[madvoice]

Can we please be done with these horse slaughter threads. They're starting to get out of hand.

[Blistering Winds]

This one isn't out of hand. We ask question, they ask question, no one goes anywhere....lol.

But both sides are getting some information out....

[7HL]

I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS BILL.

[ridingon]

I have to admit that I do what I can to end the inhumane slaughtering of the horses and I didn't understand the "for other purposes" until I asked specifically. This is the response I recieved.
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The bill has NO hidden agenda.....NO other "purposes" than those stated in the "Purposes" section of the bill.

These three words are in almost every other piece of legislation before the US Congress and are used to represent "purposes" of the bill not listed specifically in the preamble. For example, "prohibit the sale, possession of horseflesh for human consumption " is not listed in the preamble, but it is another purpose of the AHSPA as listed in SEC. 3.
PURPOSE. One only need to look at the very next line - The purpose of this Act is -- to realize that the specific reasons of the bill are listed.



American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 857)

To prevent the slaughter of horses in and from the United States for human consumption by prohibiting the slaughter of horses for human consumption and by prohibiting the trade and transport of horseflesh and live horses intended for human consumption, and for other purposes.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

• The purpose of this Act is --

• • (1) to prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption;

• • (2) to prohibit the sale, possession, and trade of horseflesh for human consumption;

• • (3) to prohibit the sale, possession, and trade of live horses for slaughter for human consumption.
    
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If there was any jeapordy of owners not being able to transport horses around the country, this bill would not have the support of the majority of the horse racing industry.

[Blistering Winds]

Well, many veterinarians are questioning that very same statement, So I'm erring on the AVMA's side.

[cowgurly02]

Even if that is true, nobody has answered my question. What will happen to those 50,000 + horses PER YEAR?

It will create a HUGE black market for horse meat. The majority of those horses will be shipped up here to Canada, or south to Mexico. Which means longer shipping and travelling, ILLEGALLY (which means no regulation,and WORSE shipping conditions). In Canada we have good slaughter laws, but MANY of those horses will end up in Mexico where there is NO regulations on how they are killed and are way more inhumane and unsanitary than ANY American slaughter house. There will be backyard operations set up in America that WON'T have any laws and regulations to give them a humane end as the slaughter houses do now.

[ridingon]

You ask where would all the horses go - the question should be "Where does all the "for sale' horses go? The majority of horses in the slaughter system are just for sale and never even given the opportunity to be marketed to a new home except for the local auction. When the inhumane horse slaughter system is illegal, owners may take them to a local auction and if they don't sell they will learn how to market them or humanely euthanize them. It isn't anyone elses responsibility to take everyones "for sale" horses. Some have been led to believe that owners will just take them home and leave them to starve, neglected in a field. That would mean every horse owner that is selling a horse is abusive. Neglect is a mindset - not a symptom which is why we have neglect now, with slaughter legal. Neglected horses are typically scouted out by someone looking to make a quick dollar on the misery of the horse. Neglectful owners don't take their horses anywhere, even now. These owners should be prosecuted for abuse, not rewarded for their crime.

[cowgurly02]

Actually there is not enough land or enough people willing to take care of those horses. All you have to do is bid $1 over the meat buyer and the horse is yours. You can even go to the slaughter house and buy a horse out of the kill pen. There are so called "sanctuaries" that are being shut down as we speak, because they can't afford the horses are they are being neglected. If you go look in a kill pen, the majority of those horses are old, abused, neglected, injured, or wild. And that is from the PREVIOUS owners who the slaughter house bought the horses from. The MAX time a horse spends in the feedlot is 72 hours. Most aren't even there half a day before they are processed. Not enough time to starve a horse. They have food and water in front of them the whole time they are in the kill pen. The slaughter process as of now is humane and NOT cruel at all. I've seen it done. Been in a slaughter house. I live 15 minutes down the road from one, my friend works in the feedlot feeding the horses and cattle. I have slaughtered animals before (born on a farm, we process some of our own cattle).

[ridingon]

The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act prohibits transporting horses out of the country for slaughter. There may be a few that attempt it as there are always a few that try to break the law but thoses few don't justify turning a blind eye to such an inhumane system. We have very little 'law' protecting slaughter system horses because we can't regulate people to care. Last year legislation was added to the Farm bill to "Enforce the Humane Slaughter Act" of 1958 - that was over 40 years ago - it won't happen.
Check out this feedlot
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/new...ews/36159.html

[cowgurly02]

It also says that after the inspection the feedlot has changed to abide by the laws and regulations. If a feedlot doesn't, they're caught. Like that one. And by the picture it looks like a normal feedlot. There are THOUSANDS of AMERICAN horses slaughtered in our Canadian slaughter houses every year, so yes they do cross the border legally.