Category Archives: Horse Neglect & Abandonment

The state of equine welfare in the United States has suffered since the closure of the processing plants with no provisions put into place, many supporting a federal bill have indicated that this is not the case. Following are some articles regarding the situation:

COVID-19 may cause an increase in horse surrenders

JAVMA

Equine welfare experts are working to prevent and prepare for a potential surge in horse surrenders because of COVID-19–related financial challenges.

Portrait woman and horse outdoors. Woman hugging a horse
One of the goals of the United Horse Coalition is to help at-risk horses. In recent efforts, the coalition has released an Equine Resource Database for horse owners to find help. (Courtesy of the United Horse Coalition)
“Horses are expensive, there is no polite way to say it,” said Emily Stearns, the program manager of the Equine Welfare Data Collective, a program created by the United Horse Coalition to collect data and track equine welfare trends. “If people are losing their jobs, they’re at risk of downsizing and not being able to house their horse.”

Full Article

FEDERAL ACTION ALERT

FEDERAL BILL TO BAN THE PROCESSING OF HORSES FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION IS SET FOR A HEARING ON 1/29/20

H.R. 961 – Safeguard American Food Exports Act of 2019 – SAFE ACT

TEXT FROM BILL
the knowing sale or transport of equines or equine parts in interstate or foreign commerce for purposes of human consumption is hereby prohibited

HEARING : 01/29/2020 10:00 AM EST [House] Energy And Commerce 2322 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.
Info on the hearing – you can livestream it here also:
https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/hearing-on-improving-safety-and-transparency-in-america-s-food-and-drugs
This is an equine welfare issue – there simply isn’t the infrastructure to support the unwanted horses that are currently being transported to Mexico and Canada to be processed for human consumption – this bill does NOTHING to address this. We need solutions, not an unfunded mandate that will make the situation worse for equine welfare in the United States.

If you are concerned about this bill you should immediately contact your U.S. Congressional representative and members of the Energy and Commerce Committee
Find your congressional representative: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Members of the Energy and Commerce Committee:
http://clerk.house.gov/committee_info/index.aspx?comcode=IF00

AG paid 1 consultant $13,375 in horse-slaughter lawsuit

Some say government does not create jobs.

At least one consultant might disagree.

William Olson was hired as an expert in a politically popular lawsuit brought by  state Attorney General Gary King against a proposed horse-slaughter plant near Roswell.

Olson received more than $13,375 in public money for helping prepare King’s assistant attorneys general for the case, and for testifying against the slaughterhouse. Olson’s rate of pay was $80 an hour, according to payment records we obtained this week.

Full Article

Are horses livestock? DNR weighs question, considers horse-slaughter permit

News-Leader

WASHINGTON — The Missouri Department of Natural Resources will help determine the fate of a proposed horse slaughter plant later this month, as state officials weigh a permit application that would allow the facility to begin processing equines in Gallatin.

Full article

Drought takes heavy toll on roaming horses

Navajo Times

 

T he water hole at Lichii naazniil near Cottonwood, Ariz. has dried up.

A rotten smell of dead carcasses linger in the air. The rancid smell came from the 17 dead horses in various stages of decomposition around the crater of dried mud. A few of them had legs and arms buried beneath the clay as if they were emerging from the ground. One horse almost had its face completely submerged in the mud.
Full Article

Back Door Route to Blocking the Processing of Horses in the United States

AWC Press Release  – For Immediate Release

June 2, 2013

Contact: Animal Welfare Council  at awc@animalwelfarecouncil.org       

Back Door Route to Blocking the Processing of Horses in U.S.

Legislation and regulation introduced to date that bans processing horses for human consumption lacks provisions for viable solutions for consequences to the horses that would otherwise be processed. These consequences include, among others, increased suffering for the horses through abandonment, and neglect, and economic hardship for the animals’ owners, the local governments burdened with caring for unwanted horses, and the overwhelmed horse rescues and sanctuaries. Proponents of such a ban are working directly via legislative proposals that overtly ban equine slaughter, and indirectly via the “back door” of federal budget manipulation that would curtail the USDA inspection of plants processing horsemeat for human consumption. Neither approach acknowledges, accepts responsibility for, or provides solutions for the consequences of the ban.

The horse industry recognizes the humane and economic aspects of the unwanted horse problem, and it is actively engaged in work both to resolve the present dilemma and to develop sustainable solutions. New programs are being deployed to educate horse owners to “own responsibly,” one key avenue to preventing more cases of unwanted horses. However, most in the industry recognize that humane equine slaughter remains a critical component to resolving the problem. Prior to enacting any ban, through any means, lawmakers must address humane alternatives for the maintenance or disposition of unwanted equines in numbers that equate to those currently being sold for processing. Without such alternatives, the ban on slaughter—carried out under the putative banner of “humane” interests—will have entirely the opposite effect on the very animals it purports to assist. 

“Back Door Route to Blocking the Processing of Horses in U.S.” is a research-based article commissioned by the Animal Welfare Council; it is suitable for broad publication and covers the philosophical  and applied implications of the legislative and regulatory approaches to the slaughter ban. The consequences will be critical to the future of the horse industry and will likely carry over to affect other livestock producers and users in the recreation, entertainment and agricultural/food industries.

See the full article

For more information on the topic, to learn what you can do to help unwanted horses, including contacting lawmakers, and to help increase viable alternatives to equine slaughter, please visit the Unwanted Horse Coalition website at www.unwantedhorsecoalition.org