily campaigns and action alerts - right from the comfort of their desks! Activities will include:
· Awareness of the risks of taking your horse to auction. Names and dates of upcoming auctions will be provided for those wishing to save a horse.
· Promote books and art - writers and artists please contact us to have your name and website included.
· Awareness of the European Commission directive and Canada 's planned actions to comply with the EC's import requirements for horsemeat. Names of Canadian and European stakeholders will be provided for supporters to contact.
· Bring awareness to the issues facing wild horses horses in Canada and the people who are working to protect them.
· Target stores and restaurants that sell horsemeat. Locations will be provided - let them know how you feel!
· Promote horse rescuers and horse welfare initiative programs.
More to follow soon.
For the horses,
Canadian Horse Defence Coalition
info@defendhorsescanada.org
www.defendhorsescanada.org
www.canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com
Canadian Horse Defence Coalition | P.O. Box 26097 | Westbank | BC | V4T 2G3 | Canada

Texas Vets Support Slaughter

Link to the story is below this quote from the article.

"In Jourdanton, doctors at Chaparral Veterinary Center said the problem with malnourished horses has increased because of the bad economy, but that there is another problem.

"We have seen more horses that have either been abandoned or neglected," said Dr. John Clader, a veterinarian at the center.

Clader said the economy is only part of the reason.

He and Dr. Jason Trial said horse owners have no way to dispose of aging, unwanted horses, since Congress made slaughterhouses illegal four years ago.

"It's worse now because now we have horses starving to death. Now we have abandoned horses. Now we have horses that are literally left tied up to somebody's gate with a note: 'I can't keep him anymore, please take him,'" Clader said.

So instead of making some money selling aging horses for slaughter, owners are faced with paying a minimum of $1,400 a year for care or $75 to $100 to put them to sleep.

"What do you do with 1,200 pounds of dead horse?" Clader said. He said a well-intentioned Congress may have created misery for horses across the country.

http://www.ksat.com/news/27297732/detail.html#

Articles relating to the Nebraska Bill on horse slaughter by Senator Larson (LB 305):

http://journalstar.com/news/unicameral/article_5e4075de-9c26-5609-8e78-3cd61d47c4aa.html

This is the newest update in the North Platte Newspaper on LB305 in Nebraska. Please leave comments. http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/03/18/news/40001561.txt

Arabian Horse Association - Slaughter Issue

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:37 pm (PDT)
Greetings,
This is an update on our ongoing effort to convince the Arabian Horse Association to reject their previous endorsement US horse slaughter, and adopt a "neutral" position instead;
As some of you may know, our Motion to Rescind their endorsement was presented at the Convention last November but was withdrawn on a "technicality."
The BOD of the Arabian Horse Association will be convening for their next meeting in May. The following motion has been submitted, and is on the agenda for a vote:
Whereas, the Arabian Horse Association has individual members both supporting and opposing a federal legislative ban on horse slaughter, and
Whereas, the American Horse Council has adopted a neutral position in recognition of their member organizations and individuals who hold opposing views,
Therefore, Be It Moved that the Arabian Horse Association hold no official position regarding the reestablishment of equine slaughter facilities in the United States.
Unfortunately there are several BOD members who feel it is their right to use the Arabian Horse Association as their own personal platform for promoting the reestablishment of US horse slaughter. They have made it clear they will not support this motion.
We are asking members of the AHA to please contact their Regional Directors, as well as President Lance Walters, and urge them to pass this motion establishing a "neutral" position on the issue of horse slaughter.
It is important they hear from the membership regarding this...
Thank You-
Kathleen Gregory, AHAMS
Arabian Horse Association Mission Supporters
Below is the contact information for the 2011 Board of Directors.
2011 Board of Directors
Executive Board
PRESIDENT -
LANCE WALTERS
lance.walters@arabianhorses.org
--
VICE PRESIDENT -
DALE HARVILL
DNHarvill@aol.com
--
VICE PRESIDENT AT-LARGE -
TERRY ANDREASEN
terryandreasen@hotmail.com
--
VICE PRESIDENT AT-LARGE -
SUSAN MEYER
meyer4133@earthlink.net
--
TREASURER -
DAVID B CORNING
Dave_Corning@msn.com
--
SECRETARY -
JAN DECKER
jandecker1@sbcglobal.net
--
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT -
MYRON KRAUSE
myronkrause@gmail.com
--
Regional Directors
Region 1 Director -
NANCY HARVEY
nharvey440@aol.com
--
Region 2 Director -
JEFFREY S REICHMAN
j.terijef@verizon.net
--
Region 3 Director -
STEVEN FREEMAN
sfreeman@pcoastp.com
--
Region 4 Director -
PEGGY R WEEMS
weems@att.net
--
Region 5 Director -
PHYLLIS A RYAN
felictyfrm@aol.com
--
Region 6 Director -
CECILE K HETZEL DUNN
cecileponies@centurylink.net
--
Region 7 Director -
G L LOLLIE AMES
lollieames@yahoo.com
--
Region 8 Director -
CYNTHIA M RICHARDSON
cynrich213@aol.com
--
Region 9 Director -
PATRICIA BARTON
patbarton1@msn.com
--
Region 10 Director -
LAURA C MICKELSON
lauramickelson@aol.com
--
Region 11 Director -
aboneill@msn.com
--
Region 12 Director -
ERIC L WOLFE
wolfearabs@aol.com
--
Region 13 Director -
CATHERINE M GAGE
cgage@imcpl.org
--
Region 14 Director -
FRANK GADDIE
ifgaddie@aol.com
--
Region 15 Director -
GARY HOOGHKIRK
ArabsR4U2@msn.com
--
Region 16 Director -
WALTER J MISCO
wjmstonepost@aol.com
--
Region 17 Director -
TERRY JOHNSON
west-star@shaw.ca
--
Region 18 Director -
DAN CROSS
mdcross@bmts.com
--
Directors At Large
DIRECTOR AT-LARGE -
HAMPTON L JOHNSTON
hampjohnston@gulftel.com
--
DIRECTOR AT-LARGE -
DAVID GARRETT
david@garretttraining.com
--
DIRECTOR AT-LARGE -
RICHARD REED
dick@toskhara.com
--
DIRECTOR AT-LARGE -
RUSS TAYLOR
rt.russtaylor@gmail.com

I had a opinion letter printed in the North Platte Newspaper. Senator Larson (the sponsor for the horse slaughter bill in NE) wouldn’t answer my questions in any form (emails, facebook posts, etc). He wouldn’t even send a note saying he received my email. So I asked my questions in the letter and it was posted this weekend! http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/03/10/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/60008233.txtf. I wish they would have given me more than 250 words, but it got some of the issues I have with the new bill being considered here in Nebraska to the public.

porkNetwork - 'Til death do us part - Latest

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:58 am (PST)
Please leave your comments.
Marge
http://www.porknetwork.com/pork-news/latest/Til-death-do-us-part.html#comments?submitted=y

Fw: 2011.02.18 - Debate Update - Links have changed

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:48 am (PST)

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
The Paper moved the articles...
The articles have been moved from editorials to debate so the links have changed. Here are the new links.
John:
http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/02/18/horse_sense/debate/40001438.txt
Stenholm:
http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/02/18/horse_sense/debate/40001439.txt
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The Horse | Nebraska Horse Processing Bill Advances

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:00 pm (PST)
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=17811

Dear Friends,
it is very important and would be so much appreciated if you could help us spread the word on this most important film set to launch March 2011.
Our horses will finally get their voice and we want as many american citizens as we can get to witness what will be said.
Please see the article below and forward this to all of your friends, family members and coworkers.
Thanks for all you do for our horses.
Americans Against Horse Slaughter
---
Long Awaited Film, “Saving America’s Horses” to Launch in March
By Steve Long
HOUSTON, (Horseback) – America is days away from the long awaited March premier of Saving America’s Horses, A Nation Betrayed in Los Angeles. The movie is by educator and documentary filmmaker Katia Louise, and Humanion Films, a project of Wild for Life Foundation.
“The film is geared to pique the interest of a wide demographic, across multiple cultures and continents, so we are anticipating that it will run for quite some time and hopefully mark the end of an inhumane era for America’s horses and perhaps the beginning in a shift in cultural values,” she toldHorseback Magazine
Please log on here for the rest of the article: http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/6679

Act now to support a Massachusetts ban on slaughter!

Posted by: "Kathryn" ma4horses@gmail.com autumnsmoke7

Sun Jan 30, 2011 7:58 am (PST)

Are you a Massachusetts resident, or know someone who is? Pls check out (and forward) info on a bill now on Beacon Hill banning horse slaughter for human consumption and related bulk transport. This bill has until
FEBRUARY 4th to gain cosponsors for it!
See bill text at
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1519
Help now:
1. Find your state Rep and Senator here:
http://www.malegislature.gov/People/FindMyLegislator
2. Call their offices and ask them both to support and cosponsor SD 228 by Senator Stephen Brewer, a state bill banning horse slaughter for human consumption (and related bulk transport) in Massachusetts.
3. Politely remind your Rep/Senator that you are a constituent of theirs, and ask them to contact Brewer's staffer Alicia G. Bandy to sign on as a cosponsor promptly. Alicia is Deputy Chief of Staff & Legislative Director for the Office of bill sponsor Senator Stephen Brewer (617) 722-1540, fax (617) 722-1078
Alicia.Bandy@masenate.gov (Alicia.Bandy @ masenate.gov)
And thanks too for forwarding this to all of your Massachusetts friends.
Our horses need everyone's help!
Thanks!
Kathryn Webers
Massachusetts State Coordinator, Americans Against Horse Slaughter
http://www.americanhorsemeat.com/Home.php
http://massachusettsbloggingupdates.blogspot.com/
http://www.americansagainsthorseslaughter.com/

I was checking in on the results of the horse slaughter poll in the North Platte newspaper. Fortunately the votes against slaughter are still ahead. Unfortunately there is an opinion letter that could use some polite comments. The author believes that having her older horse slaughtered was the humane thing to do and that his meat went to dog food.   It is stories like this that show that we still have a great need for education on what slaughter is really like for the horses and where the meat goes. The letter is located at the following link: http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/01/28/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/60007957.txt .

Fourth article from the North Platte newspaper on the horse slaughter bill introduced in Nebraska.

http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/01/19/news/60007896.txt

FYI, a journalist is taking a poll about whether or not horse slaughter should be allowed in the US. The website is

http://renotahoe.about.com/b/   Scroll a little more than halfway down the page to find it.

Horse processing plants may reemerge

| Friday, January 14, 2011 9:12 AM CST

Editor's note: This is the first of a three-part series on the horse processing plant industry. Watch for the Saturday and Sunday editions of the Telegraph for more on this issue.

By Heather Johnson

The North Platte Telegraph

Horse processing plants could make a comeback. On Wednesday, Nebraska Sen. Tyson Larson introduced a bill (LB 305) that, if passed, would create a state meat inspection program that could pave the way for the revival of an industry thought to be dead.

Read more here: http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2011/01/14/news/40001275.txt

More on Ontario petitioners

This was also posted on U Tube Sept. 29, 2010.

Mr John Rafferty (Thunder Bay -RainyRiverNDP):

"Mr. speaker I have the honour to present a petition signed by petitioners in Thunder Bay-Rainy River, like Joyce Redden, and petitioners from right across this country who are calling upon the house of Commons to bring forward and adopt into legistlation Bill C-544, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and Meat Inspection Act, thus prohibiting the importation of exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption, as well as horse meat products for human consumption."

