Oppose Any Effort to Allow Horse Slaughter in the U.S.!

Dear Animal Advocates, Great news! Congress is busy setting the federal budget for fiscal year 2013, and on June 19, Rep. Jim Moran’s amendment to block use of taxpayer dollars for horse slaughter inspections was approved by the House Appropriations Committee! This is a great victory for horses, but unless we fight to keep this prohibition in the Agriculture Appropriations bill, horse slaughter plants may return to the U.S. The next step is for the entire U.S. House of Representatives to vote on the Agriculture Appropriations bill. The vote will happen this coming Tuesday (June 26). You can help us change the course of history by contacting your federal representative TODAY and urging him or her to oppose any new amendment that would allow horse slaughter in the U.S. The Agriculture Appropriations bill has included a prohibition on federal funding for horse slaughter inspections every year since 2005—until last year, when Congress failed to include language banning inspections. As a result, precious tax dollars are now at risk of supporting the return of this barbaric practice. The pro-slaughter industry is hard at work looking for locations around the country to set up shop and lobbying intensely against efforts to defund horse slaughter. We must stay committed to this fight and ensure that Capitol Hill continues to hear our message to protect horses! _____________________________________________________________________________ As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to oppose any amendment to the FY13 Agriculture Appropriations bill that would allow taxpayer dollars to be spent on horse slaughter inspections. It is important to me that Congress prohibits the funding of horse slaughter inspections. Horse slaughter is cruelty; it is not humane euthanasia. Horses are not bred or raised as food animals, and putting them through a slaughter process intended for other species leads to serious injuries. In years past, USDA inspectors documented rampant violations and terrible cruelties at U.S. horse slaughterhouses. U.S. horse meat is also unfit for human consumption because of the uncontrolled administration of hundreds of dangerous drugs to horses before slaughter. The FDA expressly prohibits the administration of many of these drugs to animals intended for human consumption because of their potentially fatal effects in humans. Furthermore, horse slaughter plants pollute ground water, lower property values, foul the air, drain local economies, and damage the environment. A 2012 national poll found that 80% of Americans oppose horse slaughter. At a time when tax dollars are being stretched and funding for vital programs is being cut, spending money to inspect horse meat for foreign markets is a terrible idea. Our horses should not be abused to profit foreign industry--and we certainly should not have to foot the bill.