Sunday, December 14, 2008
The Math Just Doesn't Work!
Please see the comment after this story, we must educate our legislators on the facts.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NCSL supports horse industry, humane horse slaughter
(12/14/2008)
Sarah Muirhead
The National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) this weekend adopted a policy that urges Congress to oppose legislation that would restrict the market, transport, processing, or export of horses, to recognize the need for humane horse processing facilities in the U.S. and not to interfere with state efforts to establish facilities in the United States.The passage of the policy provides the authority for NCSL staff in Washington, D.C., to lobby on Capitol Hill as it effectively establishes the position of the states. NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation’s 50 states, its commonwealths and territories.
The Horse Industry Policy received overwhelming majority support at the NCSL annual fall forum in Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 11-13. The policy was co-sponsored by Representative Sue Wallis of Wyoming, and Representative Dave Sigdestad of South Dakota.
Wallis, who is a vice chair of the agriculture and energy standing committee at NCSL, said, “We have received an absolute flood of support from literally every crook and cranny of this nation, and from all walks of life. We had letters of support from Horse Councils nationwide, we heard from horse owners, horse rescue and recovery organizations that are over-whelmed and without options, breed registries, professional rodeo cowboys, horse owners and many, many people who are sincerely concerned about the fate of horses and the equine industry.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Math Just Doesn't Work!
Although the U.S. Slaughter Plants are closed, more than 120,000 U.S. Equines were slaughtered week ending 12/6/08.
In 2007, we had over 108,000 U.S. Equines Slaughtered. The plants closing here in the U.S. has not stopped the supply and demand of our horses being slaughtered across our borders for humane consumption overseas. There's no such thing as "unwanted horses".
Sunday, December 21, 2008
SLAUGHTERGATE!! CONTINUED....
Sunday, December 21, 2008
SLAUGHTERGATE!! CONTINUED....
MESSAGE FROM JOHN HOLLAND:
TV Station KHOU has done a powerful piece on the USDA cruelty documents that Julie Caramante and Animal's Angels received through her FOIA. It features Steve Long and Julie and it is both powerful and graphic.
http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=315146
Here is a text version off of Texas Cable News
http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/houston/stories/khou081219_jj_horse-slaughter-transportation.7b642747.html
Thousands of U.S. horses slaughtered in Mexico for food
10:56 PM CST on Friday, December 19, 2008
By Brad Woodard / 11 News
Steve Long is a noted author as well as editor of Texas Horse Talk magazine. You can say he knows horses.
Thousands of U.S. horses slaughtered in Mexico
December 19, 2008
View larger
E-mail Clip
More Video
“They are the essence of beauty, everything about them, the way they move, the way they talk to each other, their personalities, they’re just magnificent,” he said.
He says that horses are not only deeply woven into the fabric of Texas History, but they are also great icons of the American West.
Still, despite that honor, records show that nearly 50,000 U.S. horses have been transported to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for slaughter and ultimately destined for the dinner tables in Europe and Japan.
“It’s an obscenity. It’s a horror. It’s something that makes me want to throw up,” said Long.
11 News photo
Records show that nearly 50,000 U.S. horses have been transported to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for slaughter and ultimately destined for the dinner tables in Europe and Japan.
Believe it or not, Long isn’t talking about the slaughtering practices in Mexico, although he finds them disturbing.
Long is talking about the horse slaughter industry, that until recently, thrived here in Texas and the United States.
“This is the biggest animal rights scandal since the Michael Vick case. This is slaughtergate,” said Long.
In fact, records show that there are two Belgian owned horse slaughtering facilities in the state. He says one of the facilities, Dallas Crowe, is in Kaufman, Texas and that the other facility, Beltex, is located in Fort Worth.
In 2006, 11 News reported that employees at both facilities used captive bolt guns and air guns on the horses instead of knives. That technique involves driving a steel bolt into a the brain of a horse.
Both Texas facilities were forced to close last year. Officials say that the closure came after a federal appeals court upheld a 1949 state law banning horse slaughter for human consumption.
Despite that action the slaughter horse business continues.
Julie Caramante is an animal cruelty investigator for the organization called Animal’s Angels and she often works undercover.
She said that it took her three years to obtain photos that document violations of the transportation of horses taken to Beltex between January and November of 2005.
“I saw horses that were dead in trailers, with their legs ripped off, with their faces smashed in, eyeballs dangling, and these horses, some of them were still alive. They were just standing there,” said Caramante.
Many of the injuries reportedly occurred when the horses were transported on double-decker trailers designed to haul cattle.