I would appreciate seeing this also added onto your site.

kind regards

Joyce Redden

Thunder Bay

I should have pointed out that this is more news from Canada ...:)

There is a Viable Alternative to Equine Slaughter

White Paper on Eliminating Equine Slaughter

http://missyshopeerr.freehostia.com/wpehs.htm

This is a poll on eating horsemeat. Please go vote.

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/01/05/lunchtime-poll-making-a-meal-of-mustang/?hpt=C2

Sue Wallis Assaults Writer/Horse Trainer at SlaughterFest « Strai

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Wed Jan 5, 2011 4:58 pm (PST)
Sue Wallis Assaults Writer/Horse Trainer at SlaughterFest
http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/audio-post-6/

Fw: 12.31.10 Press Release | Wallis tries to disqualify Pickens' Flo

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Fri Dec 31, 2010 5:31 pm (PST)
----- Original Message -----
From: Equine Welfare Alliance
To: redmm97@cox.net
Sent: Friday, December 31, 2010 8:00 PM
Subject: 12.31.10 Press Release | Wallis tries to disqualify Pickens' Float
Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
For Immediate Release
December 31, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
John Holland
540-268-5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org
Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org
Horse Slaughter Proponents attack Rose Parade Mustang Float
Chicago (EWA) - Sue Wallis, Executive Director of United Organizations of the Horse (UOH) and organizer of an upcoming meeting of horse slaughter proponents in Las Vegas has launched an eleventh hour attack on not just horses, but floats showing horses.
Wallis, in a letter posted on her summit blog, announced a press release from an obscure member group called the National Tribal Horse Coalition. The organization, originally the Northwest Tribal Horse Coalition, was renamed when it joined UOH in May of 2009. The press release claims the float "is an abuse of the reputation of the North American Indian" because a Native American is included on the float looking over the mustangs.
The float, sponsored by Madeleine Pickens, mustang advocate and wife of oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens, depicts the beauty of these American icons. Wallis, who believes mustangs are feral pests, has long advocated their slaughter.
The bizarre attack comes in the wake of an ethics complaint filed against Wallis by Wyoming resident Patricia Fazio, PhD. The complaint alleges Wallis has improperly used her position as a Wyoming state legislator and violated securities regulations by advertising an "investment opportunity" in a non-existent company. And there have been other revelations about Wallis' dealings.
Temple Grandin, who gained fame as the designer of more humane methods of cattle slaughter, was being touted by Wallis as the designer of a horse slaughter plant in Wyoming. The plant was to be operated by the nonexistent company Unified Equine (a corporate shell has since been created).
This week Dr. Grandin informed Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) that she has demanded Wallis quit using her name, and that she had designed no such plant. Other revelations about the Wallis horse slaughter summit have continued to surface, including the fact that several of the prominent organizations listed as sponsors were not.
EWA President John Holland said in a statement about the attack "I cannot imagine Wallis thinking this is a good idea. Sometimes people lose perspective, like when she announced a boycott of Willie Nelson and other celebrities because of their support for equine welfare."
This latest attack appears to be equally feckless. Pasadena Rose Parade officials were contacted for comment but only provide official statements for the sponsors. They did indicate they were unaware of any issues surrounding Ms. Pickens' float and that the parade would be held as planned.
Madeleine Pickens could not be reached for comment.
#
The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 125 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids. www.equinewelfarealliance.org
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Fw: 12.30.10 Editorial | Horse Summit comes under Friendly Fire

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Thu Dec 30, 2010 1:39 pm (PST)

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here
John Holland Editorial
For Immediate Release
December 30, 2010
Horse Summit comes under Friendly Fire
We have all shot ourselves in the foot, but seldom does an entire organization take up automatic weapons and form itself into a firing squad for that purpose. Such is the case with the organizers and sponsors of the upcoming Summit of the Horse to be held the first week of January in Las Vegas.
In fact, one has to use the term "sponsors" carefully because quite a few of those listed as sponsors on the event's web page were not even aware of their lofty status until struck by painful ricochets from the summit firing squad.
The list of "sponsors" has dwindled as these organizations have become aware of their listing and requested their names be removed. Even the renowned slaughter plant designer, Temple Grandin, has informed Equine Welfare Alliance that she has instructed Ms. Wallis to stop using her name.
In an interview with Horseback Magazine, Dr. Grandin said "They kind of were misrepresenting my involvement." When I read this, I thought "Welcome to Wallis World."
Sue Wallis, one of the event's chief organizers, claims the summit is aimed at finding solutions to the problem of excess horses. Her sidekick Dave Duquette, being a professional horse breeder, believes he is in a unique position to know the reason for this overpopulation; clearly it is a lack of horse slaughter!
Although over 100,000 American horses are exported to Canada and Mexico every year for slaughter, Wallis and Duquette think that is insufficient. Typical of Wallis' wild claims in this regard was an "Action Alert" on April 30th of 2010 announcing that at least 500,000 direct and indirect jobs had been lost as a result of the closing of the US plants. Ignoring the economy, Wallis blamed everything from low horse prices to high neglect rates on the closings. She left out only rain rot.
But due to the shift over the borders, the closings had actually affected only about 150 slaughter house workers at the three plants in the US. The same kill buyers are still buying the same number of horses at the same auctions and for roughly the same prices as before the closings.
These are facts that anyone can verify by simply going to USDA and other web sites. In Wallis World, however, facts lose their conventional rigidity and become remarkably malleable or even ethereal in nature. So when the lineup of summit speakers was announced, it was no surprise that it consisted largely of cattlemen, auctioneers and breeders.
While the eclectic roster touched every link in the chain that turns a horse into toxic steaks, not surprisingly it contained no speakers who disagree with horse slaughter as a solution, no mention of the drug residue issue and virtually no true rescue organizations.
Yet despite this promising start, things almost immediately began to go wrong. First there was the ethics complaint launched by Patricia Fazio, PhD of Wyoming. It alleged Wallis had misused her position as a state legislator and had engaged in improper or even fraudulent activities including illegal promotion of securities for an organization that did not exist. Each charge was accompanied by documentation.
Among these activities was the sale of raffle tickets for a truck drawing in November of 2009. In a recent interview with Northwest Horse Source, Wallis was asked if it was true that she had informed ticket holders that she had not sold enough tickets to actually buy the truck and asking whether it might be OK for her to just keep the proceeds as donations.
Wallis, apparently believing that a promise to finally provide the truck at the upcoming summit was tantamount to never having made these pleas, categorically proclaimed the charge false.
Unfortunately, a categorical denial is not well advised when your original message is still bouncing around in cyberspace. Were she a more significant figure, the statement might have become as famous as "I am not a crook" and "I did not have sex with that woman."
Interestingly, the company supplying the truck is yet another "sponsor" whose name has disappeared off the sponsor list. And the lucky winner might not want to count on driving the truck home since it will only be a "stand-in".
Wallis and Duquette have responded to these disclosures with ever more inflammatory rhetoric, calling those who disagree with their idea of promoting horse slaughter "animal rights terrorists". Indeed, a presentation by Dennis Foster will address how to handle such "terrorists", and for hands-on experience, Foster will be backed up by Trent Loos, a self confessed stalker.
Although Wallis had announced that all sides were welcome to the table (if not to actually speak), that has apparently changed. One slaughter opponent, who had decided to attend the summit rather than protest it, was rewarded with the following exchange.
First, Brogan Horton attempted to register through "Friends of Equines" an organization that had already paid a $500 membership fee. Brogan paid the applicable $100 fee but was informed by a Krissa Welshans that her membership in Friends of Equines was invalid because she was also a member of The Animal Rescue Unit which was not a member. Therefore she would have to pay an additional $400. When she asked about a refund, she was told it could not be made until after the summit.
Krissa then informed Brogan that "someone who breaks laws" is not allowed to attend. Apparently, to make an exception the person must be a speaker or the Master of Ceremonies. Trent Loos, the summit's Master of Ceremonies, for example, is a convicted cattle felon and presenter Dave Cattoor plead down to a lesser charge in an alleged conspiracy to use his helicopter to steal mustangs.
Brogan, on the other hand, confessed that she had never even had a traffic ticket, apparently disqualifying her. In the end, Brogan was sent the following message from United Horseman's President Dave Duquette;
"We have ALL the parties we need and as your Youth shows, there are many more than just two in this. You are not part of the rational Anti slaughter side so when you grow up a little and get some real life experience maybe you will join with a group that is, but then you wouldn't be the "Star" anymore."
One can only marvel that in a single paragraph, Dave Duquette expressed not only his flickering intellect, but the true nature of his organization and its summit. Only in Wallis World could a young woman who had passed Secret Service screening twice and met with a sitting president be deemed to be too dangerous to attend a blood fest run by such a rogue's gallery.
Brogan Horton (left) meeting with President Bush in 2006.
Meanwhile, on the summit, the firing squad shows no signs of running out of ammunition.
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Equine Welfare Alliance is an umbrella organization representing over 125 organizations and hundreds of individuals across the United States and several countries worldwide.
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CHICAGO - Wyoming resident, Patricia Fazio, Ph.D. has filed a complaint with state officials, requesting an investigation of alleged violations of ethics laws and securities fraud by Wyoming State Rep. Sue Wallis (R-Campbell).
Animal Law Coalition (ALC), Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and Habitat for Horses Advisory Council (HfHAC) applaud Dr. Fazio and join in the call for authorities to investigate Wallis' activities.
The complaint alleges Rep. Wallis is improperly and even fraudulently abusing her position as a Wyoming legislator. The complaint further alleges that Rep. Wallis not only neglected to recuse herself or disclose her personal financial interest in votes, but that she has actually "sponsored" bills that would materially benefit her or her family.
Wallis has publicly claimed to be forming a business under the name, Unified Equine LLC, which she says will slaughter horses and sell the meat within Wyoming. At the same time, in her capacity as a legislator, she is promoting legislation that would deregulate, promote and favor horse slaughter operations.
Wallis published a web page enticing people to invest in Unified Equine LLC which turned out to be a non-existent entity for months. Also according to the Complaint, the apparent solicitation for investors may have violated other federal and state securities laws.
For the entire press release, please go here: http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1486

Taking a STAND for the horses in Las Vegas

by Brogan Horton on Saturday, December 4, 2010

As many of you have heard, January 3rd-6th will be a sad day for horses.

There is a conference in Las Vegas at the South Point Casino called The Summit of the Horse Conference. This conference is a meeting of the biggest pro-slaughter heads in the country. The event organizer is Sue

Wallis, the very same Sue Wallis who thinks that horses, domestic and wild alike, should be slaughtered and be fed to our children in schools and colleges. They are going to discuss, "How to deal with UNWANTED feral horses", "How to restore slaughter in the USA" and " How to deal with unwanted and abandoned horses".... a few guest speakers include:

-The BLM's Chief Bob Abbey

-Dave Catoor- Sue Wallis- Wyoming

-Ike Sankey – Joliet, Montana

-Sankey Pro Rodeo – PRCA stock contractor

-Larry Johnson, Nevada Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife and former member of

BLM Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Committee

-Arlen Washines, Yakama Nations

-Frank Bowman, Illinois Horse Council

-Katherine Minthorn Good Luck, Umatilla, Inter tribal AgricultureCouncil & Northwest Tribal Horse Coalition

-Jason Smith, Warm Springs Tribe

-Tim Amlaw, American Humane

-Temple Grandin & Mark Deesing from Grandin Livestock Systems

-Joey Astling, USDA/APHIS Slaughter Horse Regulation

-Jennifer Woods – Humane Handling and Assessment Tool Project<

-Bill DesBarres, Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada

-Chris Gould, Canada, World Breeding Federation of Sport Horses

-Manuel Sada, Criadores de Caballos Deportivos Mexicanos AC, Mexico

It's basically a giant conference of horse killers.... the BLM (our government, who is paid with OUR tax dollars) is now saying slaughter is a the only reasonable means of disposal for the "Mass"abundance of wild horses.

