PasoVoice.Com :: Horse Slaughter Bill Moves on to House

caliber · Site Admin

Horse Slaughter Bill Moves on to House
by: Pat Raia
September 24 2008, Article # 12751

The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has passed H.R. 6598, a measure known as the "Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2008."

This bill prohibits transport, sale, delivery, or export of horses for slaughter for human consumption. It also criminalizes the purchase, sale, delivery, or export of horsemeat intended for human consumption. Supporters praise the bill for banning the export of horses to processing plants in Canada and Mexico.

"The bill passed by voice vote on Sept. 23," said Judiciary Committee Communications Director Jonathan Godfrey. "The next step is introduction on the House floor."

The bill was introduced in July by Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. John C. Conyers, (D-Mich.).

Violators would face fines and/or one year imprisonment for a first offense or one involving five or fewer horses, and fines and/or three years imprisonment for repeat offenses or those involving more than five horses. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Customs would be responsible for enforcing the measure.

Read H.R. 6598.

Jane Hurl

You know where I stand on this, Felix. It's one of my hot buttons.

All I can say is "Absolutely fucking brilliant. Now even MORE horses get to suffer miserably and for longer periods of time."

caliber · Site Admin

I hear you Jane.

britzlove

Who has read the entire text? Who knows how many more people were convicted of crimes and sentenced to jail this year prior to last, or how many were prohibited from owning animals and fined?

Who supports someone making designer mutts and calling them something worth lots of dough? Who thinks it's OK to breed cheap stud to cheap incorrect mare, and call the result wonderful because you can lie to enough people to fall for it?

It doesn't make more horses suffer, hiding the evidence, that makes horses suffer.

No one, not ever has ever been able to argue me down on this, if you restrict ownership through price, you restrict bad ownership. If you put criminals in jail, or fine them out of existence, you stop things.

Jane, if you want to come and say, I want you people to keep slaughtering horses so my friends can keep a market for their mediocre horses, go ahead. But I'm not going to let it pass that more horses suffer.

Not one person is ever saying make slaughter for profit illegal and establish programs for euthanasia. If you stop paying for horse meat, breeding just a horse with go down.

Don't come here and champion the slaughter industry, and also support the breeders who keep producing crap.

Jane Hurl

I don't champion breeders of any kind.
I am pragmatic.
I know that there are hundreds of thousands of unwanted horses, and I know they have to die somehow. I would rather they go to a slaughter facility than die because some moron turned them loose and they died of starvation or got hit by a transport. While it is not a "nice" thought for horse lovers, it is by far a better alternative.

I know this is an unpopular stand but: horses are livestock. Livestock is for eating. There is no difference between slaughtering a horse than slaughtering a cow, pig, lamb or chicken.

So if you're going to stop the slaughter of horses, why not stop the slaughter of cattle, pigs, chickens and such while you're at it? It makes as much sense.

britzlove

There are a bunch of educational threads about the origin of this breed, about great horses in this breed, people in this breed.

It makes me mad to no end that there's so much activity on threads which have no constructive purpose.

This discussion has been done to death elsewhere and there are places for discussing this subject. I won't bite anymore.

Jane Hurl

I'm with you on that thought, Britz. Now let's go have a dandy day. Cheers.

caliber · Site Admin

A Dramatic Rescue for Doomed Wild Horses of the West

Mustangs in a federally maintained herd in Nevada. (By Bonnie Jo Mount -- The Washington Post)
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Currently, there are just over 30,000 horses awaiting adoption in holding facilities like this one at the National Wild Horse and Burro Center at Palomino Valley, in Nevada. (Photos By Bonnie Jo Mount -- The Washington Post)
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Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, November 18, 2008; Page A01

The unwanted horses seemed destined for death. The wheels had been set in motion to put down about 2,000 healthy mustangs, those in a federally maintained herd of wild horses and burros that no one wanted to adopt.

