In the United States, horses have never been raised for human consumption, yet for decades, our horses have been bought and slaughtered by a predatory, foreign-owned industry for sale to high-end diners in Europe and Asia. The horse slaughter industry and its supporters are working very hard to mislead the public and members of Congress. Thankfully, the facts are very easy on this cruel and predatory industry.
The former US-based, foreign-owned horse slaughter companies and a handful of trade associations that support horse slaughter have contributed to the continued export of tens of thousands of America's horses for slaughter in Mexico and Canada either by physically shipping horses to slaughter or by actively opposing legislation banning horse slaughter. Slaughter is not humane euthanasia. Horses suffer horribly on the way to and during slaughter.
Yet another trailer crammed with horses on their way to slaughter has crashed, and this time the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has stepped in to see that the company responsible loses its wheels—at least for now. DOT ordered Three Angels Farms of Tennessee to cease all transportation operations following their second deadly crash in six months, both involving horses bound for slaughter.
There is now a Senate version of the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act (S. 541), thanks to Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Like its House companion (H.R. 1094), this legislation would ban horse slaughter operations in the United States, end the current export of American horses for slaughter abroad, and protect the public from consuming toxic horse meat.
In 2007, the slaughter of horses on US soil came to an end when a court ruling upheld a Texas law banning horse slaughter, and similar legislation was passed in Illinois. However, failure by the US Congress to pass legislation banning horse slaughter means that American horses are still being slaughtered for human consumption abroad. Tens of thousands are shipped to Mexico and Canada annually, where they are killed under barbaric conditions so their meat can continue to satisfy the palates of overseas diners in countries such as Italy, France, Belgium and Japan.
In July, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure unanimously approved the Horse Transportation Safety Act (H.R. 305). This bill would make it illegal to haul horses in trailers with two levels, one stacked on top of the other.
Hauling horses in double-deck trailers is dangerous and inhumane. These trailers do not provide sufficient headroom for horses to stand upright. They often endure long journeys in cramped positions and suffer serious injuries.
The use of double-deck trailers to transport horses is inhumane and can lead to debilitating injuries. With their low ceiling clearance, these trailers are designed to haul shorter and stouter animals such as cattle and hogs, not horses.
On December 27, 2020, the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act was signed into law as a component of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. Enactment of this law implements federal oversight of thoroughbred horseracing through the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA). HISA is responsible for creating and enforcing rules to improve equine welfare and racetrack safety and to prevent doping of racehorses. Despite numerous legal challenges, two programs overseen by HISA—the Racetrack Safety Program and the Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program—went into effect on July 1, 2022, and May 22, 2023, respectively.
In June, the US Supreme Court declined to take up a case involving a challenge to the oversight authority of the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) by the states of Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Louisiana; their respective ra
Hundreds of thousands of horseshoe crabs are used for endotoxin testing in the United States each year, bled for their blood’s ability to clot in the presence of toxins.
On June 18, 2014, the US House of Representatives adopted an amendment to the FY2015 defense appropriations bill to improve the lives of wounded warriors through better access to service dogs.
The US House of Representatives is set to vote this week on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 8998), a bill that severely slashes conservation funding for the coming fiscal year and leaves imperiled species with a fraction of the resources necessary to promote recovery.
The language to disallow funding for inspections, originally passed into law in 2005 with bipartisan support, has effectively halted horse slaughter operations on American soil for years—that is, until late last year when three legislators quietly removed it from the Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations bill behind closed doors during the reconciliation process.
In yet another resounding victory for America's horses, the House Appropriations Committee voted in favor of language sponsored by Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) prohibiting the US Department of Agriculture from spending tax dollars on inspecting horse slaughter facilities.
A wide range of equine-related issues have come up in Congress this session, and wild horses in particular have been the subject of considerable deliberation among federal lawmakers.
Today, more than 14 members of the US House of Representatives introduced legislation that would prohibit organizing, sponsoring, conducting, or participating in wildlife killing contests on more than 500 million acres of US public lands.
The breeding and sale of big cats as “pets” has long been a problem in this country, where an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 large cats are privately owned.
Shutting the door on horse slaughter and Class B dealers: In its fiscal year 2017 spending bill for the US Department of Agriculture, the House Appropriations Committee included two AWI priorities. The bill bars the expenditure of funds for licensing or relicensing Class B dealers who sell dogs and cats for use in research, teaching, or testing.
For 45 years, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has succeeded in its mission to protect individual marine mammals, as well as entire populations, from harassment, injury, and death due to human activities.
Since 2017, the alarming number of North Atlantic right whale deaths from entanglements in fishing gear and vessel strikes has been deemed an “unusual mortality event” under the Marine Mammal Protection Act by NOAA.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Take Reduction Teams—composed of industry leaders, scientists, nongovernmental organizations, and state and federal officials—advise NMFS on reducing harm to marine mammals from fishing gear.
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) commends the House Appropriations Committee for including an amendment in the Fiscal Year 2015 Agriculture Appropriations bill to defund federally required inspections of horse slaughter facilities in the United States—a measure that would effectively prevent such plants from operating.
