S.D. - Bill to finance horse slaughter plant

[drjinva]

January 27, 2008

SOUTH DAKOTA INTRODUCES BILL TO FINANCE HORSE SLAUGHTER PLANT

CALLS TO SOUTH DAKOTA AND WASHINGTON, D.C.
ARE URGENTLY NEEDED!

Dear Humanitarian:

A bill was introduced in the South Dakota legislature last week that would make a state-funded loan of up to $1 million available to anyone wishing to construct and open a horse slaughtering facility in the state. Introduced by multiple members of the South Dakota State Senate and House Agriculture Committees, S.B. 170 is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee at 10am on Tuesday morning (1/29/08).

Currently no horse slaughtering facilities operate in the United States: both Texas and Illinois shuttered the remaining domestic plants in 2007 in response to strong public opposition to horse slaughter. The opening of a plant in South Dakota would be a huge step backwards for American horses and would have a tremendously negative impact on the state.

What You Can Do

Please call all members of the South Dakota Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee to let them know that you oppose S.B. 170. If you live in South Dakota, tell them. However, you needn’t be from South Dakota to call – passage of S.B. 170 will affect horses and people from across the United States. They can be reached at their Capitol offices by calling the operator at 605-773-3821.
Senator Jay Duenwald, Chair
Senator Cooper Garnos (cosponsor)
Senator Tom Hansen, Vice Chair
Senator Gary Hanson (cosponsor)
Senator Frank Kloucek (cosponsor)
Senator Jim Lintz
Senator Kenneth McNenny
Senator Jim Peterson
Senator Dan Sutton (cosponsor)

Call your United States Senators and Representative and urge them to cosponsor and support speedy passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 311/H.R. 503). The federal bill, which has enormous and growing Congressional and public support, will prohibit the slaughter of horses in the United States for human consumption, as well as their export for the same purpose. Its passage will nullify S.B. 170 or any similar legislation. You can reach your legislators by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Talking Points

In addition to your own feelings on horse slaughter, here are some points to raise in your calls:

Americans overwhelmingly oppose horse slaughter and this has resulted in the closure of the remaining foreign-owned domestic plants. South Dakota would be out of step with public sentiment if the state legislature passes S.B. 170 into law and this will reflect unfavorably on the state.
The overwhelming majority of horses they would slaughter come from other states, including stolen horses and horses sold under false pretenses.
Given that the federal American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act is anticipated to move in 2008, the loan made available via S.B. 170 would be fool hardy. The state risks pumping scarce taxpayer dollars into an industry that is likely to be shut down under federal law.
The FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill (which funds the federal government) currently before Congress includes a provision that prohibits the use of federal tax dollars for the inspection of horses going to slaughter – without which the animals cannot legally be slaughtered. It is anticipated that like measures will be included in future spending bills, too. South Dakota could find itself with a slaughterhouse that cannot operate due to federal funding restrictions.
The REDI fund, through which the loan would be made, is designed to promote job growth in South Dakota. The fact is that a horse slaughter plant would employ only a handful of low-paid, unskilled workers who are more likely to be a drain on the economy than a bonus.
The establishment of a plant in South Dakota would have a negative environmental and economic impact on the hosting jurisdiction. Disposal of blood, tissue and other waste associated with operating a plant would likely stress pre-existing sewer systems and could even require significant public expenditure to fortify the infrastructure.
To learn more about how you can help end horse slaughter please visit www.awionline.org. To locate your federal legislator and see how they rate on AWI’s Compassion Index check out www.compassionindex.org.

Please share our “Dear Humanitarian” eAlert with family, friends and co-workers, and encourage them to contact those listed above, too. As always, thank you very much for your help.

Sincerely,
Cathy Liss
Director, Government and Legal Affairs
www.awionline.org
www.compassionindex.org


For over 57 years, AWI has been the leading voice for animals across the country and on Capitol Hill. Please join us in our ongoing campaigns to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. Sign up for AWI eAlerts to receive the latest news on what you can do to help us protect all animals: www.awionline.org/joinus.

[djrepp]

I wonder if any polls have been done regarding the euthanasia of healthy unwanted horses and if the public is willing to pay for it.

[cwinterburn ( RIP) We love YOU]

Just a thought and a question for you all.... before we leap to oppose this idea of a slaughter plant on US soil, where we could insist on inspections and where we could impose strict guidlies for humane treatment on how the animals were treated and killed... let's consider what we have now- long torturous rides into Canada or Mexico and in Mexico horrible unhumane deaths and clearly in-humane handling up until their death. If given the numbers of 'excess horses' that we've produced - for one reason or another - horse slaughter is a reality we have to live with until the numbers adjust themselves, perhaps this is a better way; to have the reality where we control it? If it's inevitable - wouldn't it be better if we wrote the rules?

[alp324]

Horse slaughter is just legalized brutality and cruelty to animals.

You will never stop the overbreeding and unscrupulous racehorse trainers and owners until you stop the option of slaughter. It is really sad that in the "real world" people will never stop doing what is wrong out of the goodness of their heart as long as profit is involved. We ALLOW all the "bad" breeding practices and all the "throw away" mentality because we give them that option of the "last almighty dollar" to sell to slaughter.

To really change the world for horses, you have to protect them once and for all and never look back, only to look back in disbelief that we allowed slaughter to go on for so long.