The U.S. banned that type of action last year, but there’s a loophole, said Caramante. She says that the double-deckers can still be used to haul horses thousands of miles to feedlots, like the one in Morton, Texas. It’s owned by the Belgian company, Beltex.
“They feed them and get them fattened up. The ones that live go to El Paso and then off to the plant in Mexico,” said Caramante.
While it’s currently illegal to slaughter horses for human consumption in Texas, 11 News has found that at least two states are considering measures that would make it legal.
Those who support horse slaughter say they’d like to see it resume here in the U.S. because of laws that protect horses from cruelty. They say it is a well regulated industry that provided humane euthanasia.
“Such things are laughable. And it would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic. U.S. humane laws have done nothing for the horse,” said Long.
E-mail 11 News reporter Brad Woodard
SLAUGHTERGATE!! CONTINUED....
MESSAGE FROM JOHN HOLLAND:
TV Station KHOU has done a powerful piece on the USDA cruelty documents that Julie Caramante and Animal's Angels received through her FOIA. It features Steve Long and Julie and it is both powerful and graphic.
http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=315146
Here is a text version off of Texas Cable News
http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/houston/stories/khou081219_jj_horse-slaughter-transportation.7b642747.html
Thousands of U.S. horses slaughtered in Mexico for food
10:56 PM CST on Friday, December 19, 2008
By Brad Woodard / 11 News
Steve Long is a noted author as well as editor of Texas Horse Talk magazine. You can say he knows horses.
Thousands of U.S. horses slaughtered in Mexico
December 19, 2008
View larger
E-mail Clip
More Video
“They are the essence of beauty, everything about them, the way they move, the way they talk to each other, their personalities, they’re just magnificent,” he said.
He says that horses are not only deeply woven into the fabric of Texas History, but they are also great icons of the American West.
Still, despite that honor, records show that nearly 50,000 U.S. horses have been transported to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for slaughter and ultimately destined for the dinner tables in Europe and Japan.
“It’s an obscenity. It’s a horror. It’s something that makes me want to throw up,” said Long.
11 News photo
Records show that nearly 50,000 U.S. horses have been transported to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico for slaughter and ultimately destined for the dinner tables in Europe and Japan.
Believe it or not, Long isn’t talking about the slaughtering practices in Mexico, although he finds them disturbing.
Long is talking about the horse slaughter industry, that until recently, thrived here in Texas and the United States.
“This is the biggest animal rights scandal since the Michael Vick case. This is slaughtergate,” said Long.
In fact, records show that there are two Belgian owned horse slaughtering facilities in the state. He says one of the facilities, Dallas Crowe, is in Kaufman, Texas and that the other facility, Beltex, is located in Fort Worth.
In 2006, 11 News reported that employees at both facilities used captive bolt guns and air guns on the horses instead of knives. That technique involves driving a steel bolt into a the brain of a horse.
Both Texas facilities were forced to close last year. Officials say that the closure came after a federal appeals court upheld a 1949 state law banning horse slaughter for human consumption.
Despite that action the slaughter horse business continues.
Julie Caramante is an animal cruelty investigator for the organization called Animal’s Angels and she often works undercover.
She said that it took her three years to obtain photos that document violations of the transportation of horses taken to Beltex between January and November of 2005.
“I saw horses that were dead in trailers, with their legs ripped off, with their faces smashed in, eyeballs dangling, and these horses, some of them were still alive. They were just standing there,” said Caramante.
Many of the injuries reportedly occurred when the horses were transported on double-decker trailers designed to haul cattle.
The U.S. banned that type of action last year, but there’s a loophole, said Caramante. She says that the double-deckers can still be used to haul horses thousands of miles to feedlots, like the one in Morton, Texas. It’s owned by the Belgian company, Beltex.
“They feed them and get them fattened up. The ones that live go to El Paso and then off to the plant in Mexico,” said Caramante.
While it’s currently illegal to slaughter horses for human consumption in Texas, 11 News has found that at least two states are considering measures that would make it legal.
Those who support horse slaughter say they’d like to see it resume here in the U.S. because of laws that protect horses from cruelty. They say it is a well regulated industry that provided humane euthanasia.
“Such things are laughable. And it would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic. U.S. humane laws have done nothing for the horse,” said Long.
E-mail 11 News reporter Brad Woodard
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Ken Salazar Re-Posting
To All Who Care!
I was just asked by someone who is rather politically savvy on "how things are done" if all the wild horse and burro groups were circulating a "Group Letter" of opposition to the appointment of Ken Salazar to the Secretary of the Interior. They said we must have it in by tomorrow...
