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Springfield, IL (May 22, 2008) –
Despite strong support for a bill
banning the use of double deck trailers for hauling horses in Illinois, the
legislation died earlier this week in a Senate Committee following a
disingenuous lobbying effort by the Illinois Farm Bureau. H.B. 4162 was
introduced following the horrific “Wadsworth Crash” of 2007 in which 59 Belgian
draft horses were severely or fatally injured after the double-deck trailer they
were being transported in was overturned.
It is common knowledge that
transporting horses on such vehicles that are actually designed for
smaller species like cattle and hogs is not only inhumane but
unsafe, given their top-heavy nature. The bill died when the
Illinois Farm Bureau insisted on attaching an amendment that would
have exempted double-deck “horse” trailers, arguing that a humane
double-decker specifically designed for horses might be built in the
future.
In truth, no such vehicle could be
engineered that would be both comfortable for the horses and safe
for transport on U.S. roads and highways; such a vehicle would need
to be at least 17’ tall and in reality even higher, would be
dangerously top-heavy and would exceed the clearance space in many
tunnels and overpasses. Ultimately, since no regulatory definition
of a “horse” trailer exists, the amendment would have had the real
effect of allowing unscrupulous transporters to still put their
horses on a double-decker originally designed for cattle, simply
call it a “horse” trailer, and bypass the proposed law.
While the Illinois Farm Bureau
attempted to present itself as reasoned and caring, it was clear to
those working the inside that the organization had only one
objective in this instance: to defeat any measure that would have
led to the more humane transport of horses in Illinois. Often being
on the opposite side of basic animal welfare measures, the Illinois
Farm Bureau outdid itself this time, and was clearly out of step
with the majority. The American Veterinary Medical Association, US
Department of Agriculture, Illinois Department of Agriculture,
Animal Welfare Institute, and many Illinois horse owners and horse
transport companies all support an end to the transport of horses on
double-deckers.
“The AWI commends the sponsors of H.B. 4162, Representative JoAnn Osmond,
Representative Bob Molaro and Senator John Cullerton for fighting to protect
horses from this cruel form of transportation,” said Heyde. “Their commitment
to equine welfare is commendable. We look forward to working with them and
other compassionate legislators in the future to ban the transport of horses via
double-deck trailers in Illinois. The fight is far from over.
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For More
Information Contact:
Chris Heyde, 703-836-4300
For over 57
years, AWI has been the leading voice for animals across the country
and on Capitol Hill. Please join us in our ongoing campaigns to
reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by
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