altivo

At last, an end to commercial horse slaughter in the United States may be on the visible horizon. In November, George W. Bush signed the 2006 Agriculture appropriations bill, which included an amendment forbidding use of any public funds to pay for USDA inspection of horse meat for human consumption. At first it was thought that this was a pointless gesture, since the slaughter houses would simply hire their own inspectors, but it appears that may not be possible. The structure of existing law and regulation seems not to permit them to pay for USDA inspectors themselves, nor to allow them to use privately managed inspectors.

While they will be able to continue to slaughter horses for use as animal food (zoos and some other keepers of large carnivores do offer a limited market,) most of the slaughterers' market has been overseas human consumption. They are facing a March 1, 2006 deadline that could completely stop this odious and inhumane practice.

Meanwhile, another bill currently in Congress has a growing chance of passage. This bill would place a permanent ban on the slaughter of equines for human consumption in the United States. If you feel strongly about this, now is the time to let your public representatives know about it. I will spare you the graphic photographs and gruesome stories about what really happens in slaughterhouses. Let me just say that I have seen it once, long ago, and still have nightmares about it. You can sign a reputable petition in support of this legislation here.

Or read more about the bill, S. 1915, on this ASPCA page. To my amazement, S. 1915 has joint sponsorship from both parties in the Senate, including extreme conservatives such as Trent Lott (R-MS) and liberals such as Carl Levin (D-MI). It has a serious chance of passage if we push now.