Due to time constraints, I have drafted such a Group Letter and it is attached. Please consider signing it with your organization and contact information and submitting it to John Podesta, a Key Staff member of the Obama Transition Team at John.Podesta@ptt.gov
Please also encourage everyone you know who cares about public lands and wild horses and burros to PROTEST this travesty and absolute betrayal of the public trust!
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
KEN SALAZAR?
NO CHANGE - MORE OF THE SAME - AMERICAN SHAME
Much of our public lands, resources and the agencies overseeing them have now reached critical levels of concern due to the long-standing policies of the past accelerated by the last eight years of blatant disregard for both law and public outcry. The American people were promised change under your leadership; the appointment of Mr. Salazar represents a betrayal of the public trust and fails utterly to fulfill that promise.
The Wild Horse and Burro Program overseen by the Bureau of Land Management is currently in shambles, a poignant illustration of the magnitude of crisis much of our public lands, resources, wildlife and their ever-shrinking habitats now face.
Over 30,000 wild horses and burros are now headed for slaughter due solely to gross malfeasance, lack of oversight or accountability as well as the insidious policies of political meddling and corruption versus sound science based decisions that have pervasively corroded the wise stewardship of our Nation’s resources.
NOW is the time for strong, progressive and visionary leadership in efforts to repair what may be irreparable. There is no more time to waste on yet another politically motivated appointment that serves only special interests; not the American people or our children!
Ken Salazar promotes more of the same destructive policies and we strongly oppose his appointment as the Secretary of the Interior!
SUPPORT RAUL GRIJALVA FOR TRUE CHANGE!
~CHANGE YOUR MIND~
I was just asked by someone who is rather politically savvy on "how things are done" if all the wild horse and burro groups were circulating a "Group Letter" of opposition to the appointment of Ken Salazar to the Secretary of the Interior. They said we must have it in by tomorrow...
Due to time constraints, I have drafted such a Group Letter and it is attached. Please consider signing it with your organization and contact information and submitting it to John Podesta, a Key Staff member of the Obama Transition Team at John.Podesta@ptt.gov
Please also encourage everyone you know who cares about public lands and wild horses and burros to PROTEST this travesty and absolute betrayal of the public trust!
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
KEN SALAZAR?
NO CHANGE - MORE OF THE SAME - AMERICAN SHAME
Much of our public lands, resources and the agencies overseeing them have now reached critical levels of concern due to the long-standing policies of the past accelerated by the last eight years of blatant disregard for both law and public outcry. The American people were promised change under your leadership; the appointment of Mr. Salazar represents a betrayal of the public trust and fails utterly to fulfill that promise.
The Wild Horse and Burro Program overseen by the Bureau of Land Management is currently in shambles, a poignant illustration of the magnitude of crisis much of our public lands, resources, wildlife and their ever-shrinking habitats now face.
Over 30,000 wild horses and burros are now headed for slaughter due solely to gross malfeasance, lack of oversight or accountability as well as the insidious policies of political meddling and corruption versus sound science based decisions that have pervasively corroded the wise stewardship of our Nation’s resources.
NOW is the time for strong, progressive and visionary leadership in efforts to repair what may be irreparable. There is no more time to waste on yet another politically motivated appointment that serves only special interests; not the American people or our children!
Ken Salazar promotes more of the same destructive policies and we strongly oppose his appointment as the Secretary of the Interior!
SUPPORT RAUL GRIJALVA FOR TRUE CHANGE!
~CHANGE YOUR MIND~
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
IGA Horse Burgers
Boycott the sale of horsemeat burgers
Thanks to:
Beth in Illinois Fighting to End Horse Slaughter
http://www. thepetitionsite. com/1/horsemeat-burgers-anyone-boycott-iga
Target:Independant Grocers Alliance (IGA)Sponsored by: Friends of Equines
FOES of Equine SlaughterAbout IGA
The Independant Grocers Alliance (IGA) is the worlds largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $21 billion per year. The Alliance includes nearly 4,000 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, supported by 36distribution companies and more than 55 major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items.
IGA has operations in 44 of the United States and more than 40 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents
IGA promoting and selling horsemeat burgers internationally on-line;
http://www. iga. net/recipes. php?lang=en&id=174
NO to commercialization of horsemeat for human consumption! Boycott IGA in USA and everywhere else abroad! Lets send a powerful message to the grocers of the world: Horses ARE NOT a food-animal!!