We have an incredible opportunity to make a HUGE difference in Las Vegas! SHARK has SO generously donated the use of their "TIGER truck", a truck with 4 HUGE TV screen's surrounding it playing looped video. We will drive around downtown Las Vegas, showing the general public images of what they

are REALLY talking about inside the summit meeting. Driving back and forth in front of the Casino, in front of the pro-slaughter people walking in and out... Imagine the impact, and attention this would bring to our

cause! To be able to EXPOSE the truth to the general public, RIGHT in Sue Wallis' face!!! The look on her face will be priceless, and worth EVERY PENNY!

We are in need of funding to RUN the truck! It needs to be driven from Chicago to Vegas for the Event

- The truck runs on diesel - The screens run on a gasoline generator

We need your help to make this happen!! This is our CHANCE to stand up for the horses in the faces of those who oppose us!

Please donate the following to help:

We need: Frequent flyer miles to get our volunteers to and from the event-

Gas cards to run the truck and get it from A- B

Any donation can be made to:

Paypal- cowgirl101786@yahoo.com (please include a mailing address foryour

tax write-off receipt)

Mail Check or Money Order to:: (Gas cards can be mailed to the same address)

Animal Rescue Unit P.O Box 50 North Bridgton Maine 04057

We need to stand together, to be the voice for the horses, for their future!

Brogan Horton

President & Lead Investigator

Animal Rescue Unit

Phone (207) 939-7852

Fax (207) 647-3798

www.animalrescueunit.com

This is currently making its rounds.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=6oijm7dab&v=001laauDGMXfkVeOOdGUf7JzNB9bTAlb9Mu4g-OxL4qskME2sCBF0lqlX9LsKNc4DBxiNMJD29w5NUk1I33dPU7EITtbuWuIqCVy8FxuiJKuPcPle3Y2HaiL6kdnGJ6_nyS8R2V1BmBLFFTnf0YCJz0mQ%3D%3D

12.10.10 Bouvry Shutdown in Canada & more info on DOI appropriations

Fri Dec 10, 2010 1:31 pm (PST)

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Press Release from Canada
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alberta Horse Slaughter Plant Closed for Sanitation Reasons
December 10, 2010 - Westbank, B.C.
The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC) has learned that Bouvry Exports horse slaughter plant in Fort MacLeod, Alberta closed operations on December 3rd to complete renovations related to sanitation.
This news is not surprising. It is well documented that horse slaughter operations in Canada and the U.S. have a long history of pollution troubles and violations. Interestingly, it was due to sanitation and food safety concerns that Natural Valley Farms (NVF) in Saskatchewan was closed by the CFIA in December 2008. The now defunct Saskatchewan horse slaughter plant closed its business shortly thereafter. In Texas, the Dallas Crown plant was ordered closed for pollution and sewer violations. The Cavel plant in Illinois had similarly been in violation of its sewer discharge limits before its closure. In Saskatchewan, NVF resorted to illegally dumping thousands of gallons of horse blood onto the Qu'appelle River Valley. Also, during a radio interview, a NVF investor and director admitted that 16 million gallons of raw horse blood was left in a retaining pond upstream from the Qu'Appelle River. "Bug tanks" which contain bacteria to break down
horses' blood become ineffective as their blood typically contains antibiotics, which kills off the bacteria. The plant resorted to illegally dumping the blood. Quoting John Holland of the Equine Welfare Alliance: "Pollution follows the horse slaughter industry wherever it goes."
The CHDC was also advised that a European Union audit was carried out at Bouvry Exports at the end of November, however this information has not been verified.
The CHDC again calls on the CFIA and the Minister of Agriculture to put an end to the suffering of horses and close this cruelty-driven and environmentally detrimental industry, and calls on all Member of Parliament to bring Bill C-544 forward in Parliament, to shut down horse slaughter in Canada, once and for all.
DOI Appropriatons
In addition to the information in Laura's analysis for contacting the senate committee, AWHPC has also issued an action alert. You can access the information here:
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6931/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4928
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This video (no graphic material) shows all the horses ready to be transported across the border into Mexico for slaughter. Your horse and mine, are at risk EVERY DAY! We cannot stop fighting for their safety.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxfhajmc8Pw&feature=player_embedded

Wyoming Horse Slaughter Plant Not Plausible

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Tue Nov 30, 2010 4:26 am (PST)
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John Holland Editorial
Please visit the site for the full article. Comments are welcome!
http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/4957
Numbers Won't Work in Proposed Processing Plant, EWA President Says
November 30, 2010
"Even if Wallis could convince Wyoming's tiny population to gorge themselves on the meat, there is yet another problem. The meat is not safe."
By John Holland
Chicago, (EWA) - Newsweek recently carried the condensed version of an article by Sue Wallis, a Wyoming State representative, titled Wyoming proceeds with plans to build state-of-the-art processing plant. The article gives the impression that Wyoming is about to open a horse slaughter plant. It is not and here is why.
The "plans" are not those of the state of Wyoming, but of horse slaughter proponent Sue Wallis. The Wallis business strategy appears to be "If you hype it, they will come."
In the article Wallis claims that this plant will go into operation in just six months and will slaughter all the excess wild and domestic horses in the comfort and serenity of a Temple Grandin designed facility of the highest standard. One can almost hear the Muzak playing as the grateful horses line up to be "euthanized" by gentle and caring workers.
Yet buried in the artfully understated text is the admission that Wallis does not have investors, a business plan or even a cost estimate. Over the past year, Wallis sold just over $30,000 worth of raffle tickets for a Dodge 4x4 truck, only to announce on August 27th that she had not sold enough tickets to actually buy the truck and asking if she might just keep the money as a donation. Apparently that potentially lucrative business gambit was not well received.
Most recently Wallis has indicated ticket sales have, not unpredictably, stagnated since her announcement that there might not be a prize, but that she intends to announce the winner anyhow at her "Summit of the Horse", a planned seminar in January composed entirely of pro-horse slaughter speakers and lobbyists. She did not indicate whether the announcement would be accompanied by an actual truck. Other than these ventures and a stint as a cowgirl poet, Wallis has little business experience. So here is some advice........
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Subject: OCTOBER 29 ANNAPOLIS RALLY, LIBBY DAVIS, APALACHIAN CHIEF

Hello friends,
U.S. - OCTOBER 29 ANNAPOLIS RALLY:
We have an announcement to make from our sister organization Equine Welfare Alliance stateside. There will be an advocate rally on October 29 at Lawyer's Mall in Annapolis, MD. The rally will start at 10:00 a.m. and last until noon. Please join Ann Marini, Maria Kimble and John Holland - bring family and friends and make your voices heard for the horses. If you have further questions, please contact Ann at rashm2@comcast.net or Maria at mlk@acmeemail.com. PLEASE GO TO EWA web site for more a map to the location.
CANADA: PETITIONS IN SUPPORT OF CDN BILL C-544:
Libby Davis, MP (Vancouver East, B.C.) brought forth over 1,700 signatures in support of Private Members Bill C-544 on Thursday, Oct. 21, an overwhelming showing of support from our west coast friends. Petitions in support of C-544 continue to be tabled in the House from all over the country - a big thank you to everyone working hard to get those signatures and petitions tabled. Please refer to the CHDC web site/blog and/or facebook messages for further details on the gathering of signatures and where to file. Links are provided below.
ONTARIO: APALACHIAN CHIEF
The sad story of a Canadian thoroughbred is available for viewing on our blog. For those moved by his plight, you can call the OSPCA at 905-898-7122 or email them at yorkregion@ospca.on.ca and ask them why they have turned their backs on him. In addition, please ask MPP Greg Sorbara to investigate his plight. Mr. Sorbara's email is: gsorbara.mpp@liberal.http://www.facebook.com/l/e93bcCnFL7Ozzypmm3gow4Nq1ow;ola.org.
PLEASE NOTE, THE GREMLINS ARE AT WORK AGAIN AND LINKS BELOW ARE BEING REJECTED BY FACEBOOK AS 'ABUSIVE'. IN ORDER TO SEND THIS MESSAGE OUT TO ALL, THE CHDC/EWA LINKS HAVE BEEN OMITTED. ALL LINKS ARE DUPLICATED ON THE FACEBOOK WALL.
Thank you all,
CANADIAN HORSE DEFENCE COALITION

DOUBLE DECKER TRAILER INVOLVED IN CRASH THAT KILLS SEVERAL HORSES IN ONTARIO

HORSES WERE LIKELY HEADED TO QUEBEC FOR SLAUGHTER AS A KNOWN KILL BUYER’S PROPERTY IS CLOSE TO THE CRASH SITE

Read more here: http://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com/

Dear Friends,
Join hundreds of thousands of Americans on Tuesday, October 19th For National Call-In Day for our Horses!
We are asking you to target Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday, October 19th and Ask her to schedule a vote NOW on the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503), legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses for human consumption. Schedule the vote NOW. Tell her she has the power to end immense suffering by scheduling the vote NOW during the remaining session of Congress THIS YEAR! NOW is the time for her to step up and do this. Tell Speaker Pelosi that this bill has 183 bipartisan cosponsors in the House, 28 in the Senate, and tremendous public support.
After you call Speaker Pelosi,(202) 225-0100 or her San Francisco office, (415) 556-4862, call on Senate Majority LeaderSen. Harry Reid702-388-5020 / Fax: 702-388-5030, and Assistant Majority Leader Sen. Dick Durbin(202) 224-2152 or fax (202) 228-0400to schedule a vote on the senate version, S.B. 727. Don’t wait. Do it now. For the horses.
For more information please go to Animal Law Coalition here:
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1443

Horses: Should killing them for food be prohibited?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/pointofview/2010/10/horses-should-killing-them-for-food-be-prohibited.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/discussions/horse-slaughter-and-animal-rights/article1745917/

Canadian Protests

http://www.lfpress.com/news/canada/2010/10/05/15583461.html
Another article: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=17062

Anti-Slaughter News:

http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/EWA_GAO_Submission_Final_10.2010.pdf

Anti-Slaughter News:

http://cs.bloodhorse.com/blogs/wgoh/archive/2010/09/29/what-s-going-on-here-finding-homes-for-them-all.aspx

From Canada:
Protest targets horse slaughter

http://www.canada.com/Protest+targets+horse+slaughter/3602283/story.html

From Canada:

As Parliament resumes on September 20th, the CHDC is very encouraged by the activity surrounding Bill C-544. Below is important new information for all to read, however, we first want to share some interesting news on the bill.

On September 13th, the Corporation of the Town of Marathon, Ontario unanimously passed a resolution in support of Bill C-544, which amends the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act to prohibit the importation or exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption, and of horse-meat products for human consumption. Marathon, located on the north shore of Lake Superior, is the economic hub between Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie in northern Ontario.

The CHDC applauds Mayor Dumas and all Council members of Marathon for their support. The resolution also includes that a copy of the motion be forwarded to Northwestern Ontario Municipal Assocation (NOMA) requesting distribution to fellow municipalities seeking support of the resolution. The CHDC and its members invite other Canadian cities, towns, municipalities, and all levels of government to lend their backing to Bill C-544: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4633655&Language=e&Mode=1&File=24.

