ALC Update: H.B. 1747, a bill to promote horse slaughter has been assigned to the Missouri Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee.
Though it has not been announced, the committee is expected to take up the bill on Wed., April 14, 2010. Please find members here (just click on their names for contact info) and write (faxes are best) or call and urge committee members to vote no to H.B. 1747. Don't wait. Do it now. This bill has already passed the state House of Representatives.
Polite phone calls to the Senators re this bill are encouraged..
Senator Jolie Justus 573-751-2788 is very sympathetic and a real animal lover. The Chair of the Ag comm. is Senator Dan Clemens 573-751-4008 Senate Floor Leader-Kevin Engler 573-751-3455 and the Senate Pro Tem, Charlie Shields 573-751-9576
Learn more at Animal Law Coalition:
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1160
Showing posts with label American's Against Horse Slaughter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American's Against Horse Slaughter. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Horsemeat Faces Potential Ban in Italy
Horse meat, one of Italy's most popular culinary delicacies, is under threat from a cross party proposal to ban its sale.
By Nick Pisa in Rome
Published: 6:20AM GMT 08 Feb 2010
Italy is the largest consumer of horsemeat in Europe with more than 48,000 metric tonnes eaten every year and it is a common dish among youngsters because of its high iron content.Published: 6:20AM GMT 08 Feb 2010
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation 213,000 horses are slaughtered in Italy every year but now politicians from all parties are considering banning its slaughter and sale.
Francesca Martini, a minster with the Italian health ministry and a member of the ruling Right-wing coalition, has put forward the bill, arguing that the "dignity of horses should be respected".
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
What’s it Going to Take to Save America’s Horses?
What’s it Going to Take to Save America’s Horses?
WFLF and AAHS Call On Congress To Step Up For Our American Horses.
In a continuing joint effort, WFLF Humanion Films and Americans Against Horse Slaughter are calling on Congress to expedite passage of HR503, The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act which would end the slaughter of equines, both domestic and wild and halt the export of our horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.
During the past Presidential election, then, Senator Obama pledged to support animal rights issues. “I think how we treat our animals reflects how we treat each other and it's very important that we have a president who is mindful of the cruelty that is perpetrated on animals." Senator Obama said.
With strong track records on animal protection issues, both President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden co sponsored past legislation to end horse slaughter.
The BLM’s round of the Calico wild horses has become known as one of the most cruel and unwarranted wild horse roundups our country has ever witnessed. Hundreds of thousands of calls to the President by concerned citizens continue to go unanswered.
Concurrently, our young and healthy horses (race horses, show horses, ponies and wild horses) continue to be transported across our borders to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered for the sole purpose of wealthy dinner plates overseas. The transport is cruel and inhumane as horses are shipped for days in crowded trucks going without food, water or rest.
The passing of federal legislation to end the cruel horse slaughter activities in America is long overdue. With support from the majority of the American people, we have to ask, “What’s it Going to take Mr. President, to Save America’s Horses?”
See the WFLF video clip presenting this question to the President!
AAHS & WFLF ASK ALL AMERICANS TO PLEASE TAKE ACTION!
Please take a minute to see if your U.S. Representative is already a cosponsor of H.R. 503 and if your two U.S. Senators are co sponsors of S727. If your Representative and Senators are not yet cosponsors, please make a call and ask them to cosponsor the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.
To reach your federal legislators, please call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or for your convenience, you can use this toll-free number 800-828-0498 and ask for a legislator by name (or ask for extension, last 5 numbers of legislator's office phone)
WFLF Humanion Films is in production on the feature documentary film entitled “Saving America's Horses - A Nation Betrayed”. The mission of the film is for the protection of all equines from slaughter.
Humanion Films is the film label under Wild for Life Foundation (WFLF), a California nonprofit public benefit corporation organized for the purpose of protecting animals from cruelty and protecting wildlife from extinction.
