The Missouri Equine Council opposes S. 311, the Virgie S. Arden American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. To pass S. 311 would be for reasons other
than horse welfare, science, safety or public health. A legislative decision
made without scientific justification creates a negative precedent for other
animal industries such as cattle, swine, and poultry.
S. 311 serves primarily:
1. To limit the choices of animal owners to dispose of an animal, and result
in the loss of personal property rights with respect to animal ownership;
2. Causes U.S. horses to be exported to neighboring countries for slaughter
where welfare and humane handling requirements are not in place.
3. Sends tax revenues and jobs to neighboring countries.
4. Forces U.S. zoos, in the animal welfare business as well, to buy
horsemeat from foreign providers instead of USDA-inspected facilities.
Without the ability to process horses for human consumption, plants could
not remain open to solely produce horsemeat for zoos.
5. Does not take into account the needs of the horse. Only $5 million would
be allocated to enforce this legislation. Dividing that between 48 states
alone gives Missouri approximately $104,000.00 for our estimated horse
population of 200,000. This $5 million should be used to enforce current
laws pertaining to abuse, neglect, proper transport, and humane handling of
horses at currently approved facilities
Entities actively involved in the horse industry such as the American
Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Equine
Practitioners (AAEP) consider captive bolt method, which is used to end a
horse’s life at the plants, an acceptable and practical means of euthanasia
for horses. Both associations agree that processing of unwanted horses
provides a humane regulatory alternative to a life of discomfort, inadequate
care or abandonment.
Who will pay for the care and upkeep of unwanted or unmanageable horses
annually? Capabilities of horse shelter and welfare organizations are
already grossly inadequate. Although the current figure is 90,000 horses
sent to slaughter annually in the U.S. it is estimated that there is an
additional 90,000 horses that are unmanageable and unwanted.
The Missouri Equine Council urges consideration of these facts and request
that you work to defeat S. 311.
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