The CHDC has been hearing from supporters across Canada, who have been successful in collecting signatures to present to their MPs. One such diligent advocate in Victoria, BC has collected over 1,100 signatures! Another avid horse advocate in Vancouver has collected 1,700 signatures within a 50-mile radius, through pet nutrition stores. She reports that the greatest support has come from BC's horse community,

"It seems the people most aware of horse slaughter, are the ones who most want it to stop." A horse rescue in St. Thomas, Ontario has over 300 signatures. There are many more country-wide examples of people gaining grass roots support through their petitioning efforts. The CHDC says a Big Thank You to everyone for their hard work for the horses. Keep it up!!

Dear Animal Advocates,
There are currently no facilities in the United States that process horses into food for people—the last of them closed in 2007. However, tens of thousands of American horses are still trucked into Canada and Mexico every year to be processed into food. The journeys these horses must endure and the methods by which they eventually are killed are truly horrifying.
For several years, Congress has been considering outlawing the international transport of horses for slaughter (for human consumption). Different bills that would achieve this have come and gone—and even though each one has had strong bipartisan support, none have ever made it to the finish line and become law.
But we have renewed hope this week: in an exciting recent development, Rep. Jim Moran of Virginia has taken on the cause. He has composed a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking her to allow H.R. 503, the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, to be voted on by the full House of Representatives. Rep. Moran is now gathering signatures of support from members of the House, and he is expected to submit his letter to Speaker Pelosi very soon.
What You Can Do
Tell your U.S. representative that you support H.R. 503 and would like him or her to sign Rep. Moran’s letter of support. The letter must be signed by tomorrow, September 21, so there is no time to lose—we urge you to call your rep.’s office today. Visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center online to look up your representative’s phone number now.
Thank you for being the voice of America’s animals.

New website aimed toward the consumers of horse meat. Please share this link on your website and through your email list. Also any help we can get by posting it in forums based in the EU would be great.

Anyone that links www.americanhorsemeat.com to their website or any EU based forums please post here so I can make a note. I plan on sending the link out to all the rescues etc. asking them to show the link on their website.

I did a search for horse meat recipe and got tons of results. I am going to work on getting the link posted on those sites if at all possible.

www.americanhorsemeat.com has no graphic images on the pages. The video page has graphic warnings where they apply.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Lucille Matte
Mortgages Direct
2000 Bering Drive, Suite 100
Houston, TX 77057
(713) 860-1218

THE OTTAWA ANIMAL DEFENCE LEAGUE ANNOUNCES:

CANADAWIDE ANTI HORSE SLAUGHTER PROTESTS

October 4, 2010 @ 12pm (all local times).

Victoria, Calgary , Edmonton , Halifax locations still to be announced.
Vancouver: Robson Gourmet Butcher, Robson Public Market, 1610 Robson St.Vancouver , BC . (Butcher store that sells horse meat).
Toronto : BeerBistro, 18 King St. East , Toronto , ON (Restaurant sells horse meat on dinner menu).
Charlottetown : Intersection of Queen St. and Grafton St. , Charlottetown , P.E.I.
Winnipeg : Intersection of Osborne St and River Ave. , Winnipeg , MB .

PROTEST AT BOUVRY EXPORTS HORSE SLAUGHTERHOUSE

FORT MACLEOD, ALBERTA

END HORSE SLAUGHTER IN CANADA

OCTOBER 4, 2010 FROM 12:00PM - 1:00PM

BOUVRY EXPORTS HORSE SLAUGHTERHOUSE

S.W. 1/4 SEC. 17TWP. 9, RG. 25, W. 4, HWY # 3 EAST,

FORT MACLEOD, AB,

(Map is available on line)

The recent undercover investigation of the horrific slaughter of horses in Canada has made national headlines. Bill C-544 has been tabled in the House of Commons to make horse slaughter illegal in Canada. .
One day of protest at this slaughterhouse could push Bill C-544 and end the suffering of horses at slaughter in Canada forever. We need every caring person to make this happen.

There will be nation-wide protests coinciding with this demonstration from Vancouver to Halifax . Please bring your friends and family to save horses destined for slaughter and to remember those such as the ones in these photos whose luck ran out.

Please mark this on your calendar, take the day off work, and help make history for these horses.
Below is a map showing where Fort MacLeod , Alberta is located.

This is the plant from the road Hwy #3:

Below is a link to the undercover investigation:

http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/ChambersofCarnage.html

Please, also take a minute to send an email to your MP:

http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=104&ea.campaign.id=7383

Further details can be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=1602743949099#!/event.php?eid=150499641637332&ref=ts

Please note that, as with Richelieu Meats,there will very likely be horses being killed in the plant on the day of the protest.

Wyoming Equine Slaughter Plant

in Planning Stage

http://www.rockymountainrider.com/articles/0910_Wyoming_equine_slaughter_plant.htm

(Note from Brandi: I was asked to crosspost this. I wasn’t sure which section to put it in on tonight’s list, so since it talks about slaughter, I am going to put it here.)

Norcal Equine rescue. www.savethehorse.com

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

9-7-10

Over the Labor Day weekend, the killer buyer brought in 5 more horses. Apparently the slaughter pipeline never takes a holiday.

The 5 horses came in from the staging area somewhere in CA. The horses that are left at the staging areas are unloaded off the double decker rigs, about 45 horses per trailer. The ones that are too weak to continue the trip of death to Mexico are left to linger and slowly die at the staging areas. With our current arrangement with the kb, on his way back north he is willing to pick up the horses left for dead at the staging area and transport them to the rescue for $100 each. Most of these horses are older horses that have given their all serving humans, but are then thrown away like trash in their older days. Many of these horses had a caring owner's at one time, but due to the horses age, the thought of "Let's find someone that wants a horse to put out to pasture to spend his last days" comes about. Instead of taking responsibility for their senior horse, they find someone who is willing to take the horse, but unfortunately, typically the horse ends up in the slaughter pipeline instead of retiring on green pastures. Please, if you have a senior horse, do the right thing and keep that horse until its last days, don't send him on to an unknown future. If you cannot keep your older horse, be responsible, humane euthanasia is far kinder than sending your senior on to a terrible fate, such as this poor mare Kitty.

Kitty was emaciated and was down in the KB's trailer when he came. She was badly foundered and her pleas for help and soft knickers when Tawnee approached was heart wrenching.

Her body was so thin, it was just hide stretched over a skeleton. Mexico takes emaciated horses for their hides and bones to make such items as buttons and other trinkets to sell. That is why poor emaciated horses like this end up in the slaughter pipeline. Just fill up the truck, get weighed and get paid.

This mare had a story to tell from what could be pieced together. Someone had given her a bridle path not long ago, a few months. Somebody cared about her, it was somebody who probably thought "I'll find my older mare a nice home somewhere where she can spend her days eating yummy food and being with other horses." This mare was probably given to one of those "nice people" who would give this older mare a wonderful home to spend her days. Instead, she was probably put in a pen with other horses. Unable to fight her way to the limited food, she became weaker and weaker until she was thrown in the slaughter pipeline before she died and they would have to deal with a body. In the double decker, she found herself unable to stand and was soon thrown away like trash at one of the staging areas. They knew she would be dead by the time she made it to Mexico.

There was so little life left in Kitty. She sat up for a little bit, but then went back down on Tawnee's lap as she gently stroked her forehead. It is so hard seeing horses that have given their whole life in serving humans, when they need their owners the most, their owners reject them.

Sadly there was nothing that could be done but to let her know love and simply fall asleep on Tawnee's lap. Please please please, be responsible with your elderly horse, your horse could easily end up just like Kitty. If owners would be responsible, horse rescues would not be needed. Over breeding and lack of responsibility are what create this situation, we just do what we can to give the horses love so their last thoughts are ones of love and compassion, not torture and slaughter.

Meet Abbot, an older gelding who is in desperate need of groceries. He was thrown away at the staging area like Kitty. He is suffering from extremely poor health and is occasionally bleeding from the nostrils. He probably wonders how he ended up in this situation...

...why was he not given even enough food to sustain his body? Why in his last days he had to feel hunger pains every moment.

Farley is another older gelding who was so sore he could barely move his legs. He had a terrible infection through most of his body, the infection sites were bulging with puss. He had a terrible case of strangles that went systemic. Systemic strangles in generally fatal in the long run, and due to his poor body condition, Farley was humanely euthanised to relieve his constant suffering.

Raedan is also an older gelding. He has severe arthritis in both front knees. No doubt, his owner decided that since he couldn't be ridden, there was no room at their house for him anymore. Who wants the expense of a horse you can't ride? So they found him what they thought would be a good home. Instead, he entered the slaughter pipeline, and only because his body was too weak to make it to Mexico, he has not been slaughtered. Instead he is safe. It's sad that with being emaciated comes safety.

Radella is the youngest of the group that was brought in over the weekend. She appears to be fairly healthy and she may have just refused to get back in the double decker when it was time to go. Perhaps she put up such a strong fight for her life that they decided to get her on the next go-around. It's hard to say why she was not sent to Mexico, but she is safe now. She such a lucky little horse!

Last month we purchased about 30 horses from the killer buyer. He said he could have made it 50 horses easily. He also gave us a proposition that we could purchase horses from him that he buys at livestock auctions instead of them heading down to Mexico on his next route. We can still get the horses from the staging area from him, but we would be able to get more adoptable horses from him that would be heading to slaughter as well. He doesn't care, money is money to him. We are asking for your help to make this possible. No horse deserves to be slaughtered, and if we can get these precious lives out, and let them know that somebody cared for them, it will be worth every penny.

The most horses we ever purchased from livestock auctions in 1 month was 40 horses. We did this with $10,000 that was donated that month for livestock auction rescues. That was in July of 2009. Our goal is to raise $6,500 to rescue and care for slaughter bound horses as soon as possible so we can start saving horses heading to the pipeline. Many of these horses should be able to find homes, many of them will only have the last blessing of knowing that someone cared and loved them at the end. Every life is precious, every life deserves to be treated with dignity and love.

Help us help them - click here.

The Ottawa Animal Defence League is asking for your support in showing Canada that horse slaughter is UNACCEPTABLE by any definition.

There is a protest planned for OCTOBER 4, 2010. 12:00pm – 1:00pm at:

VIANDE RICHELIEU MEAT, INC. SLAUGHTERHOUSE

595 RUE ROYALE,

MASSUEVILLE, QC, J0G 1K0

The recent undercover investigation of the horrific slaughter of horses in Canada has made national headlines. Bill C-544 has been tabled in the House of Commons to make horse slaughter illegal in Canada.
One day of protest at this slaughterhouse could push Bill C-544 and end the suffering of horses at slaughter in Canada forever. We need every caring person to make this happen.

There will be nation-wide protests coinciding with this demonstration from Vancouver to Halifax. Please bring your friends and family to save horses destined for slaughter and to remember those such as the ones in the photos whose luck ran out.

Please mark this on your calendar, take the day off work, and help make history for these horses.
Massueville is located an hour outside of Montreal, and please ask if you need rides/accomodation as activists will be travelling from as far as Toronto.

There will be nation-wide protests coinciding with this demo from Vancouver to Halifax. Please bring your friends and family - to save the horses destined for slaughter and in memory of those, such as the one in this photo, who weren't lucky enough. work and help to make history for these horses.

