Congress Voting Today on Horse Slaughter Measure

--Read full article at Bloodhorse.com
Congress will vote Wednesday on an amendment to prevent the slaughter of horses for human consumption in foreign markets. Representative John Sweeney (R-NY), co-chair of the Congressional Horse Caucus, is expected to introduce an amendment to the House Agriculture Appropriations bill that would prohibit any federal taxpayer funds from being used to slaughter horses.

"It is unconscionable that for decades, we have been using federal taxpayer dollars to support a practice that the American public is overwhelmingly opposed to," Sweeney said in a June 6 press release. "The amendment I'll introduce along with my colleagues John Spratt (D-SC), Nick Rahall (D-WV), and Ed Whitfield (R-KY) will prohibit federal taxpayer dollars from being spent on facilitating the export of horse meat from the United States for sale to countries abroad."

...According to the Society for Animal Protective Legislation Web site, about 66,000 horses were slaughtered last year by three foreign-owned U.S.-based horse slaughter plants in Texas and Illinois.

"We do not eat our horses in the United States and it makes good fiscal sense to prohibit any further waste of the American people's hard earned money for an industry that offers absolutely no economic value to the United States," Sweeney said. "Even more importantly, it is our responsibility as a humane nation to protect our equine pets, companions, and athletes from the cruelty of horse slaughter..."