US Senate Rings the Death Knell on Horse Slaughter

Horses Win Reprieve from Slaughter

On November 11, 2005 President Bush signed H.R. 2744 into law (PL109-97). The amendment to stop horse slaughter for one year is included in this measure. The ban will begin on March 9, 2006 and last for the remainder of the 2006 fiscal year.
To find out how your Senators voted on this amendment click here (map). Please thank those who voted in favor of protecting America's horses from slaughter. For those Senators voting against the measure please ask them to reconsider by cosponsoring, S. 1915, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
To find out how your Representative voted on this amendment click here. Please thank those who voted in favor of protecting America's horses from slaughter. For those Representatives voting against the measure please ask them to reconsider by cosponsoring, H.R. 503, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

WASHINGTON, DC (Oct. 26 2005) -- Horse slaughter will finally stop next year following approval of the Horse Slaughter Amendment in the Agriculture Appropriations Conference Committee this evening. Thanks to overwhelming Congressional and public support for shutting down the foreign-owned industry, special interests were unable to defeat the measure.

Passage of the amendment, which is a compromise on the original language, was only achieved through the committed leadership of the amendment's sponsors, particularly Reps. John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) and Edward Whitfield (R-Ky.). Sen. Mary Landrieu (D- La.), Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.), Rep. David Drier (R-Calif.) and Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) also played a role in the amendment's survival.

"This amendment bars the use of federal funds for regulatory duties associated with the slaughter of horses for human consumption and their export for slaughter abroad. It will bring the industry to its knees," said Liz Ross, Doris Day Animal League (DDAL) director of special projects.

Reps. John E. Sweeney (R-N.Y.), John Spratt (D-S.C.), Edward Whitfield (R-Ky.) and Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.) successfully attached the measure to the House Agriculture Appropriations bill in June by a vote of 269-158. The exact same amendment, sponsored by Sens. John Ensign (R-Nev.) and Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), passed the Senate in September by a stunning vote of 69-28.

Notwithstanding these huge votes to end horse slaughter, Conference Chairman Henry Bonilla (R-Texas) vowed to remove the language when the bill went to conference yesterday afternoon. Yet the American public's voices were heard, and the horses won.

"While some were trying to overturn the amendment, we were fighting tooth and nail, and we prevailed. It's a travesty that its implementation will be delayed for 120 days, given that the original language had overwhelming support and called for immediate implementation. This will mean the unnecessary death of another 25,000 horses. But it is a clear sign that horse slaughter is no longer tolerated in America," said Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL) policy analyst Chris Heyde.

The amendment's passage comes on the heels of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act's introduction in the Senate (S. 1915) on Tuesday. The bill and its House companion (H.R. 503) must be passed to create a permanent ban on horse slaughter, and have already gained significant support in both chambers. Last year more than 65,000 horses were slaughtered for human consumption overseas.

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Contact:
Chris Heyde of the Society for Animal Protective Legislation, 202-423-8689
http://www.saplonline.org/horses.htm
Liz Ross of the Doris Day Animal League, 202-546-1761 ext. 30
http://www.ddal.org