Laws banning horse slaughter in the two states that had horse slaugtherhouses had unintentional effects. It led to even more inhumane treatment of horses. How could this happen? It happened because the unfortunate reality is that banning horse slaughter did not end the need to euthanize horses; the reason this needs to be done is not an issue I am familiar with. What is apparent as a result of these laws is that horse slaughter has been exported to Mexico -- and has increased 312% since the laws were enacted. The tragic irony is that the very inhumanity the laws sought to cease has worsened - United State's euthanasia methods are required by law to be far more humane than Mexico's. The end result being, if ending cruelty to horses was the goal, it has not been achieved. The United States has not only exported the problem, it has delivered horses to an even worse death. See this article from the American Association of Veterinary Medicine.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Troubling Result of Well-Meaning Legislation
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9 comments:
This is interesting. How can a bill that hasn't passed yet have an unintentional effect? It is still pending in Congress. Humane euthansia is a shot administered by a vet. The slaughter houses were not using humane euthanasia. The horses were vivisected and was no more humane than what is happening in Mexico. BTW-are you aware that thousands of horses were shipped to Mexico every year the domestic kill houses were open? Were you complaining about it then?
My goodness, if you don't have the facts why would you blog? Aren't you embarrassed?
Horse slaughter has NOT been banned and yes, our horses are being shipped to Canada and Mexico for a horrific journey to face a barbaric death. But, that was happening right here in the United States before the slaughter plants were closed.
We need our bill to end any transport to slaughter.
Please, if you don't know what you are talking about, don't spew misinformation.
Horse slaughter is cruelty to animals and it must be banned.
When horse slaughter was here in the United States, they were butchering horses alive, just like they do in Canada and Mexico. When they were here it was more convienant to send them to Mexico or Canada...pending where the disgusting business was located. Foals, yearlings, young healthy horses, pregnant horses are being butchered daily.
This is all about money, over breeding to supply horse slaughter. No the bill didn't pass yet. It will, mean time get your facts straight, read some Animal Angels reports, watch some video's and learn about this dispeciable business.
Hello,
Thank you for your comments. You are exactly right, that bill has not passed. My concern was with the slaughterhouses closing and the resulting increase in transportation to Mexican facilities.
As Americans, you and I share a part in a great country that engages in regulation that is envied throughout other countries- because, despite our current struggles, we're rich and prosperous compared to struggling nations. If you looked at the article I linked to from the Veterinary Association, they made the interesting point that once we close slaughterhouses and the horses are shipped out, they are no longer American horses, and we can't help them any longer.
Horse slaughter is sad. But it will not be stopped overnight. If it won't end overnight, it's ideal that methods are humane. If horses have to be shipped to Mexico, how will they die? If the way they die is less humane than it would be in the United States, then the desire is for them NOT to go to Mexico. No one will likely ever agree on what forms of death are humane.
However, this is a problem far more complex than I can explain. All I know is that representative U.S. Veterinarians and I agree that this shipment to Mexico is sad and a problem -- and if they are sent somewhere less humane on the continuum of "humane," then that is a tragedy.
Thanks again for posting. Stop by anytime and share your views.
See excerpt below about Mexican slaughterhouses:
"Conditions over the border are even worse than those at the previously operational US plants. A 2007 investigation by The San Antonio News-Express revealed that the use of the puntilla knife on horses prior to slaughter is common practice in Mexican slaughter plants, such as a facility currently owned by Beltex, formerly operating in Texas.
Footage obtained by the paper shows horses being stabbed repeatedly in the neck with these knives prior to slaughter. Such a barbaric practice simply paralyzes the animal. The horse is still fully conscious at the start of the slaughter process, during which he or she is hung by a hind leg, his or her throat slit and body butchered. Death, the final betrayal of these noble animals, is protracted and excruciating."
-From awionline.org, website of Animal Welfare Institute
What you are not understanding is that our American horses were being sent to Mexico and Canada, even while the slaughter houses were open in the United States.
The slaughter houses in the United States were just a money making vehicle for the Belgian owned company, Velda. They did not nor do they care now, how our horses are slaughtered.
They were being dismembered alive. Please watch these videos to better understand what went on and what is presently going on in Mexico.
http://www.sharkonline.org/?P=0000000528
http://www.saplonline.org/Legislation/slaughtervhumaneeuth.htm
http://www.hsus.org/video_clips/horse_slaughter_cruelty.html
It was state laws, not national law. The original posting, then was not incorrect. State laws in two states, Illinois and Texas, outlawed horse slaughter-- the only states that still had slaughterhouses. A national bill has not been passed; but the fact is that laws enacted to prevent slaughtering have led to a 312% increase in the exporting of animals to Mexico. Re-read the AVMA article linked on the posting and their very real concerns about what it means to have this exported.
Hi, memphis law! Rather than quote the pro slaughter AVMA, please visit the Vets for Equine Welfare site. At least hear what the members of the AVMA are saying, not the organization. Unfortunately, they publish data to support their stance. They are pro slaughter in front of Congress but then tell their clients, they only way to humanely end their horse’s life is by a shot administered by a vet. If you do a bit of research, you will discover who the AVMA and AAEP have ties to. I have an article on my website that rebuts the FAQs on the AVMA website. You’ll find it quite interesting. It’s under John Holland on this page. http://www.vickitobin.com/id1.html
Yes, the exports have increased from past years. What I find amazing is that thousands of horses were exported to Mexico, Canada and Japan each year when the domestic kill houses were open and you didn’t hear a peep out of the pro slaughter camp on the inhumane treatment. There is no humane way to slaughter a horse. Even the AVMA states that a horse’s head must be restrained and there is no way to do that. The captive bolt was designed for bovines and designed to stun, not kill. The horses that were stunned, regained consciousness within 30 seconds were vivisected. By any stretch of the imagination, that could not be conceived as humane. From the moment those poor horses entered the auction until their horrific death, there was not a humane moment. Horses are domesticated. They are flight animals and are not raised or bred for food. They are not livestock in this country and are raised as sport, service, work and companion animals. The terror of being taken from familiar surroundings and herded like livestock is stressful and unnatural for horses. Horses did not have the same regulations as livestock. The regulations were meager, at best. There were days you couldn’t find a USDA inspector or vet in sight. At the plant in IL, Cavel, two foals were born on the kill house floor within three weeks of each other. Late term pregnant mares are prohibited from going to slaughter. Violation after violation and the USDA did nothing. Absolutely nothing.
