House Committee On Agriculture Voted Overwhelmingly To Discharge A Bill To End The Option For Owners Of Unwanted Horses To Send Them To Slaughter

This is a separate bill from the Horse slaughter measure, but related. In essence, it would have prevented horses from even ending up in slaughterhouses to begin with. Hence, making horse slaughter for food not possible. But, of course, this was heavily defeated. You’ll notice that in addition to ranchers, organizations that actually are supposed to care for Horses opposed it! Care for Horses yet slaughter them?

For more on the related Horse slaughter legislation see http://geari.blogspot.com/2006/07/more-on-us-
horse-slaughter-legislation_26.html

Article:

House Ag Panel Votes to Unfavorably Discharge Horse Slaughter

http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-
national.cfm?Id=1467&yr=2006

USAgNet - 07/28/2006

The House Committee on Agriculture voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to unfavorably discharge HR 503, a bill that seeks to end the option for owners of unwanted horses to send their livestock to processing plants. The vote was 37 to 3.

"This is the most important vote you will cast this year pertaining to livestock and the livestock industry and agriculture in this country," Stenholm told his former colleagues. "It has broad implications for the '07 Farm Bill, and its budget ramifications are tremendous -- more than $1 billion a year over the next five years."

According to testimony, only 6,000 spaces exist in the nation's unregulated patched network of horse rescue facilities, and the vast majority of them are already full. The bill offers no provision for what should happen with the anticipated 60,000 to 90,000 unwanted horses that currently are sent to processing every year. The American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners and 60 horse, animal welfare, and agriculture organizations oppose the measure.

Former Ranking Minority Member Charles Stenholm (D-Texas) offered sharp criticism of the animal rights supporters of the bill, calling out their tactics.