Americans Against Horse Slaughter is a non funded grassroots movement comprised of constituents from all 50 States. Their only mission is to end horse slaughter and the transport of horses to slaughter through the passing of Federal legislation
http://www.americansagainsthorseslaughter.com/
http://california-aahsbloggingupdates.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 1, 2010
Feb 1st Update from AAHS- USA
Dear Friends,
As many of you already know, the Judiciary sub-committee hearing on HR503 for Feb 2. 2010 has been postponed. We will keep you posted on when the hearing will be rescheduled.
In staying the course, please find the enclosed Ad which is the third in a series representing our new public awareness campaign, Man's Best Friend Campaigns To End Horse Slaughter.We need your help to create huge impact and achieve success for this campaign.
Please help us post this on every social networking media that is available to us on the internet. Share with your family, friends and co-workers.
Please help us post this on every social networking media that is available to us on the internet. Share with your family, friends and co-workers.
If you cannot view the image below, you can also click on the following link to copy the image.
(html code for websites and other media can also be copied from this location.)
Thank you in advance for being a huge part of this campaign and making a difference for our horses.
Americans Against Horse Slaughter
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Promotion of Criminal Animal Cruelty sweeps the US under the Guise of Euthanasia
Part 1 of a 3 part series
Jan 26, 2010
By Katia Louise
Jan 26, 2010
By Katia Louise
There’s an alarming and aggressive campaign of deception sweeping the country to establish HORSE SLAUGHTER plants nationwide. Illinois State Rep. Jim Sacia wasted no time this year in introducing H.B. 4812, a bill to repeal the state's 2007 ban on slaughtering horses for human consumption. Rep. Sacia's bill, H.B. 4812, would also allow horses to be shipped into the state for slaughter for human consumption, with no certificate of veterinary inspection, contrary to current state law governing horses. In Missouri, state Rep. James Viebrock just introduced a bill, H.B. 1747, that would authorize registration and inspections for commercial horse slaughter for human consumption. South Dakota's legislature has already passed a resolution this session, H.C.R. 1003, calling for the return of horse slaughter to the U.S. “The resolution exhorts Congress to defeat the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, H.R. 503/S.B. 727. A similar resolution is pending in Kentucky, H.C.R. 47. Like the others, it is full of disinformation. These resolutions and bills claim "rising numbers of unwanted and abandoned horses" are the result of the closing of horse slaughter houses in 2007 in the U.S.” – Laura Allen, Animal Law Coalition. For the record, the proponents' claim that there has been a rise in what they call "unwanted" horses simply is NOT true. (More on the subject of so-called "unwanted" horses in Part Two of this special Slaughter Alert report.)
So who is behind these phenomena? …And how are they able to gain such empowerment and momentum despite the overwhelming opposition to this insidious industry? In a nutshell, when you follow the money, it leads you to Ag; otherwise known as the agriculture industry. State Representatives are lobbied by large corporations, associations & wealthy constituents that, together, control a vast network of worker bees, so to speak. Large organizations are created for the purpose of distributing propaganda to mainstream media and beyond. One such organization is under the helm of Wyoming State Rep. Wallis. She's also known as “Slaughterhouse Sue” to many, and she's at it again. This time she is rallying support to open horse slaughter plants in Oregon.
Cult-like slaughter meetings are funded by what some critics call Ag puppets. Otherwise known as the ‘United Organizations of the Horse’ (UOH) and the ‘United Horsemen's Front’ (UHC), they work to promote the inhumane slaughter of American horses in the US for human consumption, and to empower the BLM’s illegal round up & removal of wild horses & burros from public, tribal, and private lands.
The UOH and UHC are linked together with the American Horse Council and the AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners). The UHO is spreading disinformation by enlisting the support and soliciting money from livestock handlers and other hard working people in the equine industry at small town auction houses and saloons. Communities full of unassuming and trusting people are misled by the proponents’ misinformation which is spread until enough supporters successfully pass the next state bill in favor of horse slaughter.
