Charging Ahead for America's Horses

Great strides have recently been taken to prevent the annual slaughter of more than 90,000 horses in the United States for human consumption abroad. Congress passed an amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill to stop horse slaughter during 2006, and the House unanimously approved an amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill for FY 2007 to end the slaughter of wild horses, but unbelievably, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has refused to implement this temporary ban on horse slaughter and instituted a plan to continue the killing. Such blatant, bureaucratic corruption is more evidence for why we must immediately pass a permanent ban on horse slaughter -- we cannot rely on the agency to do its job. We are in court working to force the agency to do its job, but even if we win, this will be a temporary reprieve for the horses.

Congress must move now to enact legislation that will permanently protect horses. The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503 and S. 1915) has been introduced in Congress and would permanently ban horse slaughter. H.R. 503 and S. 1915 would forever remove horses from the whims of back-room negotiations, and place them beyond the reach of slaughterhouse butchers.

It is vital that these bills keep building support and pass, so that America's horses are protected for good -- and so that we are not constantly facing efforts to undo protections for these beloved animals.

TAKE ACTION

Please make a short polite phone call to your two U.S. Senators and U.S. Representative today to say you're glad Congress approved the horse slaughter ban amendments, but that we must institute a permanent ban on horse slaughter in America. Ask that they co-sponsor the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act -- H.R. 503 in the House and S. 1915 in the Senate. You can reach your federal legislators by calling the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or click here to find their office phone number.

Here's an example of a letter you can write

Dear [ Legislator ] ,

As you know, Congress passed an amendment by overwhelming and bipartisan majorities in both the House and the Senate to shut down horse slaughter for human consumption for Fiscal Year 2006. The United States Department of Agriculture has refused to implement that ban and is resisting all efforts to implement the will of Congress.

As an American citizen who cares about horses, this is disturbing to me in two ways. First, I want to see our beloved horses protected from the abuses inherent in the slaughter process that more than 90,000 horses endure each year to satisfy the European demand for horsemeat. Second, I would like to believe that when Congress speaks, the administrative branches of our government listen and our democracy functions as it should.

It is now crystal clear that we must pass a permanent ban on the slaughter of American horses for foreign export. I am asking for your immediate help in passing S. 1915/H.R. 503