FEDERAL LEGISLATION & REGULATION

Federal

H.R. 503/ S. 727 The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009

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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:

• Long-term placement of affected horses. H.R. 503 and S. 727 fail to address how and where unwanted horses will be placed and cared for. If H.R. 503 and S. 727 are passed, tens of thousands of U.S. horses will need to be placed in alternative homes, or be euthanized and disposed of properly. While there are equine rescue and retirement facilities that provide homes for unwanted horses, their capacities range from five horses to, in a few cases, a maximum of 1,000 horses. The average capacity at most facilities, however, is approximately 30 horses or less. Thus, based on 2007 total processing figures, in the first year alone of a processing or transportation for processing ban, assuming an average capacity of 30 horses per facility, approximately 4,697 equine rescue facilities would be needed. The likelihood of such increased and enhanced efforts based on the personnel, space (acreage and water), facilities and finances to support such efforts is unrealistic.
• Funding of care for unwanted horses. H.R. 503/S.727 does not the address the funding required to care for, euthanize or dispose of tens of thousands of horses per year. Assuming an average cost of $6 per day to provide a horse’s basic needs (food, water, shelter, land and basic health care), the funding needed per year, per horse, is approximately $2,300.

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.

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