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sitaangelCongress should ban slaughter of horses for human consumption
MICHIANA POINT OF VIEW
HAZEL H. STEVENS
I must take issue with letters applauding U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola's vote
against the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (HR 503). This bill
passed overwhelmingly (263-146) in a bi-partisan effort to prevent the
misery and animal slaughter of nearly 100,000 horses in the United States for human consumption abroad.
There is nothing compassionate or humane about the horse slaughter
industry. Horses taken for slaughter must be transported over long
distances in double-decker trucks designed for cattle and pigs. Unable
to raise their heads, and often crammed together, they are left standing
on surfaces that lead to slips, falls and trampling. Horses can be
transported for 28 hours without food, water or rest and the transport
companies themselves certify the care the horses receive.
After arriving at one of three foreign-owned horse slaughter facilities
in the United States (or transported to others across the border in
Canada), federal law requires that horses be rendered unconscious prior
to slaughter. A device called a captive bolt gun, which shoots a metal
rod into the horse's brain, is used. But conditions in slaughterhouses
are stressful and frightening for horses, and the Humane Society of the
United States reports that some horses are improperly stunned and are
conscious when they are hoisted by a rear leg to have their throats cut.
Horses obtained for slaughter are often in good health and purchased at
livestock auctions or sales for only a few hundred dollars. They make up
virtually all ages and breeds. A recent accident in Missouri illustrates
this point. In September, a double-decker truck carrying 41 horses and
one mule overturned in Franklin County, headed to a Belgian-owned horse
slaughter plant in DeKalb, Ill. Yearlings, young geldings and a pregnant
mare were among the carnage. Indeed, the accident highlighted the
industry reality that 92 percent of the horses sent to slaughter are
healthy, sound animals. There are too many humane alternatives to allow
such cruelty to continue.
The victory of HR 503, it is time for the Senate to act on behalf of
America's horses through the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
(S1915). I urge U.S. Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.,
to be co-sponsors of this bill and move it to the Senate floor for an
immediate vote. The slaughter of American horses for human consumption
abroad should be stopped and Indiana's congressional delegation should
lead the way.
Hazel H. Stevens lives in South Bend.
MICHIANA POINT OF VIEW
HAZEL H. STEVENS
I must take issue with letters applauding U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola's vote
against the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (HR 503). This bill
passed overwhelmingly (263-146) in a bi-partisan effort to prevent the
misery and animal slaughter of nearly 100,000 horses in the United States for human consumption abroad.
There is nothing compassionate or humane about the horse slaughter
industry. Horses taken for slaughter must be transported over long
distances in double-decker trucks designed for cattle and pigs. Unable
to raise their heads, and often crammed together, they are left standing
on surfaces that lead to slips, falls and trampling. Horses can be
transported for 28 hours without food, water or rest and the transport
companies themselves certify the care the horses receive.
After arriving at one of three foreign-owned horse slaughter facilities
in the United States (or transported to others across the border in
Canada), federal law requires that horses be rendered unconscious prior
to slaughter. A device called a captive bolt gun, which shoots a metal
rod into the horse's brain, is used. But conditions in slaughterhouses
are stressful and frightening for horses, and the Humane Society of the
United States reports that some horses are improperly stunned and are
conscious when they are hoisted by a rear leg to have their throats cut.
Horses obtained for slaughter are often in good health and purchased at
livestock auctions or sales for only a few hundred dollars. They make up
virtually all ages and breeds. A recent accident in Missouri illustrates
this point. In September, a double-decker truck carrying 41 horses and
one mule overturned in Franklin County, headed to a Belgian-owned horse
slaughter plant in DeKalb, Ill. Yearlings, young geldings and a pregnant
mare were among the carnage. Indeed, the accident highlighted the
industry reality that 92 percent of the horses sent to slaughter are
healthy, sound animals. There are too many humane alternatives to allow
such cruelty to continue.
The victory of HR 503, it is time for the Senate to act on behalf of
America's horses through the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
(S1915). I urge U.S. Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind.,
to be co-sponsors of this bill and move it to the Senate floor for an
immediate vote. The slaughter of American horses for human consumption
abroad should be stopped and Indiana's congressional delegation should
lead the way.
Hazel H. Stevens lives in South Bend.