Horse enthusiasts are concerned that, with enough state bills in place, the Ag Lobby leaders and its affiliates (USDA and the Department of Interior) could soon gain enough power to begin slaughtering both domestic and wild horses across the country.
Dr Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, MRCVS, and Veterinarians for Equine Welfare, testified before U.S. representatives during a hearing on the ‘Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act’ that “Horse slaughter has never been considered by veterinary professionals to be a form of euthanasia. Congress and the general public must hear from veterinarians that horse slaughter is not and should not be equated with humane euthanasia. Rather, the slaughtering of horses is a brutal and predatory business that promotes cruelty and neglect.”
Deep pocket foreign and US special interests continue to reap huge profits from this bloody trade of flesh bound Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Mustangs, Quarter Horses, Ponies, Burros and more. All are brutally killed for their meat while American tax payers foot the bill. Every day, thousands of horses are being shipped across state and federal borders to later face gruesome slaughter in Mexico and Canada. The BLM is rounding up thousands of wild horses from across the west, never to be seen again. “There are horses missing, lots and lots of horses missing.” - John Holland, Equine Welfare Alliance. “The BLM is managing horses to extinction.” - Ginger Kathrens, The Cloud Foundation.
Pro-horse advocates urge the general public to look beyond the smoke and mirrors of the slaughter proponents’ campaign. The Ag Lobby is extremely well funded and organized. Findings indicate that a small number of top corporate executives stand to make huge profits, while the workers on the kill-floor are generally people with few choices about where they work like criminals or those illegally in the country.. Local communities are left with hazardous health and environmental conditions which the plant owners ignore. Often referred to as corporate thugs, these deep pocket interests use fear based campaigns to mislead an army of faithful farmers, ranchers and unassuming equine specialists. The result is a nation divided… but it’s a nation of blurred lines.
One of the most popular pro-slaughter claims is that horse owners will lose their right to humanely euthanize their horse, when in fact that is not true. The pending bill (HR503) would make it a crime to slaughter a horse in the U.S. for human consumption, but it doesn’t restrict the right of an owner to humanely euthanize their own horse. Another popular myth used by proponents is that, if horse slaughter is made illegal then the next thing will be to make slaughtering cattle illegal. This misinformation has then been repeated based on fear of an industry wide shut down within the Ag/ Livestock industries. Many in misguided Ag leaders have even gone so far as to rally farmers and other related groups against regular everyday people who care about their animals, by labeling them as radical animal activists and eco-terrorists. What most people don’t know is that horse slaughter proponents are said to be working hard behind closed doors to prepare Americans’ palate for what they hope will become America’s next red meat. . . “Horsemeat, the New Beef”.
The UOH just revealed one of their newest campaign efforts, the development of a nationwide so-called 'Do Not Slaughter' registry. The UOH states that horses would purportedly be checked at slaughter plants and at borders, so that registered owners could retrieve their horses. The UOH does not mention who would be responsible for the required veterinary care to revive the horses that might survive the cruel 24-48 hour transport without food, water or rest. Nor does the UOH explain who would pay for humane transport back to the registered owner.
President of Equine Advocates, Susan Wagner states, “Horse slaughter actually encourages the violation of animal cruelty laws because people who starve their horses or take non weight bearing horses to slaughter auctions, are supposed to be charged with animal cruelty; but instead, they are rewarded, getting paid, and being allowed to sell these animals.”
Most Americans have no idea that the slaughter process begins at the auction. Once a horse enters into the food chain, most animal cruelty protection laws become inapplicable. Even worse, regulations meant to provide a “humane” experience for slaughter-bound equines have a proven record of not being enforced.
WFLF supports The Prevention of Equine Cruelty bills HR503 and S727. “The legislation is pending in both the House and the Senate. It will prohibit the slaughter of American horses for human consumption and end the transport of our American horses to Mexico and Canada for slaughter.” – Debra Lopez, Americans Against Horse Slaughter.
