Bring an end to horse slaughter--Call your senators now

(from the St. Petersburg Times)
A Times Editorial
Published September 13, 2005

Horse slaughter has no place in the United States. The House of Representatives confirmed that earlier this year by passing an amendment to the agriculture spending bill that would, in essence, stop the practice. Now it is the Senate's turn.

Currently, horses that are no longer wanted or sold to buyers who presumably seek them for recreation or as pets too often end up in slaughterhouses or in the hands of exporters who send them outside the country for slaughter. Sometimes the buyers hide their true intentions and make a profit by selling the horses for slaughter. Each year, nearly 100,000 horses are subjected to a cruel end to their lives.

Horse meat for human consumption hasn't been sold in the United States for decades and isn't even used in pet food here. If a horse is near the end of its useful life, there are more humane ways for an owner to get rid of it. Adoption groups offer horses a peaceful retirement, and if the horses need to be euthanized, it can be done painlessly and humanely for a couple hundred dollars.

The Senate vote could come up in the next few days, so those opposed to horse slaughter should contact their senators and tell them to support the amendment, which would deny the Agriculture Department taxpayer dollars for the inspection of horse meat. Without such inspections, legalized horse slaughter in this country will end. And good riddance.