articles/letter
Jul. 14th, 2005 09:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sitaangelProposed bill could affect local plant
Cavel International Inc. in DeKalb would likely suffer if bill is
ratified by Senate
Animal lovers who have fought for some time to ban the slaughtering of
horses for human consumption may soon win.
In early June, Rep. John Sweeney (R-New York) and his colleagues were
successful in passing an amendment to the House Agriculture
Appropriations bill that would eliminate horse meat inspections by the
United States Department of Agriculture.
If the horse meat is not approved by the department, it cannot be sold
for human consumption anywhere, said Melissa Carlson, a spokeswoman for
Sweeney.
The amendment has moved to the Senate and if it succeeds, the Cavel
International Inc. plant in DeKalb would likely lose a big part of its
revenue. Cavel is a Belgium company which slaughters horses for their
meat.
In a press release shortly following the amendment’s approval by the
House, Sweeney said he was highly opposed to slaughtering horses
because
it is a horrid and inhumane practice.
But the legislation has taken time to come this far because there are
people who think differently. State Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Hinckley, has
voted against anti-horse slaughtering bills in the past, but supports
the responsible treatment of animals.
"It is purely an elective option," Pritchard said. "And it’s only a
small portion of the horses that are euthanised or die each year."
This amendment is not the first attempt to ban horse slaughtering.
Sweeney attempted to ban the human consumption of horse meat as recent
as last year but was unsuccessful.
The amendment was successful because Sweeney is on the appropriations
committee, Carlson said. Therefore he had more influence in getting the
bill off the ground.
----
Abusing wild horses
Originally published on Thursday, July 07
Here’s a new, potentially profitable sideline for just about anyone — selling old horses.
Here’s how it works: The government sells you some wild horses, and you immediately sell them at a profit to a slaughterhouse who turns them into flank steaks for Europe.
That appears to be precisely the effect of what the federal government has been allowing since last fall when it changed rules for buying, and holding, wild horses who are on the government’s open ranges.
Apparently an enterprising Oklahoma man from the central part of the state is the first to figure out how to make a profit in buying and quickly selling these horses.
Six wild horses were apparently sold to an Illinois slaughterhouse after a Meeker man bought the horses after telling government officials the animals were going to be used in a church-run program.
The government suspects the man made a profit of $2,000 and is investigating.
The problem is, what he did may not be illegal.
It used to be that anyone buying wild horses had to hang onto them for at least a year. That law, in effect for 34 years, was changed last December.
These days, no matter what the buyer might have told the government, there may be nothing illegal about his having sold the horses. The new law that took effect last December makes horses available for immediate resale if they are 10 years old or have been offered for adoption at least three times — all of which the man’s horses were.
Oklahomans are enterprising, even if some of us skirt the spirit of the law.
We’re betting that law gets changed fast.
Grove Sun Daily
----
This letter is interesting:
America's horses deserve protection
GALE WIOT
Editor:
I would like to respond to Mr. Robert Kauffman's July 3 letter regarding the
slaughter of America's horses. I found it interesting that he found it
alarming to consider horses as pets. Many of us do consider our horses to be
companions and participate in a number of activities with them. And they do
provide hours of relaxation on the trail or in the arena.
Horses have been honored through history. The Bedouins honored their horses
and treated them as royalty, even allowing them to sleep in their tents.
Europeans valued their horses as well, as horses helped them fight many wars.
Spanish horses are the foundation of many of our current breeds. The American
Indians valued their steeds and were very selective in their horses' breeding.
Their horses were not considered a commodity and a food source. In many
cases, they were considered part of the family. Only under dire conditions were
their horses killed. Somewhere in the history of the United States, we felt it
necessary to slaughter our horses. Perhaps it started as our government felt
threatened and forced American Indians off their lands. We added insult to
injury by slaughtering many of the well-bred horses kept by the American
Indians.
Our horses are not bred as a food source. They are companions to many of us
and provide many hours of enjoyment and recreation. The slaughter of
America's horses needs to stop. And I agree with other writers that Mr. Kauffman
needs to read the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. The nonsupporters have
one thing in common, and that is the loss of business. The American Quarter
Horse Association has always advertised the quarter horse to be the "family
horse." I hardly think sending a beloved family member to slaughter is a value
I would like to convey to my children.
I commend our Illinois representatives for supporting a previous House bill
in favor of horses. And I hope our U.S. senators will do the same. There are
more than 200 equine and humane organizations supporting the current bill,
which does not include the other Americans who want this process stopped. As do
many other Americans, I resent my tax dollars supporting foreign concerns in
this country. America's horses are not a commodity to be bought and sold by
unscrupulous "killer dealers." Many family-owned horses have been purchased
under false pretenses and have ended up slaughtered in the Illinois plant. It
makes me sick that those mustangs had their lives ended at Cavel. They were
betrayed by a so-called minister.
These beautiful and willing creatures give their all for us, whether it is
on the racetrack, a pleasure class or just that relaxing ride on the trail. We
must protect and care for them, as they have been in the past. It is high
time Americans stand up to these foreign concerns. We do not want you here, and
these slaughterhouses need to be closed and closed forever.
As a horse owner for 30 years, I will be there for America's horses and will
get the help of many more supporters, and we will all see this inhumane
process stopped.
