Committee on Natural Resources

Lawmakers reintroduce legislation with large original cosponsorship

WASHINGTON (Jan. 17, 2007) – Today, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act was introduced in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to ban the slaughter of American horses for human consumption overseas. The Senate bill was introduced by Mary Landrieu (D-La.), and John Ensign (R-Nev.), and the House bill, H.R. 503, was introduced by Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), John Spratt (D-S.C.), and Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.).

The bill has 61 House original cosponsors and 11 Senate original cosponsors. Both bills clearly command majority support in both chambers of Congress, and nearly all of the leaders in Congress – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) – have favored the ban on horse slaughter.

This action comes just after 100,800 American horses were slaughtered in the three foreign-owned equine slaughterhouses in the United States, according to year-end figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At least another 33,400 were exported to Canada, Mexico, and Japan for slaughter. Adding in the approximately 4,000 horses imported from Canada, the total number of horses caught in the slaughter pipeline for this time period exceeds 139,000.

“Every day the Congress waits, there will be more torment and more suffering for America’s horses,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “The horse is an American icon, and it is a betrayal of our responsibility to these animals to treat them like cheap commodities and send them to foreign-owned companies for slaughter.  All we ask of leaders in Congress is for a fair up or down vote on the issue.”

Despite strong bipartisan support in the last Congress, including passage in the House in September by a landslide vote of 263 to 146, the Senate failed to act on the bill before adjourning, partly because of the obstructionist efforts of Montana Senator Conrad Burns, who was defeated in his reelection bid.   

“The slaughter of horses is both cruel and inhumane, and it is our responsibility to ensure that it no longer occurs,” Sen. Landrieu said. “As a lifelong equestrian, I was proud to cosponsor legislation to ban horse slaughter in the 109^th Congress and I am proud to be the lead sponsor of the legislation in the 110^th.”

Supporters of the slaughter ban reject the claim by the industry that slaughter is “humane euthanasia.” In fact, The HSUS documented the cruelty and abuse last fall, when investigators followed “killer buyers” transporting horses thousands of miles from auctions to feedlots to interstate highways. They also documented a barbaric method of slaughter on a kill floor in Juarez, Mexico. Here, where thousands of American horses are “stunned” by stabbing with short knives – a method that leaves them paralyzed and unable to breathe – the animals are still sensible to pain as they are hoisted up by a chain and their throats slit.

Footage from domestic plants taken by HSUS investigators also demonstrates cruelties ranging from harsh conditions that allow for days of transport with no food, water, or rest before arriving to the actual killing floor. Once there, a captive bolt gun to the brain is used to render the skittish animals unconscious, but because this method is uniquely unsuitable for horses in a frightening situation, multiple blows may be required. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act will bar the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the U.S. as well as the export of horses for slaughter in other countries.

“The time has come to put an end to the practice of slaughtering horses in America,” said Sen. Ensign, one of two veterinarians in Congress.  “Horses have an important role in the history of our country, particularly the West, and they deserve our protection. As a senator and a veterinarian, I am committed to doing what I can for these magnificent animals.”

The HSUS is joined by members of Congress, the National Show Horse Registry, National Thoroughbred Racing Association, National Steeplechase Association, Churchill Downs, and more than 500 endorsing organizations along with the majority of Americans in support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

"From the farms of Illinois to the blue grass of Kentucky to the ranches of the West, horses are an essential, defining part of the American landscape," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky.  "For too long, our government has allowed foreign corporations to slaughter tens of thousands of horses each year so that they can be consumed overseas.  The vast majority of Americans believe that horse slaughter should be outlawed. Joined by members of both parties and with the support of hundreds of animal welfare and agricultural organizations, I'm introducing legislation to ban this shameful practice."

“A significant number of the 100,000 American horses being slaughtered for human consumption every year were stolen and not “unwanted,” as opponents of this bill claim,” said Rep. Whitfield, the Republican leader on H.R. 503. “The American public overwhelmingly opposes horse slaughter, and I urge my colleagues to support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act to end this cruel and brutal practice once and for all."

Media Contact: Polly Shannon: 301-721-6440 or 703-283-5104, pshannon@hsus.org

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation’s largest animal protection organization with nearly 10 million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammals, animals in research, equine protection, and farm animal welfare. The HSUS protects all animals through education, investigation, litigation, legislation, advocacy and field work. The nonprofit organization is based in Washington and has field representatives and offices across the country. On the web at  www.humanesociety.org .

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