Here is a link to where you can see how horrorifically these horses are killed, bear in mind this is what the "Pro-slaughter" people call "humane euthansia"
http://video. hsus. org/?fr_story=af238f6e5ce156726675a947debdeab0ad670054&rf=bm
Please sign the petition:
http://www. thepetitionsite. com/1/horsemeat-burgers-anyone-boycott-iga
Thanks to:
Beth in Illinois Fighting to End Horse Slaughter
http://www. thepetitionsite. com/1/horsemeat-burgers-anyone-boycott-iga
Target:Independant Grocers Alliance (IGA)Sponsored by: Friends of Equines
FOES of Equine SlaughterAbout IGA
The Independant Grocers Alliance (IGA) is the worlds largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $21 billion per year. The Alliance includes nearly 4,000 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, supported by 36distribution companies and more than 55 major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items.
IGA has operations in 44 of the United States and more than 40 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents
IGA promoting and selling horsemeat burgers internationally on-line;
http://www. iga. net/recipes. php?lang=en&id=174
NO to commercialization of horsemeat for human consumption! Boycott IGA in USA and everywhere else abroad! Lets send a powerful message to the grocers of the world: Horses ARE NOT a food-animal!!
Here is a link to where you can see how horrorifically these horses are killed, bear in mind this is what the "Pro-slaughter" people call "humane euthansia"
http://video. hsus. org/?fr_story=af238f6e5ce156726675a947debdeab0ad670054&rf=bm
Please sign the petition:
http://www. thepetitionsite. com/1/horsemeat-burgers-anyone-boycott-iga
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Just Sharing....
December 2, 2008
Dear Tiffanie,
Thank you for recently writing to President-elect Obama’s transition team to express your support for a Secretary of Agriculture who takes animal protection seriously. Over the past week, you may have heard specific names mentioned for this important post, as well as for the Secretary of the Interior. These two cabinet positions have a major impact on animal welfare, and below are our recommendations for these key appointments. We hope you will once again make your voice heard and write to President-elect Obama.
With oversight of the Animal Welfare Act and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, the Secretary of Agriculture is responsible for enforcing a broad range of laws -- including those covering puppy mills, animal slaughter, animal fighting, and food safety. We believe that John Boyd Jr., founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, and former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, would be excellent choices for this post. However, we strongly object to former Representative Charlie Stenholm, who has been extremely hostile to even the most modest animal protection reforms, and has been a paid lobbyist for the factory farming and horse slaughter industries. It would be a disaster for animals if he were to be appointed to this position or any other position of authority over animal welfare matters.
The Secretary of the Interior oversees the enforcement of key wildlife laws, such as the Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and wildlife management practices on hundreds of millions of acres of federal land. We think the best candidates for this position are Representatives Raúl Grijalva and Jay Inslee and former Interior Department Deputy Secretary David Hayes. Conversely, we oppose Representative John Salazar, as he has been hostile to a wide range of animal protection policies, including efforts to halt the trophy hunting of polar bears and to protect wild horses from slaughter. Salazar was even aligned with former Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo in an attempt to weaken the Endangered Species Act. Click here to learn more about these candidates and add your voice to these recommendations.
We hope that President-elect Obama will consider the importance of animal protection when appointing these positions, and that you will join us to express your support for individuals who embrace animal protection as a worthy goal. And don't forget to tell your friends and family to take action, too.
Thank you for all you do for animals.
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
Dear Tiffanie,
Thank you for recently writing to President-elect Obama’s transition team to express your support for a Secretary of Agriculture who takes animal protection seriously. Over the past week, you may have heard specific names mentioned for this important post, as well as for the Secretary of the Interior. These two cabinet positions have a major impact on animal welfare, and below are our recommendations for these key appointments. We hope you will once again make your voice heard and write to President-elect Obama.
With oversight of the Animal Welfare Act and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, the Secretary of Agriculture is responsible for enforcing a broad range of laws -- including those covering puppy mills, animal slaughter, animal fighting, and food safety. We believe that John Boyd Jr., founder and president of the National Black Farmers Association, and former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, would be excellent choices for this post. However, we strongly object to former Representative Charlie Stenholm, who has been extremely hostile to even the most modest animal protection reforms, and has been a paid lobbyist for the factory farming and horse slaughter industries. It would be a disaster for animals if he were to be appointed to this position or any other position of authority over animal welfare matters.
The Secretary of the Interior oversees the enforcement of key wildlife laws, such as the Endangered Species Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and wildlife management practices on hundreds of millions of acres of federal land. We think the best candidates for this position are Representatives Raúl Grijalva and Jay Inslee and former Interior Department Deputy Secretary David Hayes. Conversely, we oppose Representative John Salazar, as he has been hostile to a wide range of animal protection policies, including efforts to halt the trophy hunting of polar bears and to protect wild horses from slaughter. Salazar was even aligned with former Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo in an attempt to weaken the Endangered Species Act. Click here to learn more about these candidates and add your voice to these recommendations.