GALE WIOT
Orland Park
Cavel International Inc. in DeKalb would likely suffer if bill is
ratified by Senate
Animal lovers who have fought for some time to ban the slaughtering of
horses for human consumption may soon win.
In early June, Rep. John Sweeney (R-New York) and his colleagues were
successful in passing an amendment to the House Agriculture
Appropriations bill that would eliminate horse meat inspections by the
United States Department of Agriculture.
If the horse meat is not approved by the department, it cannot be sold
for human consumption anywhere, said Melissa Carlson, a spokeswoman for
Sweeney.
The amendment has moved to the Senate and if it succeeds, the Cavel
International Inc. plant in DeKalb would likely lose a big part of its
revenue. Cavel is a Belgium company which slaughters horses for their
meat.
In a press release shortly following the amendment’s approval by the
House, Sweeney said he was highly opposed to slaughtering horses
because
it is a horrid and inhumane practice.
But the legislation has taken time to come this far because there are
people who think differently. State Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Hinckley, has
voted against anti-horse slaughtering bills in the past, but supports
the responsible treatment of animals.
"It is purely an elective option," Pritchard said. "And it’s only a
small portion of the horses that are euthanised or die each year."
This amendment is not the first attempt to ban horse slaughtering.
Sweeney attempted to ban the human consumption of horse meat as recent
as last year but was unsuccessful.
The amendment was successful because Sweeney is on the appropriations
committee, Carlson said. Therefore he had more influence in getting the
bill off the ground.
----
Abusing wild horses
Originally published on Thursday, July 07
Here’s a new, potentially profitable sideline for just about anyone — selling old horses.
Here’s how it works: The government sells you some wild horses, and you immediately sell them at a profit to a slaughterhouse who turns them into flank steaks for Europe.
That appears to be precisely the effect of what the federal government has been allowing since last fall when it changed rules for buying, and holding, wild horses who are on the government’s open ranges.
Apparently an enterprising Oklahoma man from the central part of the state is the first to figure out how to make a profit in buying and quickly selling these horses.
Six wild horses were apparently sold to an Illinois slaughterhouse after a Meeker man bought the horses after telling government officials the animals were going to be used in a church-run program.
The government suspects the man made a profit of $2,000 and is investigating.
The problem is, what he did may not be illegal.
It used to be that anyone buying wild horses had to hang onto them for at least a year. That law, in effect for 34 years, was changed last December.
These days, no matter what the buyer might have told the government, there may be nothing illegal about his having sold the horses. The new law that took effect last December makes horses available for immediate resale if they are 10 years old or have been offered for adoption at least three times — all of which the man’s horses were.
Oklahomans are enterprising, even if some of us skirt the spirit of the law.
We’re betting that law gets changed fast.
Grove Sun Daily
----
This letter is interesting:
America's horses deserve protection
GALE WIOT
Editor:
I would like to respond to Mr. Robert Kauffman's July 3 letter regarding the
slaughter of America's horses. I found it interesting that he found it
alarming to consider horses as pets. Many of us do consider our horses to be
companions and participate in a number of activities with them. And they do
provide hours of relaxation on the trail or in the arena.
Horses have been honored through history. The Bedouins honored their horses
and treated them as royalty, even allowing them to sleep in their tents.
Europeans valued their horses as well, as horses helped them fight many wars.
Spanish horses are the foundation of many of our current breeds. The American
Indians valued their steeds and were very selective in their horses' breeding.
Their horses were not considered a commodity and a food source. In many
cases, they were considered part of the family. Only under dire conditions were
their horses killed. Somewhere in the history of the United States, we felt it
necessary to slaughter our horses. Perhaps it started as our government felt
threatened and forced American Indians off their lands. We added insult to
injury by slaughtering many of the well-bred horses kept by the American
Indians.
Our horses are not bred as a food source. They are companions to many of us
and provide many hours of enjoyment and recreation. The slaughter of
America's horses needs to stop. And I agree with other writers that Mr. Kauffman
needs to read the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. The nonsupporters have
one thing in common, and that is the loss of business. The American Quarter
Horse Association has always advertised the quarter horse to be the "family
horse." I hardly think sending a beloved family member to slaughter is a value
I would like to convey to my children.
I commend our Illinois representatives for supporting a previous House bill
in favor of horses. And I hope our U.S. senators will do the same. There are
more than 200 equine and humane organizations supporting the current bill,
which does not include the other Americans who want this process stopped. As do
many other Americans, I resent my tax dollars supporting foreign concerns in
this country. America's horses are not a commodity to be bought and sold by
unscrupulous "killer dealers." Many family-owned horses have been purchased
under false pretenses and have ended up slaughtered in the Illinois plant. It
makes me sick that those mustangs had their lives ended at Cavel. They were
betrayed by a so-called minister.
These beautiful and willing creatures give their all for us, whether it is
on the racetrack, a pleasure class or just that relaxing ride on the trail. We
must protect and care for them, as they have been in the past. It is high
time Americans stand up to these foreign concerns. We do not want you here, and
these slaughterhouses need to be closed and closed forever.
As a horse owner for 30 years, I will be there for America's horses and will
get the help of many more supporters, and we will all see this inhumane
process stopped.
GALE WIOT
Orland Park