Massueville is located an hour north east of Montreal. Please ask if you need rides/accommodation as horse advocates will be travelling from as far as Toronto to this event.

For a detailed map go to www.mapquest.com and do a search using the postal code for Viande Richelieu Meats in the postal code box provided J0G 1K0

Below is a link to the undercover investigation:

http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/ChambersofCarnage.html

Please, also take a minute to send an email to your MP:

http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=104&ea.campaign.id=7383

Further details can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112001262191204&ref=ts

Please note that there will very likely be horses being killed in the plant on the day of the protest.

Please pray for them.

Thank you.

(Note from Brandi: This is information out of Canada.)

Bill C-544: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4633655&Language=e&Mode=1&File=24

"An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act (slaughter of horses for human consumption)", was tabled on June 16, 2010 by BC MP Alex Atamanenko. The basis of the bill is that horses are not food-producing animals and many are treated with drugs that are prohibited from entering the human food chain. This bill is a huge step forward in the movement to abolish a cruel and unnecessary industry.

Next Steps - Submitting Petitions
For those people who have spent the summer months garnering support by gathering signatures on petitions supporting Bill C-544 - Thank you for your dedication and hard work! Your next actions are just as important - getting those petitions to your Member of Parliament. Here is a link to find your MP's contact details: http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E

For best impact, contact your MP's local office and ask to present your petitions there in person. If that's not possible, contact your MP's office to advise that you are mailing your petitions to them, and ask their office to contact you when they are received. Please use Express Post or Registered Mail (for tracking purposes). Send a letter with your petitions saying that you and those people who've signed the petitions supporting Bill C-544, are asking your MP to support it in the House of Commons. Remember to scan or photocopy your petitions, and send a copy to the CHDC at P.O. Box 26097, Westbank, BC, V4T 2G3, or email to info@defendhorsescanada.org.

Parliament resumes on Monday, September 20th. If possible, get your petitions in before Parliament resumes. The sooner you get your petitions in to your MP, the better.

Still haven't gathered signatures yet? What you can do to help Bill C-544 become law:
Our Do It Now page: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/DoItNow.html explains actions you can take to help the horses. This petition, available in English http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/chdcpetition2010.pdf and French http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/healthpetitionfr.pdf can be downloaded, printed and copied.

The most important action you can take at this time is to petition your Member of Parliament in support of Bill C-544!

It is important for your elected official to understand that horse meat may contain drugs that are unsafe for human consumption. Horses are generally considered to be sport and companion animals. They are not meant to be served at dinner tables! This medical research paper, "Association of Phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: A public health risk": http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/Food_and_Chemical_Toxicology_FINAL.pdf studies that Phenylbutazone (PBZ), the most commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in equine practice, is used prevalently in Thoroughbred race horses, many of which are slaughtered for human consumption. PBZ is one of many medications on the "List of Veterinary Drugs Not Permitted For Use in Equine Slaughtered for Food": http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/meavia/man/ch17/annexee.shtml#e4

Effective July 31, 2010, it is mandatory for all Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspected facilities in Canada engaged in equine slaughter for edible purposes to have complete records for all equines (domestic and imported) presented for slaughter. These records include unique identification for each animal, a record of illness and a record of medical treatments administered to the animal for the six-month period preceding slaughter: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/meavia/man/ch17/annexee.shtml

The establishment of this new CFIA identification program is primarily to address the concerns of the European Union of toxicity in horse meat for human consumption. The CHDC has researched the troubling issue of banned drugs commonly found in horse meat, as well as the new requirements from the European Union: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/finaldisc100314.pdf.

Keep the Momentum Going!
Please keep us up-to-date on your petitioning efforts at info@defendhorsescanada.org. We'll post your petition stories and suggestions on our blog at: http://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com

For the horses,
Your Friends at the CHDC
www.defendhorsescanada.org
info@defendhorsescanada.org

http://canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com

This editorial contains a graph that I cannot paste here. To view the editorial with the graph, click here.

September 1, 2010

The Perfect Time to End the Slaughter of American Horses

At the moment, the news is rife with stories about the level of equine neglect in the United States, with many of the articles blaming the "unintended consequences" of closing the US horse slaughter plants and calling for them to be reopened. But in reality, we are coming up on a once in a lifetime opportunity to get rid of this abominable practice once and for all. To understand this apparent paradox, one needs to get past unsubstantiated myths to the real forces at play in the market.

First, one needs to understand that it is completely impossible to blame the current glut of excess horses on the closing of the slaughter plants because the closings simply sent the horses over the Mexican and Canadian borders for slaughter. In 2006, the year before the closings, 142,740 American horses were slaughtered, and that number only dropped by 14% the year the plants were closed. By 2008, slaughter was back to the second highest level in almost ten years.

Next, it is necessary to understand what really causes neglect, and that is unemployment. After years of studying the relationship between neglect rates and slaughter volumes, I had concluded that there was no relationship whatever. Then I looked at the rates of neglect in Illinois in comparison with unemployment in the state. The correlation was striking.

[GRAPH]

Like most such revelations, it should have been expected, but it was still striking. It perfectly explains the mystery of how the number of American horses slaughtered in the US between 1989 and 2002 could have dropped from 377,078 to 77,713 (almost 80%) with no negative impact on either neglect or horse prices.

This correlation also tells us what we can expect as unemployment goes both up and down. At the moment the US is experiencing high unemployment with national rates hovering just under 10%. As predicted from the above graph, this is causing a high rate of neglect.

So why can I say with complete confidence that we are coming up on the perfect opportunity to end slaughter without significantly impacting the horse market?

There is a second factor at work. As the market for horses remains depressed, many breeders are throwing in the proverbial towel. Every day brood mares and stallions are being sold at auction and on internet sites like Craig's List. This is temporarily increasing the supply and further depressing prices.

The result of this further depression in prices is to convince even more breeders to quit producing. Statistics show breeding is down dramatically in virtually all breeds. The Jockey Club, for example, recently predicted the 2011 foal crop will be the lowest since 1973. Similarly, the American Quarter Horse Association's annual reports shows a 15% drop in revenue for new registrations between 2006 and 2009.

This trend will continue until the economy begins to recover significantly, or the market eventually reaches a new balance. Slaughter cannot help reduce the over supply of horses because the horse meat market is also depressed. Although the export of US slaughter horses in 2008 brought the annual slaughter back its level before the plant closures, the subsequent recession caused a 25.8% drop in exports between 2008 and 2009. The reduction in demand for slaughter horses will likely continue as the effects of new EU drug residue regulations begin forcing horses to be quarantined for 6 months prior to slaughter.

But these two trends are about to merge and provide a wonderful opportunity to end slaughter with little or no impact on the market. As the smaller foal crops reach market age, there will be a reduction supply, and when the economy finally begins to recover, it will bring with it more carrying capacity (demand) for horses. With less supply and more homes available, the number of surplus horses will dip to a record low.

Moreover, there will be a move toward quality. In a recent interview, a struggling breeder in Canada complained she had to sell her horses to slaughter because the market was so low, but in the very next sentence she explained "You have to breed 100 horses to get two good ones." Clearly that business model has been a big part of the problem that gotten us to this point, but few "lotto breeders" appear to be surviving the current market.

Only a deep and prolonged recession could have brought us this opportunity and we have certainly been experiencing just that. It would be a tremendous shame if we missed this coming opportunity. Recent auction reports indicate that prices are already beginning to increase.

What is needed is for congress to pass HR 503 / S 727, banning the slaughter and export to slaughter of American horses. This action could be placed in abeyance until a trigger was reached of unemployment dropping significantly (perhaps under 8%). The result would be a smooth transition to a much more humane equine industry.

Horse slaughter is not a "necessary evil", merely an evil. Now is our opportunity to resign this practice to the dust bin of American history.

John Holland is a freelance writer, the author of three books and an industrial consultant in the field of intelligent automation and knowledge engineering. He frequently writes on the subject of horse slaughter from his small farm in the mountains of Virginia, where he lives with his wife, Sheilah, and their 12 equines. Holland is president of the Equine Welfare Alliance and serves as senior analyst for Americans Against Horse Slaughter, an organization composed entirely of volunteers

HR503 is our National bill in Congress that will ban horse slaughter for good in the US.
Here are our new sign ons for hr503
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] - 6/14/2010 Rep Deutch, Theodore E. [FL-19] - 6/22/2010
Rep Pingree, Chellie [ME-1] - 7/20/2010 Rep Smith, Adam [WA-9] - 7/20/2010

BILL C-544 – A BILL TO BAN HORSE SLAUGHTER IN CANADA

What you can do to help!

On June 16, 2010, NDP Agriculture Critic MP Alex Atamanenko tabled Private Members Bill C-544 that would effectively shut down the slaughter of horses in Canada for human consumption: http://alexatamanenko.ndp.ca/node/511. The basis of the bill is the fact that horses are not food-producing animals and many are treated with drugs that are prohibited from entering the human food chain.

Canadians now have the opportunity to help this Bill become law.

Your efforts will be critical for this Bill's success!

Bill C-544, "An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act (slaughter of horses for human consumption)":

http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4633655&Language=e&Mode=1
(Click on the various sub-titles on the left of the document.)

A new petition has been created, http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/chdcpetition2010.pdf reflecting the components of Bill C-544 pertaining to the amendments of the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act. Specifically, these amendments address the dangers to human health as horse-meat products are likely to contain prohibited substances.

The message to our MPs must be specific to Bill C-544. Mr. Atamanenko states, “The fact is that drugs which are prohibited for use during the life of any animals destined for the human food supply are routinely being administered to horses. It is irresponsible for Canada to allow the sale of meat from horses as a food item when they have never been raised in accordance with the food safety practices required for all other animals.”

This summer is our key opportunity to reach out to our Members of Parliament, while Parliament is in recess, before they reconvene in the Fall. Our target date to have petitions delivered to our MPs is September 20, 2010. Please commit to petitioning your Member of Parliament this summer. You may choose to collect names by going door to door, sitting at a table in a shopping mall or by leaving petitions at supportive businesses.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT CITIZENS SIGN PETITIONS CORRESPONDING TO THE RIDING THEY LIVE IN, so if your community covers more than one constituency, make sure to offer a choice of several petitions with the riding/MP name at the top of each front page. Collect as many names as you can.

Please do this for the horses!

Your MP's name and contact information can be found here:

http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainConstituenciesCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E

Explain to your elected official that horsemeat may contain drugs that are unsafe for human consumption.  Proof of horse-meat toxicity can be found in this recently released scientific paper titled “Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: A public health risk":

http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/Food_and_Chemical_Toxicology_FINAL.pdf

This summer's recess also coincides with new requirements from the European Union, being implemented on July 31, 2010, as a first step in the development of a comprehensive food safety and traceability program for the Canadian equine industry in an effort to protect consumers from tainted horsemeat. Here is a link to the CFIA announcement on this industry changing program: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/newcom/2010/20100129e.shtml

The CHDC has researched the troubling issue of banned drugs commonly found in horsemeat, and has prepared this paper on what the European Union requirements will mean to North America 's horse industry: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/finaldisc100314.pdf

For more information on how a bill becomes law, read here: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/leg_proc_canada.pdf

The CHDC would be happy to answer any questions or provide guidance in your efforts to gather signatures on your petition(s). We can be contacted at info@defendhorsescanada.org. Please keep us up to date on your progress.

We will be in touch with our supporters over the summer months on this critically important legislation that can finally end the slaughter of our beloved horses.