We hope that President-elect Obama will consider the importance of animal protection when appointing these positions, and that you will join us to express your support for individuals who embrace animal protection as a worthy goal. And don't forget to tell your friends and family to take action, too.
Thank you for all you do for animals.
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Update on NCSL Meeting
Tri State Livestock News
Horse slaughter resolution
Over the Corral Fence
Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns
In about a week the National Conference of State Legislature’s Fall Forum will meet in Atlanta, Georgia. Wyoming Representative Sue Wallis and South Dakota Representative Dave Sigdestad have introduced a resolution to be considered there on the subject of United States horse slaughter plants and their necessity to the equine market and our economy at large. They’re seeking input to support that resolution, in the form of letters which are “short, to the point, and include specific costs and impacts.”
Sue Wallis says, “I am going to be working with others to contact as many legislators as possible before, and at, the Forum with good, solid information. I am sure that as soon as the resolution gets posted that there will be an absolute deluge from the opposition. Last year, they apparently nearly overwhelmed the NCSL offices with emails, phone calls and death threats... we will try our best to get out clear factual information so that thinking, intelligent people can make good decisions.”
Equine businesspeople must realize the extreme importance of Sue’s and Dave’s efforts here – we desperately NEED horse slaughter plants reinstated in this country! Please get behind them. Submit your information and letters of support to sue.wallis@vcn.com or Sue Wallis, P.O. Box 71, Recluse, Wyoming 82725, or phone the ranch at (307)685-8248 or her cell (307) 680-8515. Her weblog is http://suewallis.wordpress.com/.
“We have received good support from the horse industry around the country,” Sue says, “and it sounds like we will have at least a few lobbyists on the ground in Atlanta – Conrad Burns from Montana, someone from Charlie Stenholm’s office in Washington, someone from AQHA, and hopefully some folks from other horse groups, as well.
“Last year in committee we were able to win a majority, but not the ¾ needed to take a resolution to the floor,” Sue explains, adding “we are hopeful we can carry the day this go-around. They were able to pass a resolution at the Council of State Governments – Midwest Regon last year. Of course, the difference is that at CSL we are dealing with both the east and left coasts – the whole country – and we can expect opposition from California, Washington and New England. Most of the urban folks are easily swayed by the emotional rhetoric of the Humane Society, et al.”
We tip our ol Tri-State Stetson to these two fine legislators on a wise and well-crafted resolution. Believing many of you are interested and need this information, I’m quoting a large portion of it here: “Federal legislation has been introduced to amend the 1970 Horse Protection Act to prohibit the possession, sale, transport or shipping of horses for processing. The National Conference of State Legislatures urges members of Congress to oppose such legislation.
“The loss of secondary markets has decimated the equine industry, severely impacted the livestock industry as a whole, and by eliminating the salvage value of horses has significantly reduced the market value of all horses. The loss of markets for horse meat for pet food, for the maintenance of zoo animals, and for byproducts has greatly impacted these sectors. The loss of horse products for export has eliminated more than $42 million dollars of direct income for an already struggling sector of the livestock industry, not to mention millions of dollars in indirect costs because of the loss of value of individual animals.
“The loss of the highly regulated and humane processing facilities in the United States has overwhelmed the ability of government and private rescue organization’s ability to deal with the scope of the problem; and has overburdened state and local agencies charged with regulating the transfer, transport, and welfare of horses. Without affordable and economic alternatives, unwanted horses are abandoned, and in the Western US the additional pressure on public lands from horses turned out to run wild is only intensifying the over-population, over-grazing, and ultimate destruction of the ecosystem. State livestock programs that used to be able to recoup the costs of caring and feeding for abandoned and estray animals by marketing them, are now forced to greatly increase their budgets at the expense of taxpayers.
“The Horse Welfare Coalition estimates that in excess of 100,000 unwanted horses annually, without any market value whatsoever, will be exposed to potential abandonment and neglect because of the cessation of horse processing in the United States. Efforts to prohibit the transport and export of horses can only exacerbate this problem. These additional unwanted horses will compete for adoption with the 32,000 wild horses that are currently fed and sheltered at a public expense of $40 million. The nation’s inadequate and overburdened horse rescue and adoption facilities cannot begin to handle the influx of additional unwanted and abandoned horses.
