GROUPS SEEK EMERGENCY INJUNCTION
TO BLOCK
NEW USDA HORSE SLAUGHTER SCHEME
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 23, 2006)
– A coalition of animal protection groups, including the Society for Animal
Protective Legislation, last night filed a motion for a temporary restraining
order in federal court to prevent the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) from
carrying out a plan to allow American horses to be slaughtered for human
consumption. Despite a recent federal law banning the use of tax dollars to
facilitate horse slaughter, the USDA law is scheduled to go into effect March
10.
In the filing,
the coalition points out that the USDA’s fee-for-service scheme not only
circumvents Congress’ intent in enacting the recent ban on commercial horse
slaughter, but violates the Federal Meat Inspection Act’s requirement that the
agency – not private parties – pay the cost of inspection to ensure that
inspectors are not beholden to the industries they are hired to monitor.
The groups have also challenged the USDA
decision to implement this plan with no advance notice and public comment,
despite overwhelming support to ban horse slaughter from Congress and the
American public. The bipartisan Congressional effort to de-fund horse slaughter
inspections was approved in the House of Representatives by a vote of 269 to 158
and in the Senate by a vote of 69 to 28.
"There is a growing frustration among the
public and members of Congress with this blatant disregard for a law
overwhelming passed by Congress and signed into law by the president," said
Chris Heyde, SAPL deputy legislative director. "Congress clearly responded to
the American public’s demand for an end to slaughter, and the USDA is choosing
violate this act to shelter three foreign owned slaughterhouses."
Horsemeat is not sold or consumed in the
United States, yet an estimated 90,000 American horses were slaughtered in this
country for food or shipped to Canada or Mexico for the same purpose last year.
The meat from former racehorses, family ponies and other horses is frozen,
packed and exported for human consumption in European and Japanese restaurants.
The coalition, which includes the Society
for Animal Protective Legislation, Animal Welfare Institute,
The Humane Society of the United States, The Fund for
Animals, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals,
Doris Day Animal
League and American
Humane Association has highlighted the need for a permanent ban on horse slaughter for
food and are working actively for passage of H.R. 503 and S. 1915, the American
Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
The plaintiffs are represented by Meyer
Glitzenstein & Crystal, a public interest law firm in Washington, D.C.
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Media Contact:Chris Heyde:
chris@saplonline.org,
703-836-4300
The Society for Animal Protective
Legislation is the oldest non-profit organization in the United States
specifically dedicated to the passage and promotion of federal, international
and local legislation to promote animal welfare, including the protection of
domestic and wild horses. More information is available at
www.saplonline.org.
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