Aleta

[angelinmydreams]

I thought that it was banned all over the states? I agree even if there was slaughter plants around it would really not make a diffrence because people throw away horses like they do tolite paper. If they don't have the right color pattern see ya, you are not fast enough bye,bye and you may not be thick enough call the auctioner. I know people who go through horses like underware and then they put me down for owning a high strung OTB that is reliable and well broke " get rid of her bla bla bla" if people would put effort into what they already have instead of dumping them off at the auction or feedlot there may not be a need for so many horses and the sad thing is not a whole lot of them get a real chance in life, and if you do have a horse you need or want to sell make sure it is going to a good home and make stipulations. Another thing is if you have a horse that is dangerous to its self and others have it put down. Don't pawn it off on someone else it will end up on the truck and that is crueler. Just my thought. In a sense we skipped a step by banning slaughter. I think that we should have banned US horses from leaving the states and then closed the plants because we skipped step one and did things backwords our poor horses are tortured.

[drjinva]

angelinmydreams said:

I thought that it was banned all over the states? I agree even if there was slaughter plants around it would really not make a diffrence because people throw away horses like they do tolite paper. If they don't have the right color pattern see ya, you are not fast enough bye,bye and you may not be thick enough call the auctioner. I know people who go through horses like underware and then they put me down for owning a high strung OTB that is reliable and well broke " get rid of her bla bla bla" if people would put effort into what they already have instead of dumping them off at the auction or feedlot there may not be a need for so many horses and the sad thing is not a whole lot of them get a real chance in life, and if you do have a horse you need or want to sell make sure it is going to a good home and make stipulations. Another thing is if you have a horse that is dangerous to its self and others have it put down. Don't pawn it off on someone else it will end up on the truck and that is crueler. Just my thought. In a sense we skipped a step by banning slaughter. I think that we should have banned US horses from leaving the states and then closed the plants because we skipped step one and did things backwords our poor horses are tortured.

There are still bills in the House and Senate that would ban the transportation of horses for slaughter. That's something that we all need to support!

[halfwayhome]

CW, I agree with you, IF slaughter has to be done, I would much rather it be strictly controlled and EVERY aspect of it governed strictly for humane handling and travel, etc. If enforcements and punishment for bad handling practices, etc, would be swift and enforced, soon the industry would comply to maintain business. IF they would listen to and follow Dr. Temple Grandin's suggestions for how to set one up so that it is truly humane and made for horses and IF they would not slaughter foals or pg mares and IF they would not allow whatsoever cruel shipping and handling procedures and no animals that could not move on their own without pain, etc etc and IF it all was strictly enforced, then it would be a much better alternative than shipping to MEXICO or Canada. Right now, the way it is, the horrors of the treatment of these poor horses going into foreign plants is beyond the US control. IF slaughter cannot be outlawed, then this alternative would at least be a bit more palatible, BUT it would have to be totally controlled and accountable environment. I am against slaughter, but if there has to be, then I would prefer it this way than the way it is now.

[jenm]

This bill did NOT pass! Apparently they heard from a lot of people in opposition and were "disturbed" by the number of outsiders who called in. I know the CA anti-slaughter call group I belong to made a lot of phone calls.

They are now going to do a study before they think about presenting it again.

Past history has shown that guidelines and regulations don't get followed and punishment for breaking rules is non-existent. I would be hard pressed to believe that any plant would ever even try to make slaughter a humane, pain free practice.

[earlybp]

Unless we all start eating horsemeat, and they sell it for fast food, I don't see the slaughter houses getting more humane for horses. It was McDonald's and Wendy's who forced cattle slaughterhouse's to clean up their act. There's no "Out of the kindness of our hearts" or "the government is going to watch out for them". Much as I wish there were.

[michellep]

I think you also have to change peoples thinking about slaughter. I work with somebody that had horses. One of her horses had an injury in his back that was getting increasingly worse to the point that pain medication wasnt helping much and he was dangerous to people. Instead of having a vet out and putting him down, he went to slaughter. She "hopes that some rescue" didnt pick him up and adopt him out because of his injury/dangerous behavior. Her excuse was that she didnt have a place to bury him and thats why she did what she did. I wanted to ask if she had heard of a rendering truck to take away the body.....But I have to be nice, and keep the peace at work. P.S. She did have the funds to use the option of a vet for euthanizing him and the services of a rendering truck

[drjinva]

michellep said:

I think you also have to change peoples thinking about slaughter. I work with somebody that had horses. One of her horses had an injury in his back that was getting increasingly worse to the point that pain medication wasnt helping much and he was dangerous to people. Instead of having a vet out and putting him down, he went to slaughter. She "hopes that some rescue" didnt pick him up and adopt him out because of his injury/dangerous behavior. Her excuse was that she didnt have a place to bury him and thats why she did what she did. I wanted to ask if she had heard of a rendering truck to take away the body.....But I have to be nice, and keep the peace at work. P.S. She did have the funds to use the option of a vet for euthanizing him and the services of a rendering truck

It's sad that people don't have the same mentality when buying/adopting a horse as they do with dogs and cats. When the latter get sick or old, you don't just send them off so someone else can put them down (I'm sure that there are some that do). When it was my cat's time, the vet came to the house, and I held my kitty while the vet administered the drugs. She knew that I loved her until the end. Her ashes sit on my bookcase overlooking the balcony where she loved to spend her time.

Debbie