“In the United States the harvest of all animals, including horses, is highly regulated to provide for the humane handling of the animals as well as for a safe and wholesome product. Horse processing in the United States is particularly tightly regulated, and the horse is the only animal whose transportation to processing is regulated. Horse processing facilities in the United States are required to have United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarians supervise the euthanasia, and the euthanasia method is humane, according the American Veterinary Medical Association and the United States Department of Agriculture. Since the closing of horse processing facilities in the United States, horses have increasingly been sent across the borders for processing. In 2007, 35,000 horses were sent to Canada for slaughter, a forty-one percent increase from the previous year, while horse exports to Mexico have more than tripled. Equine processing in many foreign facilities is not held to the standards for humane handling and euthanasia required in the United States and often involves practices that would not be tolerated in this country.
“The majority of world cultures, including French speaking Canada, and Mexico, most of Europe and Asia have provided a willing market for the US horse industry. These, and ethnic markets inside the US would appreciate an additional source of high quality protein untainted by disease concerns of other species of livestock.
“NCSL urges Congress to oppose legislation that would restrict the market, transport, processing, or export of horses, to recognize the need for humane horse processing facilities in the United States, and not to interfere with State efforts to establish facilities in the United States.”
Wishing this effort much success in Atlanta, we come plumb to the end of our ol’ lariat rope again...
© 2008 Rhonda Stearns
Email Rhonda at cow_grl63@hotmail.com
Horse slaughter resolution
Over the Corral Fence
Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns
In about a week the National Conference of State Legislature’s Fall Forum will meet in Atlanta, Georgia. Wyoming Representative Sue Wallis and South Dakota Representative Dave Sigdestad have introduced a resolution to be considered there on the subject of United States horse slaughter plants and their necessity to the equine market and our economy at large. They’re seeking input to support that resolution, in the form of letters which are “short, to the point, and include specific costs and impacts.”
Sue Wallis says, “I am going to be working with others to contact as many legislators as possible before, and at, the Forum with good, solid information. I am sure that as soon as the resolution gets posted that there will be an absolute deluge from the opposition. Last year, they apparently nearly overwhelmed the NCSL offices with emails, phone calls and death threats... we will try our best to get out clear factual information so that thinking, intelligent people can make good decisions.”
Equine businesspeople must realize the extreme importance of Sue’s and Dave’s efforts here – we desperately NEED horse slaughter plants reinstated in this country! Please get behind them. Submit your information and letters of support to sue.wallis@vcn.com or Sue Wallis, P.O. Box 71, Recluse, Wyoming 82725, or phone the ranch at (307)685-8248 or her cell (307) 680-8515. Her weblog is http://suewallis.wordpress.com/.
“We have received good support from the horse industry around the country,” Sue says, “and it sounds like we will have at least a few lobbyists on the ground in Atlanta – Conrad Burns from Montana, someone from Charlie Stenholm’s office in Washington, someone from AQHA, and hopefully some folks from other horse groups, as well.
“Last year in committee we were able to win a majority, but not the ¾ needed to take a resolution to the floor,” Sue explains, adding “we are hopeful we can carry the day this go-around. They were able to pass a resolution at the Council of State Governments – Midwest Regon last year. Of course, the difference is that at CSL we are dealing with both the east and left coasts – the whole country – and we can expect opposition from California, Washington and New England. Most of the urban folks are easily swayed by the emotional rhetoric of the Humane Society, et al.”
We tip our ol Tri-State Stetson to these two fine legislators on a wise and well-crafted resolution. Believing many of you are interested and need this information, I’m quoting a large portion of it here: “Federal legislation has been introduced to amend the 1970 Horse Protection Act to prohibit the possession, sale, transport or shipping of horses for processing. The National Conference of State Legislatures urges members of Congress to oppose such legislation.
“The loss of secondary markets has decimated the equine industry, severely impacted the livestock industry as a whole, and by eliminating the salvage value of horses has significantly reduced the market value of all horses. The loss of markets for horse meat for pet food, for the maintenance of zoo animals, and for byproducts has greatly impacted these sectors. The loss of horse products for export has eliminated more than $42 million dollars of direct income for an already struggling sector of the livestock industry, not to mention millions of dollars in indirect costs because of the loss of value of individual animals.
“The loss of the highly regulated and humane processing facilities in the United States has overwhelmed the ability of government and private rescue organization’s ability to deal with the scope of the problem; and has overburdened state and local agencies charged with regulating the transfer, transport, and welfare of horses. Without affordable and economic alternatives, unwanted horses are abandoned, and in the Western US the additional pressure on public lands from horses turned out to run wild is only intensifying the over-population, over-grazing, and ultimate destruction of the ecosystem. State livestock programs that used to be able to recoup the costs of caring and feeding for abandoned and estray animals by marketing them, are now forced to greatly increase their budgets at the expense of taxpayers.
