Jonathan Friedman
Failure to end horse slaughter is a disgrace
Just a few months ago it appeared that horse slaughter in the United States was on its way out. This was following the overwhelming bipartisan passage of a House of Representatives bill that called for the closure of America’s three equine slaughterhouses and making it illegal to ship horses to other nations for the purpose of slaughter. But the Senate version of the bill never made it out of committee before the 2006 session ended. And now the entire process must start over again next year.
Last week, shortly before the Congressional session ended, I contacted the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, where the bill was sitting, vegetating. The spokesperson who answered the phone told me there was no chance the bill would make it to the Senate floor for a vote. When I asked her why, she told me it wasn’t a priority. I disagree strongly with the statement. I’m not suggesting we put this issue ahead of finding a solution to the Iraq crisis. But humane treatment to a companion animal, a creature that has played such a significant role in our nation’s history, should be a priority. I encourage the many horse lovers in Malibu to make sure next year that the Senate and House members realize it is important for the disgraceful practice of horse slaughter to come to an end in this country.
The three American slaughterhouses, one in Illinois and two in Texas, are foreign-owned and send the horsemeat to Asian and European nations where it is consumed. Horsemeat is not part of the mainstream American diet, and none of the meat remains here. That is one of the issues regarding horse slaughter in the United States that is so offensive. In this country, horses are companion animals. It would be nice if people overseas did not eat horsemeat. But if that is what they want to do, then they should kill their own horses and not bring the dirty practice to this country. Slaughterhouses for dogs and cats would never be tolerated in the United States, and horses deserve the same respect.
Surprisingly, two of the most vocal opponents of legislation to ban horse slaughter have been the American Quarter Horse Association and the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Both groups say that if people can no longer sell their unwanted horses to the slaughterhouses, they will be forced to keep them, and then they will neglect them. There is, of course, still the option of humane euthanasia, which along with burying the body costs approximately $450. But the AQHA, which represents the owners of America’s most popular breed, and the AAEP say that horse slaughter is equivalent to euthanasia. That is nonsense.
The method used to transport the horses and the way they are killed in the slaughterhouses is far from what any reasonable person would consider humane. And it is not just old and tired horses that are being killed. Many of them are young and healthy, unluckily purchased at auctions by people with bad intentions. And some of the horses have even been stolen.
One should also take into consideration, regarding the AQHA’s defense of horse slaughter, that the organization has a close relationship with the American National Cattlemen’s Association, which fears outlawing horse slaughter could lead to laws barring the slaughter of cattle, or at least veal calves. I remain baffled why the AAEP, an organization composed of people who supposedly devote their lives to the health of horses, would support slaughter as a viable option. It is possible that most of the members of both organizations are not necessarily in support of slaughter, and it is a small number of people with an agenda who are calling the shots.
I first became interested in the issue of horse slaughter after hearing about the undignified death of one of the greatest thoroughbred racehorses of the 20th century, Exceller. The equine athlete, who in 1978 spoiled the much-hyped rematch of Triple Crown champions Affirmed and Seattle Slew by beating both of them in that race, was killed in 1997 in a Swedish slaughterhouse. The same thing likely happened in 2002 to 1986 Kentucky Derby champion Ferdinand. The closure of American slaughterhouses would have done nothing to save Exceller and Ferdinand, since they died in foreign countries. But their deaths were a wake-up call for the thoroughbred industry to keep track of its star athletes and make sure others do not suffer a similar fate. The embarrassment for thoroughbred racing that two stars of the sport could fall through the cracks like that makes it unlikely that it could ever happen again. But there remain thousands of unknown thoroughbreds and horses of other breeds, which are still threatened, and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association has done its job to bring a better future for them by supporting anti-horse slaughter legislation.
In response to Exceller’s death, an organization was founded called the Exceller Fund. It raises money through donations and memorabilia auctions to purchase horses that would otherwise go to slaughter, and then finds homes for them. There are many other organizations similar to the Exceller Fund, and they will have their work cut out for them if slaughter is finally banned in this country, since something will need to be done with the estimated 50,000 to 90,000 horses that annually go to slaughter. But that is a problem worth having.
For more information on the Exceller Fund, go to www.excellerfund.org. To learn more about horse slaughter and what can be done to prevent it, go to the Society for Animal Protective Legislation’s Web site at www.saplonline.org.