u.s. house of representatives | Horse Racing Free Tips

Bill Banning Horse Slaughter Reintroduced in Senate

A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers reintroduced legislation to permanently ban horse slaughter in the United States and end the current export of American horses for slaughter Tuesday. Sponsored by U.S. Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, the Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act is supported by leading animal welfare groups, including the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), the Animal Welfare Institute, the Humane Society of the United States, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, and Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation.

“The gruesome practice of slaughtering horses for food has no place in the United States, and it's well past time for Congress to say once and for all that horsemeat is not what's for dinner,” said Sen. Menendez. “Horses are routinely treated with drugs that are dangerous for human consumption and do not belong in our nation's food supply. Our bipartisan legislation will help put an end to the cruel and inhumane slaughter of horses while protecting families from toxic horse meat and safeguarding the reputation of the U.S. food industry worldwide.”

“Horses hold a special place in our history and culture, and the practice of slaughtering them to satisfy foreign appetites simply does not reflect the admiration we have for these animals,” said Sen. Collins. “In an effort to protect horses, this legislation would deter the transport or purchase of horses for human consumption.”

“The overwhelming majority of Americans oppose horse slaughter for human consumption and the ASPCA is working resolutely to solve equine welfare issues on the ground, but we cannot fully succeed while the slaughter pipeline remains open,” said Nancy Perry, senior vice president of Government Relations for the ASPCA. “We thank Senators Menendez, Graham, Whitehouse, and Collins for their leadership on this bill, and urge Congress to pass the SAFE Act to finally end this cruel, unnecessary practice and provide protections to American horses and the people who love them.”

The SAFE Act was previously excluded from the infrastructure bill that passed the senate last month. Earlier this year, U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., and Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., introduced the SAFE Act (H.R. 3355) in the U.S. House of Representatives, which has not yet voted on the aforementioned infrastructure bill.

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Amendment Banning Transportation of Horses for Slaughter Passes House

An amendment that would ban the transportation of horses across state lines or to Canada or Mexico for slaughter for human consumption passed the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday. The amendment is part of the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST) Act, bipartisan legislation supported by President Joe Biden that now moves to the Senate for consideration.

The amendment, which would effectively ban horse slaughter in the United States if it becomes law, was sponsored in the House of Representatives by Troy Carter (D-LA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and John Katko (R-NY) and was supported by a number of U.S. Thoroughbred industry organizations, including the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA). In a press release, the NTRA said it will advocate for the inclusion of the amendment as part of any final infrastructure bill passed by Congress.

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Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association Endorses Amendment On Horse Slaughter

In yet another move to showcase its commitment to horse welfare, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association (PHBA) has announced its endorsement of an amendment that would ban the transport of American slaughter-bound horses across both state lines and over country borders. The amendment is scheduled to be on the U.S. House floor in coming weeks.

Led by U.S. Representatives Troy Carter, Brian Fitzpatrick, and John Katko, the amendment will be offered to the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act, H.R.3684. If passed into law, it would effectively ban horse slaughter in America. An estimated 30,000 horses are exported from America to be slaughtered each year, many of which are former racehorses or Thoroughbred breeding stock.

This endorsement is just the latest act in a series of pledges made by the PHBA towards equine welfare. The organization also supports the John Stringer Rainey Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, and has a strict anti-slaughter code of ethics.

The SAFE Act, named for the late South Carolina philanthropist and former director of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, is legislation that would permanently end the slaughter of American horses for human consumption in the United States and abroad. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Humane Society of the United States are among those supporting its passage.

At the time of the SAFE Act's introduction, PHBA executive secretary Brian Sanfratello said, “The SAFE Act is one of three items we are working on. The others are Pennsylvania-specific anti-slaughter legislation, similar to the SAFE Act, that would make it a misdemeanor for anyone who causes or transports a horse into the slaughter pipeline, as well as a PHBA code of ethics, with sanctions for anyone who is a member or registers horses with our organization and is found to be in violation of the Pennsylvania anti-slaughter measures.”

The PHBA's Anti-Slaughter Code of Ethics, which acknowledges it opposes slaughter in general but is focused on the safety and welfare of the Thoroughbred, states that it is a condition of PHBA membership that every applicant signs a pledge not to knowingly cause a Thoroughbred horse to be slaughtered. Violating the rule results in being sanctioned by the PHBA with a $1,000 fine for the first violation, a $5,000 fine for the second, and a fine as well as complete revocation of membership for five years after the third.

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Safe Horse Transport Legislation Bound For Full House

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Horse Transportation Safety Act (HTSA) as part of surface transportation legislation Thursday. The HTSA aims to ensure that horses are not subjected to dangerous and/or inhumane treatment during transport. It is expected to proceed to the House for a full vote later this summer.

The impetus for the HTSA was an accident many years ago in which a double-deck trailer carrying 59 Belgian draft horses overturned in Illinois, killing 19 of them. Double-deck trailers are not suitable for horse transport and are designed for shorter, stouter livestock, such as cattle and pigs.

“Cramming horses into double-deck trailers and hauling them over a long distance is dangerous and inhumane,” said Joanna Grossman, Ph.D., equine program manager and senior advisor at the Animal Welfare Institute. “Although a few states have already banned this practice, a federal prohibition is essential to protect both horses and motorists.”

The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends a clearance of between seven and eight feet for horses; double-deck trailers have ceiling clearance of four feet, seven inches to five feet five inches, which does not allow for horses to stand comfortably or fully extend their heads and necks inside. The U.S. Department of Agriculture banned the use of double-deck trailers for the purpose of transporting to slaughter in 2011. The HTSA would close the loophole that permits horse to travel in such vehicles across state lines.

“I'm pleased that the Horse Transportation Safety Act was incorporated in this morning's passage of the INVEST in America Act,” said U.S. Representative Steve Cohen (D-TN), one of three congressional leaders of the legislation. “These wonderful animals deserve to be transported in as humane a manner as possible. Double-deck trailers do not provide adequate headroom for adult horses, and accidents involving double-deck trailers are a horrendous reminder that the practice is also dangerous to the driving public.”

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