France and Belgium made fools of the US and laughed all the way to the bank. They have created a mess by paying people to be irresponsible. Since when do you get paid for something you don’t want that has no value? When you don’t want a dog or cat, the humane shelter doesn’t pay you to dump them, do they? But France and Belgium did. They paid to keep the horses coming. The pro slaughter folks have seen this coming for years. Every year, there is more support against horse slaughter. Instead of cutting back on breeding, knowing their dumping ground was going away, they just keep breeding and dumping. The AQHA alone brings over 135,000 foals into the population each year. They whine about the unwanted horses but are now saying they want to offer an incentive to breed because there may be a shortage. Which is it? It’s no wonder that quarter horses are the number one breed of horse going to slaughter.
It’s all about money. They have no concern for animal welfare or the mess they’ve created. As long as those registration fees keep coming in, they’ll continue to support slaughter.
Vicki thank you so much for your comments. I am very impressed by the volume of information you have obviously absorbed in research that appears to be a labor of love. Thank you and please stop by anytime. I'm very glad that you have pointed us and anyone who looks at the posting, at so many different angles to investigate. Information is always a start to a good thing.
It is very disheartening to learn about apparent instances of failings of the USDA. They have their heroic moments when they do raids on kennels and puppy mills - no one else is authorized to do this, except for other law enforcement who partners with them on these raids.
But, the USDA is the best we've got. It's just got to be improved. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I don't want slaughter houses closed if the horses are delivered to a worse death. Even if it is already incredibly inhumane here, if we export it out, then we *really* can't do anything about it. If we close all our slaughter houses, we lose leverage to serve as a role model for how slaughterhouses should run. As long as horses are slaughtered, as awful as that is, I don't personally believe the answer is to shut them down -- yet. It's making it someone else's problem and taking us out of the loop that would give us any influence to improve conditions.
Hi, MLAA! Thank you for the kind words. I’ve been researching for many years and there is still much that hasn’t been uncovered. It is a tangled web but most paths lead to the kill house owners. We have great people working on investigations and it is amazing how tangled and far removed people appear to be. As you start to unravel PAC and ties to organizations, the puzzle pieces start fitting together. The USDA is understaffed and cannot be held totally accountable but it is a disgrace that when they do see something, they turn their head. It’s all about money and keeping the lines moving.
Our activities are no way involved with closing livestock slaughter. Livestock are an accepted food source in this country and we are only concerned with horse slaughter. I have never heard one person in our efforts ever say anything about livestock. The Cattle and Ag associations are bringing livestock into the mix, not us. Why should livestock slaughter be concerned with horse slaughter? The fact that they keep sticking their nose into horse slaughter leads us to believe they are more involved than they would like us to believe. Our investigations are starting to reflect the ties.
I don’t believe you will ever see another domestic slaughter house. No insurance company would ever cover them for loss of business. The funding for USDA inspections is gone and you can’t run a slaughter house without USDA inspectors. The circuit court of appeals has already ruled that the kill houses cannot pay for inspections. Although the appeal to the Supreme Court was still pending when Cavel was shut down by a state law, there is no indication that the Supreme Court would ever hear their appeal. All three kill houses were denied a hearing when they appealed the state laws that shut them down. If someone wanted to open a horse kill house, they would have to appeal the statute and the chances of a hearing are nil.
The support has been growing for years. Polls, although not scientific, have shown overwhelming support by Americans. We have the support in both houses and if there was any doubt of this, you wouldn’t have folks like Goodlatte and Craig stalling and blocking the bills. If they didn’t think they would pass, they’d let them go to the floor for a vote. In light of this, why haven’t behaviors started changing? Over the past two years, the kill houses were shut down several times. Isn’t that a warning that they were on the way out? Why is the AQHA wanting to offer incentives to breed more when they are whining about “unwanted” horses? They alone bring more than 135,000 foals into the population every year. Slaughter is not going to fix anything. As long as there is an incentive to slaughter, the breed and dumpers will continue. You are seeing more and more tracks adopting a zero tolerance policy on horse slaughter. Responsible breeders have started cutting back.
Slaughter is on its last leg. We are working on many initiatives to work with organizations to start pension funds for TBs. An new equine humane shelter opened in Illinois on Monday. We have a network of rescues across the country. We are working with legislators. I ask what the pro side is doing besides lip service and funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to legislators to block the bills and hiring PR firms and lobbyists? Why aren’t they working with us? Why don’t they take that money to establish euthanasia funds, hay funds and funds for owners that have fallen on hard times? Why don’t they want to be part of the solution instead of the problem? Their answer to everything is slaughter. History has proven that slaughter doesn’t fix anything and hides abuse. An owner can abuse their horse, send it to slaughter and nobody will be the wiser. While they are doing nothing, our horses are being brutally killed.
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