Sincerely,

Sinikka Crosland

Executive Director

Canadian Horse Defence Coalition

info@defendhorsescanada.org

Second Slaughter Mouthpiece Installed to Head "Unwanted" Horse Coalition

CHICAGO, (EWA) - The recent appointment of Dr. Douglas Corey to the top spot of the Washington lobby group, The Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC), has made their loudly proclaimed stance of being neutral on the contentious issue of horse slaughter difficult to swallow.

Corey follows Dr. Tom Lenz, former head of American Association of Equine Practitioners, (AAEP). Both Lenz and Corey pull no punches on their enthusiastic support of horse slaughter. The two veterinarians with close ties to animal agriculture refer to horse slaughter as an end-of-life option that is needed. Regrettably, with the UHC parent group, The American Horse Council, this front for unscrupulous breeders and the meat industry, often has the ear of Congress and is considered a respected and respectable humanitarian organization.

The daring hypocrisy of both organizations is stunning and Corey's own words prove it. Few equine rescue organizations are members of the UHC, shunning the prohibitive cost of membership to join. Rescue groups, dependent upon donations, would prefer to spend their funds on feed and hay.

The Unwanted Horse Coalition is controlled by breed associations who happily send their culls to slaughter, the horse racing industry which happily disposes of tens of thousands of healthy races horses after their career is over and the livestock industry whose sole purpose is selling meat on the hoof.

During his testimony in 2008 before the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security for the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008, Cory said, "Because of the large population of unwanted horses in the U.S., the AAEP believes that the processing of unwanted horses is currently a necessary end-of-life option and provides a humane alternative to allowing a horse to continue a life of discomfort and pain or endure inadequate care or abandonment."

To the AHC and UHC the word, "processing" is a benign mask for the horror of a horse's final hours in a slaughter house.

Corey further insulted prospective horse owners by stating "many of the individuals that adopt horses are not financially secure enough to adopt and provide proper care and feeding for a horse." Corey didn't offer an explanation as to why owners and breeders that are financially secure choose to send their horses to slaughter rather than provide proper care.

Both Corey and Lenz are well aware of the labeling on horse medications; "not intended for use in food animals." They are also well aware that animals given those medications cannot be slaughtered for human consumption and yet, they continue to support horse slaughter.

The European Union recently placed tight controls on the import of American horses because of the wholesale use of dangerous drugs in their everyday lives.

During his testimony on behalf of AAEP, Corey blithely claimed the closure of the US horse slaughter plants resulted in "increased equine cruelty in the form of abuse, neglect, and abandonment."

That is a ludicrous statement. If there are increases in abuse, neglect and abandonment, it is has nothing to do with the closure of the plants. Closing the plants did not stop or slow down the number of horses slaughtered. In fact, 2008, the year Corey testified, had the second highest number of horses slaughtered since 1995.

The same number of horses laden with FDA and European Union banned drugs are flowing across our borders to slaughter plants in Canada and Mexico. All the while, Corey and Lenz still blame the closure of the plants instead of those that are causing the overpopulation of horses.

Actions speak louder than words and consistently appointing outspoken slaughter proponents to head a "neutral" organization speaks volumes.

Canadian proposal to end slaughter of American horses shameful to US politics

July 2, 1:04 PMPet Rescue ExaminerCheryl Hanna

Legislation in Canada ( C-544) has been introduced to Parliament to ban horse slaughter for human consumption. The US has made no provisions to stop the export of horses filled with carcinogenic drugs putting Canadian consumers of horse meat originating in the United States at health risks.

Read more here: http://www.examiner.com/x-25445-Pet-Rescue-Examiner~y2010m7d2-Canadian-proposal-to-end-slaughter-of-American-horses-shameful-to-US-politics?cid=email-this-article

Letter from the Governor of KY:

Editor’s note:This is a response letter to the voiced concerns of Wyandot Humane Society’s DaveBalz on HB 398:

July 1, 2010
Mr. David Balz
Wyandot County Equine Rescue, Inc
Upper Sandusky, OH 43351
Dear Mr. Balz:
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about Kentucky's House Bill 398. There has been a great deal of confusion about this measure, now law, and I am glad to set the record straight.
House Bill 398 in no way permits the slaughter of horses in Kentucky. This legislation created the Kentucky Equine Health and Welfare Council (KEHWC) - the first of its kind in the nation - under the state's Department of Agriculture. The council will assist and advise the department on issues of equine health and welfare, and take action to keep horses safe in the Commonwealth. The council will offer help to unhealthy or abused horses that are identified by Kentucky equine veterinarians or others, and will never participate in the slaughter of these animals.
In fact, the non-profit Equine Health and Welfare Alliance (EHWA), which aims to provide for the basic needs, proper care and dignity of all equines throughout life, helped draft and promote this legislation. No funds contributed to the EHWA may be used to promote any position on horse slaughter.
By initiating this law, combined with the commitment of the EHWA, Kentucky has actually been proactive in animal welfare protection. To date, no other state has offered the same horse protection package.
The First Lady and I consider ourselves among Kentucky's leading horse advocates and are also proud owners of this signature animal. I commend you for fighting for the ethical treatment of animals, and you can rest assured that we will look out for Kentucky's horses.
Your views about Kentucky's premier industry are important to me, and I hope this information may persuade you to change your plans about attending the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and other equine events in Kentucky.
For more information about KEHWC, visit http://governor.ky.gov/pressrelease.htm?PostingGUID={F9B3ABA2-4808-40B7-9D4F-1B58C7554C3B}
Sincerely,
Steven L. Beshear

European Union (EU) and Canada poised to accomplish what the US Congress should have done

CHICAGO, (EWA) - Since the 107^th Congress (2001), equine welfare advocates across the country have been trying to get elected officials to pass legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses. Polls have consistently shown that the legislation has the support of 70% of Americans, but without fail the bills have been stalled, blocked with secret holds, and left off the legislative calendars. Now it appears the European Union (EU) and Canada may stop horse slaughter before Congress.

Strict new traceability requirements will go into effect July 31^st, for all horses slaughtered for consumption in the EU. Additionally, the EU is poised to require Country of Origin labeling of all meat. And finally, the EU has begun investigating inhumane slaughter practices in Mexico.

Despite President Obama's promise to not allow lobbyists to run the country and his support of a horse slaughter ban when he was in the Senate, the agricultural special interests have continually been allowed to prevent the legislation from moving forward. Public records reveal donations from special interest groups to the legislators blocking the bills.

"When it comes to stopping the slaughter of horses, clearly money talks", commented Equine Welfare Alliance's (EWA) John Holland.

Legislation (C-544) was recently introduced in the Canadian Parliament to ban horse slaughter for human consumption, threatening to accomplish what our Congress should have done years ago. It is an embarrassment the EU has to enforce drug policies because our Congress won't stop the flow of untraceable horses that put the health of European consumers of horse meat at risk.

Moreover, it is a further embarrassment that that despite an unending stream of gruesome undercover videos our Congress continues to allow American Horses to be brutalized. The abuse and cruelty inherent with horse slaughter is well known to our Congressional members. The horrific findings of the recent investigations into Canadian and Mexican plants did not reveal anything that wasn't prevalent in US plants before their closure in 2007. A US government GAO report in 2004 revealed improper stunning of equines that resulted in horses being butchered alive. A follow-up to the report noted no improvement and a 900 page USDA FOIA report documented horrible transport injuries and yet, the brutal practice was allowed to continue.

Radical WY state Representative Sue Wallis was quoted in The Horse, an equine health publication, as saying the US should be setting the standard for horse slaughter plants. The US already set the standard and it is being practiced in Canada, Mexico and at the US auctions, feedlots and during transport. The US plants also set the standard for the devastating environmental impact on wastewater in the communities where they were located.

Last year, Dr. Tom Lenz, apologist for the slaughter industry and former president of the Unwanted Horse Coalition, visited a Mexican plant and gave it the thumbs up. Less than one year later, they are under investigation by the European Union and depending on the results, could be shut down.

"When a parent suspects a day care center is mistreating children, they don't schedule a visit to observe" said EWA's Vicki Tobin. During a recent interview on Alberta Primetime in Canada, humane slaughter expert Dr. Temple Grandin said "I'm sick and tired of going into a place and everything is fine when I'm in there and then it goes bad when the back is turned."

In Canada, the recent investigations revealed that inspectors were not present on the kill floor for three years and were in fear of the workers. The decades of investigations have proven tenfold that horse slaughter is not and never will be humane.

The overwhelming food safety issue alone is cause to stop the export of horses to slaughter. The US has no mechanism to remove horses from the food chain that are not safe for human consumption.

A peer reviewed scientific study, Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: A public health risk that traced race horses sent to slaughter for human consumption was published in March in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology. One hundred percent of the horses had received phenylbutazone (PBZ), a dangerous carcinogen.

Subsequently, a study was done in California of Thoroughbreds with 99% receiving PBZ. The Horse did a survey of horse owners that resulted in 96% of owners that had given their horses PBZ. PBZ is only one of the dozens of horse medications that are banned in food producing animals.

When Congress and President Bush removed funding for horse slaughter inspections in 2006, it was a clear message that American horses are not food animals. Animals destined for the food chain are raised as such from birth. They do not suddenly become food after years of racing, working, providing service or performing. It is time Congress is held accountable for knowingly allowing unsafe food to enter European markets and subjecting our equines to the most brutal death imaginable.

It is time for Congress to step up and take the lead by passing the 2009 Equine Protection Act before them that will finally shut the US door on this despicable industry once and for all. If Congress does not live up to its responsibility, it is a message to the world about how we regard the health and safety of our trading partners.

http://www.equinehealthandwelfare.org/2010/06/28/slaughter-statement/

EHWA that has successfully avoided the horse slaughter issue, has finally spoken out (sort of) as it relates to KY bill HB 398. Many advocates have written EHWA over the past months and never received a response.

They have not taken a stand but have said they will not use any contributed funds to promote any position on slaughter - thus remaining "neutral".

Anti-Slaughter News Canada:

American horse protection advocates who would like to help support Bill C-544, Canada's Bill to ban horse slaughter, are asked to contact Hon. Wayne Easter, Liberal Agriculture Critic, and copy your message to MP Alex Atamanenko, NDP Agriculture Critic (who introduced the bill).

In your message please include the fact that half of the horses slaughtered in Canada every year originate from the U.S. Many or most horses have been administered banned substances including Phenylbutazone, which is readily available, even over the internet. If possible, give examples of the pipelines that horses follow from specific named auctions.

Below are the links for these 2 MP's (as well as the master list link for all MP's in Canada).

Thank you from your friends at the CHDC.

Link for Hon. Wayne Easter - Liberal Agriculture and Agri-Food Critic:

http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/ProfileMP.aspx?Key=128358&Language=E

Link for MP Alex Atamanenko - NDP Agriculture and Agri-Food Critic:

http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/ProfileMP.aspx?Key=128622&Language=E

Complete list of Canada's Members of Parliament:

http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E

Bill C-544. Introduction and first reading]

Mr. Alex Atamanenko (British Columbia Southern Interior, NDP)

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-544, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act (slaughter of horses for human consumption).

He said: Mr. Speaker, this private member's bill would amend the Health of Animals Act by saying that no person shall import horses for slaughter for human consumption, and also that no person shall export from Canada or send or convoy from one province to another horses for slaughter for human consumption.

There would also be an amendment to the Meat Inspection Act to add that no person shall import or export a horsemeat product for human consumption or send or convoy a horsemeat product for human consumption from one province to another.

