Photo by Cindi Eveleigh
SENATE RE-INTRODUCES Bill S-1176
to PERMANENTLY BAN HORSE SLAUGHTER
Sponsors: Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) & Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Text of the bill is not yet available from the government printing office: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s112-1176
The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 (S. 1176)
Sponsored by:Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA)/Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
The Problem: Somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 horses/year are exported from the United States each year with the intent to slaughter for human consumption.
There are no horse slaughterhouses in the United States, and there is not a demand for horse meat in the United States. Two out three Americans believe the practice of horse slaughter is unnecessary and inhumane. Transport to foreign slaughterhouses is lengthy and cruel.
Horses in the United States differ from other livestock in that they have never been raised for the purpose of slaughter. As such, they are frequently treated with drugs that are toxic when ingested by humans and not approved for use in animals raised for human consumption. Additionally, we have no system in the United States to track which medications a horse has received throughout its lifetime, which makes horse meat a serious food safety/American food export risk.
The Solution: The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 amends the Horse Protection Act (HPA) to prohibit the sale or transport of horses or equine parts in interstate or foreign commerce with the intent of processing for human consumption.
Most Common Fallacies:
Horses going to slaughter are old and are infirm. The USDA has estimated that 92.3% of the horses going to slaughter are healthy, sound, and in “good” condition.
Without slaughtering, we will have up to 100,000 unwanted horses. Some horses that end up at slaughter are stolen or sold to “killer-buyers” unwittingly or illegally.
The Truth About Horse Slaughter and Stolen Horses
In 1998, when California banned horse slaughter, horse theft went down by 34%. Horse owners will buy some of these horses, horse rescue facilities will absorb some, and others will be humanely euthanized.
It is expensive to euthanize and dispose of a horse. The average cost for humane euthanasia and disposal of a horse is approximately $225, which is about the same cost as one month’s care. Ninety percent of the horses that die each year are humanely euthanized and/or safely disposed, so this additional ten percent is not a burden. Brutal slaughter is not an appropriate alternative.
The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 is endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States, the Animal Welfare Institute, and the ASPCA.”
PLEASE contact your Senators and urge them to support this bill~ THIS IS SO URGENT!
LOOK HERE FOR INFO ON CONTACTING SENATORS
http://www.contactingthecongress.org/ http://www.gotfreefax.com/ SEND A FREE FAX You can see a list of the cosponsors here: http://www.thomas.gov (enter S1176)CURRENT CO-SPONSORS: (as of Friday June 10, 2011)
Sen Akaka, Daniel K. [HI] – 6/9/2011
Sen Begich, Mark [AK] – 6/9/2011
Sen Brown, Scott P. [MA] – 6/9/2011
Sen Carper, Thomas R. [DE] – 6/9/2011
Sen Collins, Susan M. [ME] – 6/9/2011
Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY] – 6/9/2011
Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC] – 6/9/2011
Sen Kirk, Mark Steven [IL] – 6/9/2011
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [NJ] – 6/9/2011
Sen Levin, Carl [MI] – 6/9/2011
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] – 6/9/2011
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] – 6/9/2011
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [MD] – 6/9/2011
Sen Sanders, Bernard [VT] – 6/9/2011
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] – 6/9/2011
Hippies for Horses 
Hey Hippies 🙂
The other day, I figured out a great way to keep up with your state’s congressmen and senators if you use Facebook… Most of the politicians these days have come into the 21st century and have become social network friendly. I live in Texas, so it took a little longer than I expected, but for most, finding your government reps on FB shouldn’t take long. Either like their pages or friend them and it gives you the option to receive their updates which are quite informative as to where they stand on the current issues. It is also a direct line to other constituents in your area or state to help spread the word!
As always, stay safe!
T.
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Not only do group members belong to the facebook pages of elected officials but also of the ‘friendly’ journalists who often report on the BLM and other Wild Horses and Burro issues. Other tools to use to track what elected officals are doing in Congress are http://www.congress.org and http://www.thomas.gov.
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Thank you for this important post. My friend called from So. MD today. Lynda Ireland has a horse farm. I didn’t know anything about this Bill until she told me. I was on it in a New York Minute once I read your post. Keep up the good work. I will contact WI representatives and congressman tomorrow to hopefully gain support to kill this terrible Bill.
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The horse industry is better off without those owners/breeders/trainers that are so incompetent and/or corrupt they have to send the horses they ruin to slaughter in order to stay in business: Please take a look at and share the information below and get the SAFE act passed!!
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There is a lot of good information in this post but keep in mind, this post is was from 2011. The Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2013 bill numbers are: Senate: S541; House of Representatives: HR1094.
If you are on facebook, check out this page:
https://www.facebook.com/SAFEActS541Hr1094
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Which is why I thought I’d add an up to date source of info to your post as my “lies’ post is current with working links..
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Thank you for sharing 🙂
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