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FEDERAL LEGISLATION & REGULATIONH.R. 503/ S. 727 The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009Click here for full issue brief This legislation would prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption. The legislation does not adequately address the following issues: disposition of affected horses, animal welfare/standards of care for retirement and rescue facilities, costs related to the care of the horses, and environmental concerns related to horse carcass disposal. Status: H.R. 503 was introduced on 1/14/09 and was referred to the committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. S. 727 was introduced on 3/26/09 and referred to the committee on the Judiciary. Background information on Horse Processing: The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that 102,260 horses were euthanized for processing in this country alone in 2006, the last year that the U.S. horse processing plants were open for an entire fiscal year. The total number of U.S. origin horses processed in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, increased from 138,206 in 2006 to 140,911 in 2007. Presently the processing plants are closed in the U.S. and the only option for many of today’s unwanted horses remains processing at a facility in Mexico or Canada. Since the 2007 U.S. plant closures, the number of horses being abused, neglected and abandoned, according to many reports, has increased. In the state of Colorado alone, equine cruelty investigations increased by 40 percent in 2007, according to the Colorado Unwanted Horse Alliance’s “Colorado Unwanted Horse Environmental Assessment” of 2008. U.S. horse trade has experienced a significant shift since the closure of the domestic horse processing facilities. USDA estimates that U.S. exports of horses to Mexico for processing increased from 11,080 head in 2006 to 58,731 in 2008, a 430 percent increase, and exports to Canada rose from 24,866 head in 2006 to 49,895 head in 2008, a 100 percent increase. Issues with H.R. 503 & S. 727:
Address the Root Cause, Not the Symptom: The horse industry is addressing the situation. The Unwanted Horse Coalition was initiated in 2006 and now operates under the umbrella of the American Horse Council. The mission of the Coalition is to explore ways to reduce the number of unwanted horses and to improve their welfare through education and the efforts of organizations committed to the health, safety and responsible care of the horse. Owner education is a focal point. The UHC also offers an online directory of facilities in the U.S. that provide placement options for unwanted horses. GAO Study of Horse Welfare: On October 8, 2009, the Senate passed the final version of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 (H.R.2997). The House of Representatives approved the bill the previous day. This bill provides funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for fiscal year 2010 and contains two provisions of interest to the horse industry. The conference agreement accompanying this bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the status of horse welfare as it relates to the closing of horse slaughter plants in the United States. The agreement requests the GAO to issue a report by March 1, 2010, on the current state of horse welfare in the US since horse slaughter facilities were closed. The GAO is instructed to consider how the horse industry has responded to the plant closings in terms of exports, horse sales, adoptions, and abandonments. In addition the GAO is instructed to review the impact the closures have had on farm income and state and local government organizations. Resources:
Expert Predictions on Equine Welfare Realized The Unwanted Horse Issue in the United States and the Implications, written by Tom Lenz, DVM Article on the United States prohibition of horse slaughter, written by Dr. Terry Whiting, Chair of the CVMA Animal Welfare Committee and published in the November 2007 issue of The Canadian Veterinary Journal: Click here to read more (PDF) NCSL - Ag & Energy Committee - Horse Industry Resolution – Adopted The State of the Horse Industry Since the Closing of the Horse Harvesting Facilities Take Action: The state of equine welfare in the United States has suffered since the closure of the processing plants with no provisions put into place, many supporting a federal bill have indicated that this is not the case. Following are some articles regarding the situation: Thirty Horses Rescued in Mill City (OR) Thirty one horses rescued, six euthanized (OH) More Horses Face Abandonment in Wake of Economy (CattleNetwork) Recession Victims: Horse Being Abandoned (Fox New) Hard Times for Horses (CA) |