American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011,

Jun 10, 2011
By Laura Allen
Animal Law Coalition
WFLF Lifetime Equine Refuge BOD

Just as U.S. Representatives Jim Moran (D-VA) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) are calling for an end to horse slaughter, a bill to make that happen is introduced in the Senate. Here is what Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the sponsors, have released about this bill:

The Problem: Somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 horses/year are exported from the United States each year with the intent to slaughter for human consumption.
There are no horse slaughterhouses in the United States, and there is not a demand for horse meat in the United States. Two out three Americans believe the practice of horse slaughter is unnecessary and inhumane. Transport to foreign slaughterhouses is lengthy and cruel.

Horses in the United States differ from other livestock in that they have never been raised for the purpose of slaughter. As such, they are frequently treated with drugs that are toxic when ingested by humans and not approved for use in animals raised for human consumption.

Additionally, we have no system in the United States to track which medications a horse has received throughout its lifetime, which makes horse meat a serious food safety/American food export risk.
The Solution: The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011, S.B. 1176, amends the Horse Protection Act (HPA) to prohibit the sale or transport of horses or equine parts in interstate or foreign commerce with the intent of processing for human consumption. 

The bill, filed on June 9, already has a number of co-sponsors.

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Senate Reintroduces Bill to Permanently Ban Horse Slaughter

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Washington, D.C. -- A bill to ban horse slaughter was reintroduced in the United States Senate today. Sponsored by Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the "American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011" will end the slaughter of American horses here and, most urgently, will stop these horses from being exported abroad for slaughter. The sponsors, who have long championed the cause, have the bipartisan support of 14 colleagues who are co-sponsoring the bill.

"As a lifelong horse lover and rider, this practice is appalling to me, and more importantly, the majority of Americans oppose it. We raise and train horses to trust us, perform for us, and allow us on their backs, and as such, they deserve to be treated with human compassion. When horse owners are faced with the sad reality of having to put their animals down, it should be by humane euthanasia," said Senator Landrieu. "I intend to work with Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina and my other colleagues to get this bill passed and permanently end the slaughter of our American horses."