The main point here is health. We are seeing the prevalence in horsemeat of anti-inflammatory drugs. For example, phenylbutazone is quite likely to be prevalent in horsemeat. It is a known carcinogen and it is illegal to use it in any animal that enters the food supply.

My bill would prevent these drugs that are given to horses from entering the food supply. Therefore, I would ask all members to support this bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)

Please visit http://ymix.com/182 for an on-line version of this as well as a PDF version of the complete publication.

Important Alert!

Canada has its first Bill to ban horse slaughter! A big thank you to NDP MP Alex Atamanenko and horse supporters everywhere for this huge, historical step toward banning horse slaughter in Canada.

Bill C-544, "An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act (slaughter of horses for human consumption)", was tabled on June 16, 2010 by MP Alex Atamanenko: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4633655&Language=e&Mode=1

Click on the various sub-titles on the left of the document.

On June 16, 2010, a Private Member's Bill to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption was tabled in Canadian Parliament by MP Alex Atamanenko (NDP Agriculture Critic). The basis of the bill is the fact that horses are not food-producing animals and many are treated with drugs that are prohibited from entering the human food chain.

This bill is a huge step forward in the movement to abolish a cruel, archaic and unnecessary industry, and we applaud Mr. Atamanenko for his monumental initiative.

What can horse advocates do to ensure that this bill becomes law?

There is a process involved: All Private Member's bills must be debated and pass three readings. In order to move forward, a vote must take place and a bill must have the support of the majority of Members of Parliament.

For more information on this process please click on the link below:

http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/leg_proc_canada.pdf.

While Parliament is in recess for the Summer, this is the time for horse advocates to reach out to their MP to brief them on this issue and to encourage them to support this Bill when the Fall session resumes.

To reach your MP:

Please visit this page to find your Member of Parliament: http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainConstituenciesCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E.

Ask your MP to support Bill C-544!

We ask you to remind your elected official that horsemeat may contain drugs that are unsafe for human consumption. Horses are generally considered to be sport and companion animals. They are not meant to be served at dinner tables!

In February 2010, the CHDC received covert footage from two horse slaughter plants, Bouvry Exports in Fort Macleod, Alberta, and Viande Richelieu in Massueville, Quebec.

The evidence of inhumane practices as an industry norm was overwhelming. For more information from this investigation please click the link below:

http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/ChambersofCarnage.html

It is evident from this investigation that horses cannot be humanely slaughtered in an assembly-line manner.

We have also researched the troubling issue of banned drugs commonly found in horsemeat, as well as new requirements from the European Union stipulating that horsemeat for human consumption must be drug-free.

For more information on what this will mean to North America's horse industry, go here:

http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/finaldisc100314.pdf.

Read a letter from the European Commission that outlines their requirements for countries that export equine meat:

http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/residues.pdf.

Following is the media release from MP Alex Atamanenko:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JUNE 17, 2010

ATAMANENKO MOVES TO BAN HORSE MEAT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION

OTTAWA – New Democrat Agriculture Critic, Alex Atamanenko (BC southern Interior) tabled a Private Members Bill (C-544) yesterday that would effectively shut down the slaughtering of horses for human consumption in Canada.

“The fact is that drugs which are prohibited for use during the life of any animals destined for the human food supply are routinely being administered to horses,” said Atamanenko. “It is irresponsible for Canada to allow the sale of meat from horses as a food item when they have never been raised in accordance with the food safety practices required for all other animals.”

Atamanenko points to the inexpensive, easily available and widely used anti-inflammatory drug, phenylbutazone (bute), as one example of what is quite likely to be prevalent in horsemeat. Bute is a known carcinogen and its use is illegal in any animal that enters the food supply.

“It is more likely than not that the vast majority of horses will have been administered bute, or ‘horse’s aspirin’ as it is commonly called,” said Atamanenko.

According to Atamanenko, at least fifty per cent of the horses being slaughtered in Canada are imported from the US where horse slaughter has been banned. The meat is then sold to markets in Europe. There are no regulations in the US to prevent horse owners from administering banned substances because horses are not regarded or treated as food-producing animals.

Under pressure from the European Union (EU), Canada is set to introduce a new ‘equine passport’ system to track the health history and medical treatments of horses arriving at slaughterhouses, including those from the States.

Atamanenko believes that it will be impossible for CFIA to verify data in these passports and expects to see a high incidence of inaccurate records.

“Many in the US believe it should be our job to verify information from US horses since Canada is the only one slaughtering them for human consumption,” concluded the Atamanenko. “It’s a stretch to think that information on hundreds of thousands of unwanted horses that were never raised to be food, will be complete or accurate.”

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/travel/Noble+horse+meat+cruel+slaughter+houses/3151126/story.html

Kentucky Governor signs bill backed by pro horse slaughter group into law

http://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/2010/06/14/kentucky-governor-signs-bill-backed-by-pro-horse-slaughter-group-into-law/

June 12, 2010 by Julie Harker

Bit by bit, there are movements toward bringing horse slaughter back in the U.S.   Karen Freeze, with the Horseman's Council of Illinois, tells Brownfield there are more and more signs, in state governments and elsewhere, that there's a recognition about the importance of the slaughter market for horses.

Go to this link for a 3 minute audio bite - AUDIO: Karen Freeze (3 min. MP3)

(This is a Pro-Slaughter article…please be aware. I absolutely disagree with it!)

This is must read from Canada. It is a very telling article about horse breeders.

http://www.agcanada.com/Article.aspx?ID=23551

Government Action Needed To Protect Horse Breeders

Professional horse breeders have been the most neglected group of agricultural producers by government. We have no representation and have for years been losing massive amounts for every foal produced.

The horse industry in this country is entering crisis status. The policies and practices set in place have started breeders down the path to annihilation. There are segments of the horse industry, no doubt, blissfully unaware and even enjoying current profitability. But it is on a crumbling foundation.

If the current uproar over the horse slaughter plant at Fort MacLeod proves that proper procedures were violated, it would give animal rights activists their final boost to shut down the plant. If so, government regulators responsible for this failure must take responsibility for destroying the industry. The government should be liable for subsequent losses.

CFIA Confronted on Breaking Own Rules as Inhumanity and Dangers of Horse Slaughter Industry Prbed

OTTAWA, June 7 /CNW/ - The Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC) today calls for a thorough performance review of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, while questioning their management role in the monitoring and enforcement of equine slaughterhouses.

Serious animal welfare concerns and potential dangers of horsemeat consumption will be addressed.

"It's troubling that the CFIA promised changes in slaughter practices after a 2008 investigation at Natural Valley Farms in Neudorf, Saskatchewan," states Alex Atamanenko, MP-NDP Agriculture Critic, "yet two years later, we hear that CFIA inspectors were instructed to break their own rules and not be present when firearms were being used to stun horses. Since 2007 there has been no oversight in the stunning areas of equine slaughter plants."

Veterinarian Dr. Debi Zimmermann concurs. "Recent undercover footage at two additional slaughterhouses shows prolonged animal suffering. These actions violate both accepted humane practices as well the CFIA's own regulations. In light of these serious breaches of industry regulations by the CFIA, we need to revisit the auditing process, as well as ensure that actions be taken to enforce regulations, with strict penalties imposed for inflicting cruelty on animals." Dr. Zimmermann also believes that the question as to whether or not horses can be slaughtered humanely deserves consideration.

"It is unacceptable that the Canadian government turned a blind eye to the suffering of horses in slaughter plants," adds Nikolas Gour, campaigner for Humane Society International / Canada. "Canadian investigations clearly demonstrate that horse slaughter is inherently inhumane. The Canadian government must act now to put an end to this cruelty."

Yet animal welfare is not the only concern. "Drugs like phenylbutazone are routinely given to horses for relief of pain and inflammation," states Dr. Ray Kellosalmi, M.D. "Bute is a proven carcinogen which would mean that we are, in fact, guilty of potentially poisoning consumers."

MP Alex Atamanenko, Dr. Zimmermann, and Dr. Kellosalmi will be speaking in the Press Gallery (Charles Lynch Room) beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8, 2010. Mr. Gour will be available to answer questions for French media, and representatives from CHDC will also be in attendance.

For further information: please phone (204) 296-1375,www.defendhorsescanada.org

CBC - Breaking the Rules. Internal CFIA documents exposed from 2007. 3 years of intentionally violating humane slaughter regulations, no inspectors on the kill floor, etc. HUGE!

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/TV_Shows/The_National/ID=1512789968

Since 2005 AQHA Has Spent Nearly $1 Million to Fight Anti-Horse Slau

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Tue Jun 1, 2010 1:21 pm (PDT)
http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/since-2005-aqha-has-spent-nearly-1-million-to-fight-anti-horse-slaugther-legislation/#respond

Since our April release of undercover footage from Bouvry Exports and Richelieu Meats slaughterhouses, we have a few updates including a new article on Canada's horse federations' role in horse welfare, our new flyer, new slaughter statistics, auctions information and info about our new blog!

1. We've prepared a paper on how Canada's horse federations are addressing horse welfare and the slaughter issue. Please follow this link for an eye opening answer to: What You Didn’t Know about Canada’s Horse Federations: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/didyouknow.pdf .

2. We have updated our flyer with revised contact information for the CFIA. Please download it from this link: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/flyerehs.pdf and we encourage you to print, copy and distribute it far and wide.

3. Current horse slaughter statistics are here: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/cdnstats.pdf which shows that despite Canada's reduced number of horse slaughter plants (currently at 4), the numbers are still disturbingly high, with over 1,700 horses a week dying in Canadian slaughter plants.

4. We've updated the rural auctions listings, so you can see when horse auctions will be in your region this year: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/auctionlist.pdf. If you're looking to buy a horse, please consider saving one from auction. Even if you're not buying, we encourage you to visit the auctions to be there to look out for the horses (and other animals). If you see sick, dehydrated, blind or otherwise compromised horses, the organizers should be notified, as well as the veterinarian in charge. Here is an emergency contact list with more information: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/reportingcruelty.pdf. This information is listed under Auction Alert on our website: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/AuctionAlert.html.

Also, if you know of an auction that doesn’t appear on our list please take a moment and email us with the information and we’ll update our listing. Thanks.

5. Finally, we’d like to announce that we’re blogging! We'll be updating regularly at: www.canadianhorsedefencecoalition.wordpress.com.

There will be more to follow on the current investigations, as the news is still unfolding. For now, we wanted to keep you updated on other news and information.

For the horses,

Your friends at the CHDC

www.defendhorsescanada.org

Probing the link between slaughterhouses and violent crime

Posted by: "badgirl_cowgirl_1" badgirl_cowgirl_1@yahoo.com badgirl_cowgirl_1

Sat May 15, 2010 6:58 pm (PDT)
Here's some real good info that gives % increase in crime/costs related to having slaughterhouses in the community. Great ammo to present to states considering a slaughter house. Harley
http://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/2010/05/15/probing-the-link-between-slaughterhouses-and-violent-crime/
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/809521--probing-the-link-between-slaughterhouses-and-violent-crime
When Horse Slaughter Comes to Town: Economic Growth and Community
http://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/when-horse-slaughter-comes-to-town-economic-growth-and-community-image/
http://www.horsefund.org/resources/WhenHorseSlaughterComesToTown_iFH_March2010.pdf

Horse slaughter for human consumption pulled out of Missouri agriculture bill

Representative Jim Viebrock's provision to allow horse slaughter for human consumption was pulled from the agriculture bill yesterday. Had the bill passed, horse slaughter would have been made possible in Missouri again. Viebrock stated he was...

