Foreigners brutally killing our horses in America, why do we allow this?

Question

There is horse slaughter going on in America by a foreign owned business. They do not pay real taxes for killing our horses, they do not obey state laws, they are polluting our water with the waste, and the USDA is inspecting meat that people overseas will eat, not us.
This practice is brutal, the horse is alive when it is taken apart piece by piece. Some think this is funny, some support it but the fact is our House of Representatives has bill HR 503 and our Senate S 311 up for consideration, so not so funny when our Congress for the most part is trying to stop it.
I ask you to go to www.equineadvocates.com and watch a video before you post your comments here.
Please keep in mind that these horses endure over 24 hours in a truck that will not allow them to stand properly, they fall and some are killed during transport by being trampled to death. NO water or food during the trip to end their lives.
USDA states 92.3% of these horses are young, healthy, re-trainable.
100,000 yr

Answer 1

The supporters of this ugly business are those profiting from it. We are talking about 1% of the nations horse population. It's no economic leap to know that 1% of any commodity can easily be absorbed into the marketplace. These slaughter houses are foreign owned and do not pay taxes. They turn our horses into huge profits by serving them up on French, Italian, Belgian and Japanese plates in elite restaurants.

The meat is loaded with toxins. We regularly vaccinate and medicate our horses just like we do our cats and dogs. The medications are often labeled "not for use in food source animals."

USDA stats show that overall the horses are young and fit. Over 92% of them! Many are pregnant mares and some have young foals by their sides. It's a travesty to treat animals that were never meant to be a source of meat this way. We've taught them to trust us and be part of our families. They've carried us into war and are currently helping to rehab our military men and women who've returned from Iraq, etc and have lost legs. (Check out the horses of Arlington for more info). There are many therapeutic riding associations around the country that take horses like these and use them to connect with disabled adults and children. Autistic children especially connect with horses. There are even prison programs where inmates interact and connect with horses as a rehabilitative measure.

These horses aren't for the most part "unwanted", but rather unlucky enough to have fallen into the hands of a killer buyer who views them only as pennies on the pound. Many are stolen horses. This ugly business promotes horse theft and irresponsible breeding.

When slaughter was outlawed in California theft of horses dropped by 34%.

Support HR 503 and S 311 and please ask your Senators and Representatives to do the same. Be a voice for the horses.

Answer 2

Actually the slaughter plant in Illinois is a Virginia owned company, the tax comment is incorrect.

As far as the water waste problem they are still within their time limits to pay the fine. Their fine is also minimal to other big legal USA businesses. Goggle waste water fines and you'll see what I mean. They owe pennies.

The USDA making a comment like "92.3% of these horses are young, healthy, re-trainable" is laughable. Very few have ever been around a live horse and how their mind works. They are not vet's or trainers. They inspect meat.

Answer 3

Q: Why does the U.S. allow the slaughter of horses in this country by foreign interests?
A: Money.

Q: Who is receiving the money?
A: 1. Foreign business owners, of course
2. Attorneys and lobbyists representing the slaughterhouses
3. Politicians who receive campaign contributions from these industries.

Q: Does the U.S. receive a good portion of these profits?
A: Not really. The employees of the slaughterhouses, with the exception of some administrative staff, receive minimal compensation for their "responsibilities." Taxes paid to the U.S. are minimal.

Q: The immigration status of some of those employees?
A: Questionable.

Q: Is horsemeat healthy?
A: Only if you like taking your chances with a side of drugs, parasites, and disease infested tissue.

Q: What about the argument that captive bolt slaughter is humane?
A: Captive bolt renders a horse "unconscious" although the duration and extent of this state is arguable. They are then hoisted up by their hind legs and bled out, limbs severed, etc.

Q: What will we do with the "excess" horses?
A: If you own horses, you are responsible for them. If you can afford to own them, you can afford to have a veterinarian humanely euthanize them.