The Bureau of Land Management knew that euthanasia was a legal alternative, but officials were proceeding slowly, afraid of an intense public outcry. The wild horses had become too expensive to maintain, and cattlemen argued that turning them loose would be a drain on the already scarce grazing lands of the West.

Then yesterday, at a public hearing in Reno, Nev., to discuss the issue, a solution arrived on a white horse, so to speak.

Madeleine Pickens, wife of billionaire T. Boone Pickens, made known her intentions to adopt not just the doomed wild horses but most or all of the 30,000 horses and burros kept in federal holding pens. Lifelong animal lovers, the Pickenses just a few years ago led the fight to close the last horse slaughterhouse in the United States.

Madeleine Pickens is looking for land in the West that would be an appropriate home for the horses.

She is working with the BLM staff to adopt the horses, said Henri Bisson, the bureau's deputy director, while the agency persuades Congress to shift $20 million in funding to feed and protect the horses now in captivity for another year. As backup to Pickens's offer, he said, two other groups, both animal rescue organizations, have expressed similar interest in adoption. "We are very hopeful that euthanasia won't be necessary this year," he said.

The news that Pickens and others intend to adopt the wild horses and burros was celebrated by animal rights groups, several of which were preparing legal challenges to prevent the government from putting the horses to death.

"Of course, I'm thrilled, obviously, that these horses are getting a reprieve," said Shelley Sawhook, president of the American Horse Defense Fund. "At the same time, we need to address the basic issue of how these animals got in this position in the first place."

Bisson said policymakers have to resolve the conflict between a law that permits euthanasia and a nation that is opposed to it. "This is a situation where we have to have a conversation about what the law requires," he said. "We're hearing from members of Congress they don't think euthanasia is an appropriate solution, but the law says, 'You shall.' " If people don't like what the law says, they need to address it. We hope we will find homes for all of these animals before the year is out and Congress will decide what it wants to do about the law."

Long an American icon and inspiration for song and story, the wild horse has special protection under a 1971 law. The federal statute calls wild horses "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" that should be "protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death." But the same law also requires the government to achieve "appropriate management levels" of roaming horses so they don't overwhelm federal lands -- and that's the part that has been vexing for bureau officials.

About 33,000 horses still roam wild on federal lands in 10 Western states. About half of those are in Nevada. The federal agency believes the range can accommodate only about 27,000 horses, and each year government-hired cowboys round up 7,000 to 13,000 horses and take them to holding pens in several states.

Right now, there are just over 30,000 horses in holding facilities awaiting adoption. Those 10 or older or those who have not been adopted after three tries can be sold without restriction under 2004 legislation.

Jane Hurl

My hat is off to Madeline Pickens (whoever the apparently very wealthy Pickenses are).

The Professional

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/PersonOfWeek/story?id=6307278&page=1

caliber · Site Admin

Mrs. Pickens....... has earned my respect. I cant wait to also see the ONE MILLION acre property! WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!

Thanks for sharing such IMPORTANT link with us.

The Professional

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3YrZVKAcvc

Jane Hurl

I won't watch that crap any more. (The very sensational Mexican slaughter scenes.) There is no good reason to show such scenes.

There is no good reason that it became necessary to send horses south of the US border. There were perfectly good slaughter facilities in the USA. They were as humane as slaughter can ever be. There are perfectly good slaughter facilities in Canada still. Horses don't HAVE to be sent to the Mexican plants to be butchered.

Please stop trying to get me in an uproar over something that the general population of your country created in the first place.

britzlove

Why is it you are rarely heard from unless you are arguing about slaughter?

Let me tell you what it all boils down to, "We the people of the United States of America" by majority wish for the plants to remain closed, we wish for the bad people to go to jail.

Now perhaps we can't get our legislators to listen all the time, obviously recent economic decisions have shown that, but, that is the case.

Whow knows, we've righted other wrongs in this country, we could still surprise people and get this right.

caliber · Site Admin

Jane! have you visited Canadians Plants, and if so, can we see a video clip?