U.S. S. 1176/H.R. 2966—American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011
Sponsors: Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC); Reps. Dan Burton (R-IN) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
ASPCA Position: Support
Action Needed: Email your U.S. senators and urge them to cosponsor the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 1176) and call the White House message line at (202) 456-1111 to ask the administration to stop horse slaughter!
Now more than ever, it is critical that we do all we can to get Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. If passed, this legislation would achieve two things: It would prohibit the export of our horses to other countries for slaughter, and it would completely ban horse slaughter for human consumption in the United States. While there is currently no commercial horse slaughter occurring in the U.S., proponents are working to resume it. Unless citizens object, horses may soon be commercially slaughtered in our communities for human consumption overseas. A slaughter facility in New Mexico has already applied for government approval to slaughter horses.
Eighty percent of Americans are strongly against horse slaughter—we don’t raise horses for food or eat horse meat. Horse slaughter benefits only those who profit by catering to overseas specialty markets. This industry has no regard for the welfare of our nation’s horses or the communities we call home.
This isn’t a “necessary evil,” it is just evil. Horse slaughter is not humane and it is not euthanasia. The USDA found that more than 92% of all horses sent to slaughter are in good condition! Many horses sent to slaughter would have gone to good homes or sanctuaries had they not fallen into the hands of “kill buyers” who outbid potential adopters. Before the last U.S. horse slaughterhouses closed in 2007, USDA investigative documents revealed routine brutality at these facilities. Those same horrific practices will resume if horse slaughter plants reopen on U.S. soil.
Horse slaughter plants are not clean/green enterprises. They are an economic and environmental nightmare: Polluting local water supplies, lowering property values, and filling the air with a foul stench. Five years after the closure of a horse slaughter plant in Kaufman, Texas, the community is still trying to recover from the damage that the plant caused.
What You Can Do
Enter your zip code in the box below to contact your state’s two U.S. senators. Thank them if they have cosponsored S. 1176 or, if they have not, urge them to cosponsor the bill and stand up for America’s horses. Don’t worry—our system knows whether or not they are already cosponsors and will select the correct message for each senator.
Be sure to personalize the email with your own thoughts in the space provided, and share this webpage with everyone you know who cares about animals.
Please also call the White House message line, (202) 456-1111, and urge the administration to end horse slaughter. You can use the text in the email as talking points.
Thank you!
