Veterinarians are Joining Together to Help End the Slaughter of American Horses
Support for federal legislation to permanently prohibit the slaughter of American horses for human consumption is growing as more than 200 veterinarians sign a letter expressing support for the act - but will Congress listen?
Credit: HSUS
More than 200 veterinarians have voiced support for legislation to permanently end the slaughter of American horses through a letter sent to the US House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
The letter declares support for the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 3355/S. 2732) - federal legislation to permanently prohibit the slaughter of American horses for human consumption.
“The continued existence of the horse slaughter industry—which claims the lives of tens of thousands of American horses each year and subjects these animals to serious mistreatment—is directly incompatible with safeguarding equine welfare,” stated the veterinarians. “Additionally, the practice of horse slaughter poses significant public safety risks due to the potential for tainted meat to enter into the food supply.”
Dr. Nicholas Dodman, a renowned veterinary behaviorist and professor emeritus of behavioral pharmacology and animal behavior at Tufts University; Dr. Ray Powell, former New Mexico commissioner of public lands who publicly opposed proposals to open a horse slaughterhouse in New Mexico; and Dr. Jeff Blea, past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, are among the established veterinarians who signed the letter.
Multiple animal rights groups, including Species Unite, have also urged Congress to ban the practice.
Although the US banned the slaughter of horses for human consumption back in 2007, an estimated 288,000 horses have been sent from America to abattoirs in Mexico and Canada over just the last five years. 2021 saw nearly 24,000 horses sent across US borders to be killed for their meat.
This is possible due to a legal loophole that enables ‘kill-buyers’ to purchase horses and export them to slaughterhouses abroad without any repercussions. Kill buyers frequent horse auctions, where they often outbid re-homing groups and charities, while also posing as genuine adopters when owners can no longer look after them.
More than 90 percent of horses – domestic and wild – sent across state lines to slaughter are in good condition, according to a US Department of Agriculture study.
These horses endure long-distance journeys across the border crowded together into trucks without access to food or water. They’re often unable to rest during shipments that can last over 24 hours - many are seriously injured or die before they even reach the slaughterhouses. Weaker animals cannot escape bites, kicks, and other injuries as they try to avoid the more dominant animals inside the cramped truck, according to animal rights group Animal Equality. Many horses arrive at the slaughterhouse suffering injuries, weight loss, fatigue, dehydration, and shipping fever–a respiratory disease associated with long-distance transports.
The SAFE would permanently ban the transport of horses bound for slaughterhouses across state lines, essentially closing the legal loophole.
Credit: Animal Equality
In 2021, things were looking positive when a ban on horse slaughter passed the House of Representatives as part of the transportation and infrastructure package, However, the Senate did not adopt similar language in its version of the bill. A House subcommittee unanimously approved the SAFE Act in June. Since then, however, progress on the bill has stalled despite strong bipartisan support.
“We call on Congress to listen to the many veterinarians who can speak with authority on the total disregard for horse welfare during the transport, handling and slaughter process,” said Dr. Joanna Grossman, equine program manager and senior advisor at the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI). “No horse deserves this miserable fate, and it is completely unacceptable that each year tens of thousands are shipped across the border to be butchered, despite widespread public opposition.”
Investigating the Horse Slaughter Industry
In November of last year, Animal Equality released undercover investigation images showing American horses awaiting slaughter at the Cárnicas de Jerez slaughterhouse facility in Zacatecas, Mexico. During the investigation, an on-site veterinarian confirmed the origin of one of the horses to be from the US, identifiable due to his yellow USDA tag labeling him as 5036 - the same tag as the other horses in his corral. Animal Equality investigators captured the final images of him - he was slaughtered the day after filming.
Credit: Animal Equality
“The death of horse 5036, as well as the death of tens of thousands of American horses every year, is unnecessary and unacceptable,” said Sharon Núñez, the President of Animal Equality. “As Animal Equality has documented with this investigation, the US is sending these horses outside of our borders so that their killing is out of sight of the majority of Americans that oppose the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Our citizens agree this suffering is wrong - now it’s time for the US Government to ban it once and for all.”
Credit: Animal Equality
An auction in Bowie Texas sells horses when they become unprofitable or unusable for industries such as ranching horse riding. The Cárnicas de Jerez slaughterhouse is one such buyer at this auction, according to documents obtained by Animal Equality. The animals purchased by the slaughterhouse are then transported for 17 hours in total from Texas to Zacatecas, Mexico. Once slaughtered and butchered, their meat is shipped to China, Russia, Vietnam, and Japan.
What Can You Do?
According to a poll conducted by Lake Research Partners and the ASPCA, 83 percent of Americans oppose the slaughter of horses - so the potential for vocal opposition is strong.
The Species Unite community has been ramping up support for the Senate version of the bill by coming together to urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to pass the SAFE Act, with more than 11,000 of you speaking out.
The best thing you can do to help ensure this important bill gets reintroduced in the 118th congress and finally passes is to reach out to your members of congress. Just type your address in the search bar on this page and you will be shown your United States Senate and House representatives. Each one will have a link to contact them below their photo.
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