“The Horse Welfare Coalition estimates that in excess of 100,000 unwanted horses annually, without any market value whatsoever, will be exposed to potential abandonment and neglect because of the cessation of horse processing in the United States. Efforts to prohibit the transport and export of horses can only exacerbate this problem. These additional unwanted horses will compete for adoption with the 32,000 wild horses that are currently fed and sheltered at a public expense of $40 million. The nation’s inadequate and overburdened horse rescue and adoption facilities cannot begin to handle the influx of additional unwanted and abandoned horses.
“In the United States the harvest of all animals, including horses, is highly regulated to provide for the humane handling of the animals as well as for a safe and wholesome product. Horse processing in the United States is particularly tightly regulated, and the horse is the only animal whose transportation to processing is regulated. Horse processing facilities in the United States are required to have United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarians supervise the euthanasia, and the euthanasia method is humane, according the American Veterinary Medical Association and the United States Department of Agriculture. Since the closing of horse processing facilities in the United States, horses have increasingly been sent across the borders for processing. In 2007, 35,000 horses were sent to Canada for slaughter, a forty-one percent increase from the previous year, while horse exports to Mexico have more than tripled. Equine processing in many foreign facilities is not held to the standards for humane handling and euthanasia required in the United States and often involves practices that would not be tolerated in this country.
“The majority of world cultures, including French speaking Canada, and Mexico, most of Europe and Asia have provided a willing market for the US horse industry. These, and ethnic markets inside the US would appreciate an additional source of high quality protein untainted by disease concerns of other species of livestock.
“NCSL urges Congress to oppose legislation that would restrict the market, transport, processing, or export of horses, to recognize the need for humane horse processing facilities in the United States, and not to interfere with State efforts to establish facilities in the United States.”
Wishing this effort much success in Atlanta, we come plumb to the end of our ol’ lariat rope again...
© 2008 Rhonda Stearns
Email Rhonda at cow_grl63@hotmail.com
Good News For Horse Rescues
Free Vaccines for Some Unwanted Horses
by: Press Release
December 09 2008, Article # 13238
Print Email NEW! Add to Favorites RSS ShareThis
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Dec. 8 unveiled the Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign (UHVRC), a nonprofit program that will provide free equine vaccines to qualified equine rescue and retirement facilities across the United States.
"At Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, we are committed to helping unwanted horses across America by providing struggling equine rescue and retirement facilities with the equine vaccines they need to improve the health and welfare of the horse," says Cynthia Gutierrez, DVM, Equine Technical Services Veterinarian for Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health. "We have chosen to demonstrate this commitment by teaming up with the AAEP to establish the UHVRC to help make unwanted horses more adoptable and the rescues less burdened."
Through the UHVRC, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health will donate equine vaccines to qualifying equine rescue and retirement facilities to provide healthcare so they can rehabilitate, revitalize, and, ultimately, re-home America's unwanted horses.
Equine rescue and retirement facilities will be selected to receive complimentary equine vaccines based on the completed application, compliance with the AAEP Care Guidelines for Rescue and Retirement Facilities, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, their need, the potential impact on horses' lives and the professional manner in which the facility is managed.
How To Get Involved
AAEP-member veterinarians can work with equine rescue and retirement facilities to receive complimentary Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health equine vaccines. The AAEP-member veterinarian and equine rescue and retirement facility work together to submit an application, the facilities checklist and the equine vaccine order form. Only facilities that follow the AAEP Care Guidelines for Equine Rescue and Retirement Facilities and have a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status will qualify for the program. Equine rescue and retirement facilities or veterinarians can download an application form, the AAEP Care Guidelines, and learn more at www.UHVRC.org.
Three of Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health's equine vaccines are available through the UHVRC program: PreveNile West Nile virus vaccine; EquiRab rabies vaccine; and Prestige V (KY93, KY02 and NM2/93 flu strains, EHV-1, EHV-4, EEE, WEE, and tetanus).
Veterinarians Making a Difference
"The horses and rescues need help. Through the Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign, veterinarians now have the opportunity to make a difference by working with equine rescue and retirement facilities to receive complimentary vaccinations for the unwanted horses in their care," says AAEP President Eleanor Green, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM. "This program exemplifies the AAEP's ongoing commitment to issues that surround the care of unwanted horses in the United States."
