Horse welfare and economic impact cited as top reasons to dismiss
legislation
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a "Dear Colleague"
letter issued today by leadership of the House Committee on Agriculture and
the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Reps. Collin Peterson
(D-Minn.), John Dingell (D-Mich.), Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), and Joe Barton
(R-Texas) urge fellow Members of Congress to vote against legislation that
proposes a ban on slaughtering (processing) horses for human consumption.
The letter follows:
The Nation's Veterinarians and County Government Officials Agree:
Closing U.S. Horse Processing Plants Will Cost Taxpayers Millions,
Make Conditions Worse for 100,000 Additional Unwanted Horses
January 25, 2007
Dear Colleague,
Last year, the House Committee on Agriculture overwhelmingly rejected
the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act by a vote of 37-3. We strongly
encourage you not to co-sponsor the legislation that has been reintroduced
in the 110th Congress. This legislation, which is being promoted by PETA
and the Humane Society of the United States, is bad for horse welfare, bad
for animal agriculture, and bad for the U.S. economy.
Unwanted Horses are an Unfortunate Reality
Every year in this country there are tens of thousands of unwanted
horses abandoned, just as there are millions of healthy, but abandoned cats
and dogs. As is the case with abandoned cats and dogs, the Nation's
infrastructure of animal rescue facilities for horses is already overrun.
No one has any idea how 90,000 or more unwanted horses that currently go to
the processing plants will be cared for if the plants are closed. That's
90,000 additional unwanted horses every year. What we do know is that it
will cost millions of dollars that are not budgeted in the legislation.
Millions of cats and dogs are humanely euthanized each year. But
disposal of unwanted horses is not as simple as disposal of unwanted cats
and dogs. It's illegal in many states to bury horses because they are
vectors for West Nile virus.
Horse owners who can no longer care for their horses face a difficult
choice. They can hire a veterinarian to euthanize the animal and dispose of
it at a cost of several hundred dollars. They can try to find adoptive
homes. They can sell the horses at auction. Or they can sell the horses
directly to one of the processing plants. The choice is up to the owners,
and we believe ALL of these options should be available to them.
Strict Federal Laws Already Assure Humane Treatment
The United States is the only country in the world that has regulations
that protect horses during transportation to processing plants. Once at the
plants, the USDA, by law, inspects every horse and assures each animal is
treated humanely. USDA inspectors are required to shut down the plants in
the event of any violation of humane standards. The Humane Society of the
United States and other animal welfare organizations helped shape these
laws.
A United Front against Bad Legislation
Over 200 national, state, and local horse owner organizations, humane
groups, and state and county government associations oppose the American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act because they know that the processing plants
serve a vital function in assuring a humane, federally supervised
end-of-life option for unwanted horses.
The groups opposed to the bill include the Nation's largest and most
prestigious animal medicine groups such as, American Veterinary Medical
Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners; state and
county government organizations including the National Association of
Counties and the National Association of State Agriculture Departments; the
vast majority of the nation's horse owner organizations, including the
American Quarter Horse Association, the Tennessee Walking Horse Association
and the American Paint Horse Association; and animal agriculture groups,
such as the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, and the National Chicken
Council.
Study: Banning Horse Slaughter Will Cost over $500 Million within Five
Years
A study conducted by a number of land grant university professors,
entitled "The Unintended Consequences of a Ban on Horse Slaughter in the
United States," released last year, found that if the plants had been
closed in 2000, the cumulative annual cost to taxpayers to care for these
unwanted horses would have exceeded $500 million just five years later.
Please see http://www.commonhorsesense.com to download the study and find
copies of the existing regulations, a complete list of the organizations
that oppose this legislation, and other facts and figures that explain why
this is bad legislation.
In closing, please give careful consideration to any legislation that
would ban the slaughter of horses in the United States. We would be happy
to provide you with additional information or answer any questions. The
future of American agriculture is at stake.
Sincerely,
COLLIN C. PETERSON JOHN D. DINGELL
Chairman, Chairman,
Committee on Agriculture Committee on Energy and Commerce
BOB GOODLATTE JOE BARTON
Ranking Minority Member, Ranking Minority Member,
Committee on Agriculture Committee on Energy and Commerce
SOURCE http://www.CommonHorseSense.com
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Related links:
http://www.commonhorsesense.com
CONTACT:
David Sheon, +1-202-518-6321, for
http://www.CommonHorseSense.com
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