Q: What can you do, as a U.S. citizen to end slaughter in the U.S.?
A: Contact your Senators and Representatives and tell them to vote in favor of:
1. H.R. 503 (The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act in the House of Representatives)
2. S. 311 (The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act in the Senate)
3. H.R. 249 (to restore protection from slaughter to wild horses and burros)
Tell them to vote NO on the Farm Bill if Section 123 is included (which would override state laws currently prohibiting horse slaughter)

Answer 4

You're right. When the rest of the general public realizes what is happening to horses, the outrage will be enough to push the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act through.

Public opinion polls all show people in FAVOR of an end to the way horses are commercially sold-cared for-hauled-slaughtered.

The only thing holding it back is the big money Ag business who are greedy and want to keep the cash flowing.

There are homes for all the horses being killed. If there weren't homes for them, why would the killers have to PAY to get them?

Answer 5

American horses are NOT raised as food animals. Most of the drugs they are commonly given for ailments are clearly labeled "Not for use in any animal used for food". The USDA does not test for these drugs that remain in the meat and are toxic to humans. This is only one aspect of horse slaughter in America that is not only senseless but dangerous.

The horses are killed by methods that are brutal and not at all like the way cats and dogs are euthanized. If you can't stand to watch the video, take my word for it. It is a brutal bloody business and exists only to line the pockets of a foreign owned company. "From the stable to the table in 4 days" they brag!! And what are they putting on the tables overseas? The meat of American horses that may be toxic and is certainly not sold at bargain prices, either.

If this is as disgusting to you as it is to me, then take action to STOP IT!!! Call your Representative to vote FOR HR 503 and your Senators to vote FOR S 311, the ban on horse slaughter and the transportation of horses to slaughter. They are shipping our healthy American horses over the border to be brutally butchered in Mexico and Canada!! They are doing it today and they'll be doing it tomorrow and every day until the ban on horse slaughter is passed. Please call Washington.

Answer 6

The more I have learned about this terrible slaughter business, the more I feel it must end in our country, and the brutal transportation of our horses must stop over the borders to Canada and Mexico. Horses are NOT fed or bred to be a source of food, for anyone....especially not to wealthy Europeans. We cannot control what they do or what they eat, but we can control what we supply them. And we can control the brutal ways our horses are transported and killed to reach their dinner tables. We can STOP it......

Answer 7

WE DON'T ALLOW THIS ! It's wrong on every level. I give my horses medications all the time. They are clearly labeled, "Not for use in animals intended for food." Please contact your U.S. Representative about HR 503 and your Senator about S 311. Ask them to PASS the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, AHSPA

Answer 8

What do you think happens to cows, pigs, and chickens? I really like the line "the horse is alive when it is taken apart piece by piece" which gives the impression that other animals are allowed to age gracefully and then die of natural causes. NO they are all killed in the prime of their lives, all of them are killed brutally in ways that are pretty much unbearable to watch to for the average viewer. The only difference between those animals and horses is American happen to like horses as pets. The biggest hypocrisy of Americans is the moral superiority we hold when it comes to animal rights. We bash countries where they kill dogs or cats for worship or food, yet we have killed more cows than any place in the world, BTW cows are the holiest of animals in Hinduism, yet one of our nations biggest companies McDonald's kills millions of these scared animals every day and call it a "happy" meal. If you want to save them more power to you, but it is not like killing animals is news in America.

Answer 9

AMERICA'S HORSES have NEVER been meant to serve on the dinner plate.Instead they serve our war heroes,our MS patients,our autistic children,our stroke victims ,our delinquents.They also will,with training, run really fast,jump very high ,dance (dressage like Blu Hors Matinee does),plow your fields,help in the harvest,pull your buggy,wagon,or Stage Coach,,deliver your mail, and be your best friend. Is this what we consider a food animal ? I don't think so.

Answer 10

this is unbearable to think about, these scum need to be lynched with out a trial-------second thought. why not "fix" all American male horses and just starve the evil humans out? or feed the horses enough of a "toxin" that won't hurt them but will make the meat toxic to humans who would eat the meat.