A portion of all Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health equine vaccine sales beginning Dec. 1, 2008, will support the program in the future. The UHVRC will accept qualified applicants beginning Jan. 1, 2009.
To learn more about Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health's full line of innovative, high-quality equine health products, visit www.intervetusa.com.
About AAEP
The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, the AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its nearly 10,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.
About Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health is focused on the research, development, manufacturing, and marketing of animal health products. The company offers customers one of the broadest, most innovative animal-health portfolios, spanning products to support performance and to prevent, treat, and control disease in all major farm and companion-animal species. The company is based in Boxmeer, The Netherlands.
Schering-Plough is an innovation-driven, science-centered global health care company. Through its own biopharmaceutical research and collaborations with partners, Schering-Plough creates therapies that help save and improve lives around the world. The company applies its research-and-development platform to human prescription and consumer products as well as to animal health products. Schering-Plough's vision is to "Earn Trust, Every Day" with the doctors, patients, customers, and other stakeholders served by its colleagues around the world. The company is based in Kenilworth, N.J., and its Web site is www.schering-plough.com.
More information on the UHVRC will be coming soon.
by: Press Release
December 09 2008, Article # 13238
Print Email NEW! Add to Favorites RSS ShareThis
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Dec. 8 unveiled the Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign (UHVRC), a nonprofit program that will provide free equine vaccines to qualified equine rescue and retirement facilities across the United States.
"At Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health, we are committed to helping unwanted horses across America by providing struggling equine rescue and retirement facilities with the equine vaccines they need to improve the health and welfare of the horse," says Cynthia Gutierrez, DVM, Equine Technical Services Veterinarian for Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health. "We have chosen to demonstrate this commitment by teaming up with the AAEP to establish the UHVRC to help make unwanted horses more adoptable and the rescues less burdened."
Through the UHVRC, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health will donate equine vaccines to qualifying equine rescue and retirement facilities to provide healthcare so they can rehabilitate, revitalize, and, ultimately, re-home America's unwanted horses.
Equine rescue and retirement facilities will be selected to receive complimentary equine vaccines based on the completed application, compliance with the AAEP Care Guidelines for Rescue and Retirement Facilities, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, their need, the potential impact on horses' lives and the professional manner in which the facility is managed.
How To Get Involved
AAEP-member veterinarians can work with equine rescue and retirement facilities to receive complimentary Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health equine vaccines. The AAEP-member veterinarian and equine rescue and retirement facility work together to submit an application, the facilities checklist and the equine vaccine order form. Only facilities that follow the AAEP Care Guidelines for Equine Rescue and Retirement Facilities and have a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status will qualify for the program. Equine rescue and retirement facilities or veterinarians can download an application form, the AAEP Care Guidelines, and learn more at www.UHVRC.org.
Three of Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health's equine vaccines are available through the UHVRC program: PreveNile West Nile virus vaccine; EquiRab rabies vaccine; and Prestige V (KY93, KY02 and NM2/93 flu strains, EHV-1, EHV-4, EEE, WEE, and tetanus).
Veterinarians Making a Difference
"The horses and rescues need help. Through the Unwanted Horse Veterinary Relief Campaign, veterinarians now have the opportunity to make a difference by working with equine rescue and retirement facilities to receive complimentary vaccinations for the unwanted horses in their care," says AAEP President Eleanor Green, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM. "This program exemplifies the AAEP's ongoing commitment to issues that surround the care of unwanted horses in the United States."
A portion of all Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health equine vaccine sales beginning Dec. 1, 2008, will support the program in the future. The UHVRC will accept qualified applicants beginning Jan. 1, 2009.
To learn more about Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health's full line of innovative, high-quality equine health products, visit www.intervetusa.com.
About AAEP
The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, the AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its nearly 10,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.
About Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health
Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health is focused on the research, development, manufacturing, and marketing of animal health products. The company offers customers one of the broadest, most innovative animal-health portfolios, spanning products to support performance and to prevent, treat, and control disease in all major farm and companion-animal species. The company is based in Boxmeer, The Netherlands.
Schering-Plough is an innovation-driven, science-centered global health care company. Through its own biopharmaceutical research and collaborations with partners, Schering-Plough creates therapies that help save and improve lives around the world. The company applies its research-and-development platform to human prescription and consumer products as well as to animal health products. Schering-Plough's vision is to "Earn Trust, Every Day" with the doctors, patients, customers, and other stakeholders served by its colleagues around the world. The company is based in Kenilworth, N.J., and its Web site is www.schering-plough.com.
More information on the UHVRC will be coming soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