For those left wanting to know a little more about UOH, sitting on their co-founders board is Conrad Burns, who in 2004 pushed through a midnight amendment that legalized the slaughter of America’s wild Mustangs. Also on the UOH board is Frank Bowman of the American Horse Council which claims not to be pro slaughter; however US Lobby reports reveal the Frank Bowman spends quite a bit of money lobbying for slaughter. …So, who is “Slaughterhouse Sue”?
In addition to being the Wyoming State Rep. (R) she is UOH President and CEO.
(Read part two of this report Monday Feb 1, 2010)
Learn more:
Learn more about this while issue through the film "Saving America's Horse A Nation Betrayed" which features the country's most renown equine experts. This is a collaborative effort. Coming 2010!Saving America’s Horses - A Nation Betrayed
Veterinarians for Equine Welfare
Americans Against Horse Slaughter
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Missouri state Rep. James Viebrock Endorsement of Horse Slaughter
Show MO Legislators Why They Should Oppose H.B. 1747
Missouri state Rep. James Viebrock has introduced a bill, H.B. 1747, that would authorize registration and inspections for commercial horse slaughter for human consumption.
The bill proposes that the Missouri Dept. of Agriculture would register commercial horse slaughter operations and certify "that the parts of horses to be processed are fit for human food, and the processing establishment to be operated complies with ... sanitary standards". All registration and inspection fees collected" would "be paid to the director of agriculture and deposited into the state ‘Horse Meat and Product Fund'". Annual inspection fees would be used "to pay for USDA inspection of horse meat products and horse meat processing facilities."
According to the bill, H.B. 1747, "the [state] director [of Agriculture] shall make all necessary inspections and investigations" and the USDA would also have access "at all reasonable times to any building, room, vehicle, boat, or other premises in which any horse carcass, horse meat, or horse meat food product is processed, packed, transported, sold, exposed, or offered for sale at retail."
The USDA would be free to pay for samples or specimens of the carcass or "product" to determine if there are violations of USDA regulations.
The new law would have requirements for labeling, remedies to protect against adulteration, misbranding, failure to label or brand, or unfitness for human consumption. Places that serve horsemeat would be required to post conspicuous warning signs.
The proposal, of course, is simply another tactic to try to create a market in the U.S. for horse meat or at least pretend there is one with the hope of forcing a return of horse slaughter to this country. This bill is similar to a number of bills and resolutions introduced in 2009 in an effort to defeat the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act, H.R. 503/S.B. 727, now pending in Congress and which would make it illegal to "possess..., ship..., transport..., purchase.., sell... deliver..., or receive" in interstate or foreign commerce any horse "with the intent that it is to be slaughtered for human consumption".
Right now, commercial horse slaughter for human consumption is illegal in the U.S. though horses can be transported to other countries, typically Mexico and Canada, for slaughter. Since 2006 Congress has de-funded ante-mortem inspections required to slaughter horses for human consumption. Congress continued the de-funding in the 2010 Appropriations Act, Sec. 744.
In 2007 a federal court rejected an attempt by the USDA to allow horse slaughter operators to pay for the inspections. The USDA is currently not authorized to conduct ante-mortem inspections of horses to be slaughtered for human consumption. Without those inspections, it is illegal under the Federal Meat Inspection Act ("FMIA"), 21 U.S.C. §§601(w)(1), 603, to slaughter horses for human consumption.
If this bill becomes law, it is not clear the USDA would authorize Missouri state inspectors to conduct the required inspections. The funds to pay for the state as well as USDA inspections would come from horse slaughter operators, the same situation in the previous litigation. The judge in that case found the USDA violated the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. § 706 and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 42 U.S.C. § 4321, et seq., by failing to consider adequately, or, really, at all, the environmental impact of its action in allowing horse slaughter operators to pay for their own inspections.