To read the rest of this article, please click on the link below:

http://www.examiner.com/x-25445-Pet-Rescue-Examiner~y2010m5d14-Horse-slaughter-for-human-consumption--pulled-out-of-Missouri-agriculture-bill?cid=email-this-article

Missouri legislators faced with boycott by horse slaughter opponents

It's been all over Facebook and Twitter. Opponents of horse slaughter are prepared to boycott the state of Missouri unless lawmakers denounce Republican Jim Viebrock's bill aimed at establishing plant operations and meat inspection...

To read the rest of this article, please click on the link below:

http://www.examiner.com/x-25445-Pet-Rescue-Examiner~y2010m5d11-Missouri-legislators-faced-with-boycott-by-horse-slaughter-opponents?cid=email-this-article

Please see Laura Allen's article on the committee members that will be responsible for reconciling Missouri's SB 795.

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1160

Faxes and phone calls are the recommended method for contacting the senators.

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-43504-Wichita-Pet-Rescue-Examiner~y2010m5d8-You-can-be-a-voice-on-the-side-of-horses-with-Kansas-legislature

Please send to TN contacts. Thanks.

-----Original Message-----
From: Rich Russom [mailto:rich@russom.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 8:51 AM
To: Rich Russom
Subject: Fw: TN horse slaughter bill dies
Importance: High

TN horse slaughter bill dies

John Holland, founder and president of Equine Welfare Alliance, and Paula Bacon, former mayor of Kaufman, Texas, site of a now closed horse slaughter facility, both testified in opposition to Tennessee state Rep. Frank Niceley’s pro-horse slaughter bill. The bill was withdrawn following the committee hearing.

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/903

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
John Holland
540.268.5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Hardin Montana Says No Thanks to Horse Slaughter Plant

CHICAGO, (EWA) – Montana Representative Ed Butcher’s plan of building a horse slaughter plant in Hardin, MT has ended.

The city of Hardin unanimously passed Ordinance No. 2010-01 that amends the current zoning ordinance to prohibit the slaughter of more than 25 animals in a seven day period. The action effectively bars the building of a slaughter plant in Hardin.

Mayor Kimberly A. Hammond provided the following statement to Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA).

“I have no deluded thoughts or feelings about the need for proper disposal or care of unwanted horses.

As Mayor of a small city, it is my responsibility to make information available to our public, especially when it concerns public safety, health, and how their tax dollars are being spent.

The way our City Industrial Park is set up, a business is required to hook up to City Water and Sewer. A horse slaughter facility running at 200-400 kills a week would have brought our waste water treatment plant to a screaming halt.

Our City would have been forced to construct a new waste water treatment plant that would capacitate the slaughter facility, at the cost of our tax payers. The City most likely would not have been able to get aid with funding a 6-8 million dollar treatment plant.

I, as Mayor had our City Attorney draft an ordinance that prohibited slaughter houses within the city limits. Upon 1st reading, our city council did not like the verbiage that there would be NO slaughter facilities. They thought it was unfair to the small mom and pop operations that could be looking for a commercial plot. So we changed the language to only prohibit facilities that would kill more than twenty-five animals in a 7 day period.

Our decision was based purely on the adverse impact that a facility of this size and nature would have had on our City Waste Water Treatment Plant.“

Mayor Hammond’s concerns were well placed. Horse slaughter plants are notorious for their waste problems. Horses have almost twice as much blood per pound of body weight as cattle and it has proven very difficult to treat. In the three years Cavel International operated in DeKalb, Illinois, their discharge was in violation every month. The operation moved to Saskatchewan, Canada where it was caught discharging blood into the local river from a tanker truck. That operation was shut down last year because of health violations.

EWA applauds the city of Hardin, Montana for this proactive legislation to preserve the environment of their beautiful city.

The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 100 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Horse slaughter in Florida to be a felony after bill passes Senate

Clearing the Senate chambers without one "neigh " vote, Miami Democrat, Representative Luis Garcia's bill which bans transporting, buying, owning, giving out horse meat for human consumption unless meat is marked and stamped for...

To read the rest of this article, please click on the link below:

http://www.examiner.com/x-25445-Pet-Rescue-Examiner~y2010m4d22-Horse-slaughter-in-Florida-to-be-a-felony-after-bill-passes-Senate?cid=email-this-article

Awesome News Courtesy of Animal Angels

Belgian and Dutch consumers were shocked to learn of widespread horse slaughter-related cruelty in North and South America. Undercover video footage aired on three major news programs showed horses designated for slaughter are routinely starved, dehydrated, injured and abused.
Horse meat is commonly available in Belgium and the Netherlands where consumers are almost completely unaware of the cruelties of horse slaughter. Most believe what suppliers claim on their websites, that the meat on their dinner plate comes from contented, grass-eating, healthy horses. The story begins by asking, "Do they [consumers] really know where it comes from?
The 8½ minute news segment was produced by GAIA, a respected animal welfare organization from Belgium, with much of the footage provided by Animals' Angels USA. The dire conditions of horses at slaughter plants, feedlots and markets in Mexico, Brazil and the U.S., have generated talk of boycotts and moratoriums on the import of horse meat from these countries.

Viewers are told "Cruelty goes hand in hand with incompetence" , as undercover video shows a worker knowingly crushing the lower leg of a live horse as he forces the iron gate of an overcrowded trailer shut.

An English version of the story is available on youtube:
http://www.youtube. com/user/ GAIAforanimalrig hts#p/u/0/ DyaF65cPqQU

Consumers responding on television websites demanded action. "They [importers] told us the meat is of superior quality because the animals live a life of luxury and freedom on green pastures...well cared for with plenty of food. But it's a horrible lie."
On importer Chevideco's website, horses are said to be treated with respect and to live without stress. An accompanying photograph depicts well-proportioned horses standing knee deep in grass. Importer such as Visser & van Walsum make similar claims.

Within hours of the story's broadcast, supermarkets responded with promises to investigate. Delhaize, the second largest retailer in Belgium asked their supplier to remove affected meat from their shelves. Two other major grocers have told consumers they do not import horse meat from outside Europe
Fenavian, the Federation of Meat Producers in Belgium, issued a response denying any wrongdoing and offering reassurances that adherence to safety and European Union animal welfare rules were standard practice.
"However, the evidence is quite overwhelming, " said Sonja Meadows, president of Animals Angels U.S. "Up until recently, officials may have been able to claim that to their knowledge, the animals were treated properly. But now such claims are quite obviously false. Unfortunately we have plenty of documentation to prove that animals caught up in the horse slaughter pipeline are horribly abused."
Animals' Angels' began focusing efforts on the issue of European consumers' awareness about horse slaughter in November 2009 after meeting with the European Commission. AA shared with committee members evidence of extreme cruelty uncovered at Mexican horse slaughter plants, U.S. feedlots and government export facilities. AA filed an official complaint with the commission soon after the meeting.
Last month Gaia asked Animals' Angels for footage from Mexico and the U.S. to help with a European campaign to publicize the conditions endured by horses in the slaughter pipeline. Gaia had recently finished undercover investigations in South America and had gathered their own ample evidence of brutality.
Other organizations in the Netherlands and France are also launching consumer awareness campaigns. Most national and regional newspapers have published the story and photographs. Fueled by concerns from both consumers and animal welfare advocates, many more European news outlets are expected to pick up the story.
"I really doubt I'll ever eat horse meat again," said one man. "They may say they fixed the problem, but I'll never trust them again."

Tennessee Horse Processing Bill Advances

Posted by: "Marge" redmm97@cox.net redmm97

Thu Apr 15, 2010 12:05 pm (PDT)
Tennessee Horse Processing Bill Advances
by: Pat Raia
April 08 2010, Article # 16148
A bill that would allow horse processing plant development in Tennessee advanced yesterday when members of the state's House Finance Subcommittee passed it by a slim 7-6 margin. The measure now moves on for full Finance, Ways and Means and Budget Committee consideration.
HB 1428 directs the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to establish licensing, inspection, operational regulations, and fees for horse processing plants in that state. The bill also insulates prospective plant developers from permit and licensing challenges and awards attorney and court fees to plaintiffs in cases courts deem harassing or without merit.
The Tennessee bill mirrors a measure (HB 418) that became law in Montana last year, said sponsor Rep. Frank Niceley.
A companion bill, SB 1898, remains in a state Senate committee.
Tennessee is one of several states where horse processing legislation is either pending or has passed.
Last week the Missouri House of Representatives passed HB 1747. That bill establishes horse processing plant operation and meat inspection regulations and requires plant operators to pay registration and processing fees to underwrite meat inspection costs.
Meanwhile, Florida lawmakers are considering twin bills SB 1708 and HB 0765 that would make it a felony to slaughter horses and sell their meat for human consumption.
A Wyoming bill HB 122 allowing state livestock to process abandoned horses and sell their meat to prisons and other state institutions was signed into law last month.

http://www.canada.com/faces+jail+time+over+horrific+transport+horses+destined+slaughter/2908474/story.html

EWA ALERT!

We have learned today, that YouTube has pulled the investigation footage of the slaughter plants in Canada for violation of terms of use. As a show of solidarity with our partners, Canadian Horse Defence Coalition, we are asking that everyone with a website or social network page such as Facebook, post a link on their home page to the videos on the CHDC site -http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/ChambersofCarnage.html

The question we have is... If it is inappropriate to view what is happening to our horses, why is Congress allowing the practice to continue?

We will be issuing a press release shortly and would appreciate you replying to this email when you have posted the link so we have an idea of the participation.

Thank you.

From: Debra Lopez

Hello Everyone, Please help us send this letter to the President and crosspost far and wide.

Thank You.

Americans Against Horse Slaughter

--

Dear Friends,

Please take a moment to send this following letter to the President and then crosspost far and wide!

Thanks for all you do for the horses

Americans Against Horse Slaughter

Dear President Obama,

What would Lincoln do?

No matter the politics of Horse Slaughter in America , there’s one thing that both sides cannot deny, our horses are suffering daily.

Mr. President, if you admired President Lincoln, then you surely must have known about his deep compassion for animals.

Illinois politician William Pitt Kellogg recalled: “Next to his political sagacity, his broad humanitarianism was one of his most striking characteristics.

Historian Charles B. Strozier noted that “ Lincoln ’s lifelong sympathy for animals...was hardly the norm for the frontier.” [1]

Abe Lincoln loved children and animals and often preached against cruelty to animals.

Did you know that when the white House stables caught fire in 1863, President Lincoln had to be restrained from entering the burning structure to rescue six trapped horses?

Mr. President, even you wrote about Lincoln ’s self-awareness and his humility in one of your books. Surely, Mr. President, you must have known about his compassion for animals.

If you admired President Lincoln, you must have known that pardoning the Turkey each Thanksgiving is part of Lincoln’s legacy?

Mr. President, even the theme of your Inauguration was taken from a line in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address:

“A New Birth of Freedom”

Please Mr. President, please end the suffering of our American horses and give them their freedom and the respectable quality of life they deserve.

President Lincoln once said, "I am not bound to win, but I'm bound to be true. I'm not bound to succeed, but I'm bound to live up to what light I have."

Be true Mr. President… What would Lincoln do?

Americans’ Against Horse Slaughter

AmericansAgainstHorseSlaughter.com

Willie Nelson speaks out against slaughter in Tennessee:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100407/NEWS0201/4070362/Willie+Nelson+fires+back+over+horse+slaughter+bill

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