Oppose Criminalizing Horse Meat

Sign the Petition : 6,353 Letters and Emails Sent So Far

For the sake of the horse, horse people, and animal agriculture, there are many compelling and compassionate reasons for we, the undersigned, to petition the US Congress and the Administration to allow common sense to prevail and to oppose any effort that would make a felon of any horse owner seeking to sell their livestock for salvage value, or to prevent the re-opening of horse processing facilities in the United States.

We believe that it is the ethical and moral responsibility of any animal owner who is unable or unwilling to adequately care for their animals to sell them,and if they cannot be sold to personally ensure that their end-of-life experience is as stress-free and painless as possible. Historically 1% to 2% of horses sold in the United States wound up in the food chain, and under USDA regulated conditions, even a botched capture bolt death in a kill chute is over in less than one minute, and is far, far preferable to the agonizingly prolonged death of emaciation and disease from starvation.

We also believe that it is an ethical and moral waste of a nutrient dense food source in a hungry world for livestock owners to be prohibited from marketing animals that have historically and traditionally been used for many purposes including food.

Our founding fathers had a keen appreciation for private property. No one disputes that all domestic animals are private property. And yet, state court efforts that closed the last US horse processing plants, and federal efforts to criminalize the consumption of horse meat seek to curtail private property rights. This would be the first time that Americans are prohibited from marketing ANY domestic animal for food, and the complete elimination of a viable export market.

In liberal democracies, governments are usually reluctant to limit personal freedom unless there is an objective, demonstrated public good. In application of this principle of liberal democracy to the horse meat discussion; the USA is a major exporter of poultry, pork, and beef products, so the export of other meat is not offensive. Provided horses born in the USA are raised, transported, and slaughtered under conditions similar to those for beef cattle or pigs, in what way is an American injured by Canadians or Europeans and Asians consuming horse meat? If a claim of injury is made, what is the nature and severity of that injury? There is agreement that horse slaughter is offensive to some; however, when is personal offence sufficient cause in a liberal democracy for state enforced prohibition or the use of force to deny personal choice to other citizens?

It is an immense expansion of government powers to extend into the regulation of the average citizen's diet or, apparently, to attempt to alter the diet patterns of other nations. Most of the world considers horse meat an ordinary food source including our closest neighbors-- Canada, Mexico, Iceland, and South America. Thousands of Americans have immigrated from Europe, Asia, and our neighbors, and there is a thriving ethnic market for horse meat in the United States.

We export millions of tons of beef, pork, chicken and other meats which have all been slaughtered under inspected and regulated conditions. The processing of horses can and should be done humanely, just as it is for every other species of meat animal. If the slaughter of horses is, in and of itself, inherently cruel-- then it follows that the quick and painless killing of all meat animals is inhumane. The elimination of animal agriculture may be the misguided and extremely dangerous goal of a few, but we hope that you will turn away from the culturally bigoted and insensitive audacity of trying to interfere with the culinary traditions and food preferences of the rest of the world.

Prohibiting a horse owner from selling their animals for food is exactly the same as telling dairy owners that they can no longer sell old and unproductive milk cows for beef, or a shepherd that the only legal use for a lamb is wool production and they cannot be eaten. Preventing a livestock business owner from accessing the salvage value of their assets is exactly like prohibiting a rental car company from selling cars with too many miles on them.

Horse owning families of the United States have been devastated by the plant closings. Because there is no salvage market the value of all horses-- 99% of whom would never enter the food chain-- have fallen 70% to 80% to the point where a saddle horse that we expected $10,000 to $12,000 for prior to 2007, are today likely to bring no more than $1,500.

The timing could not have been worse! Just when people are losing jobs and homes-we turn horses from valuable assets to expensive liabilities. It used to be that an owner could sell a horse for much needed cash long before the horse suffered an agonizing death of starvation. Even if you didn't want to risk your horse being slaughtered, you could find an equine recovery organization willing to take them. With more than 10,000,000 horses in the US today and nowhere to go with the 1% to 2% that can't be used, or the owner can no longer support, these organizations are overwhelmed-- and jurisdictions all across the nation have seen the incidence of abandoned, neglected and starving horses triple-- all of whose feed, care, euthanasia and disposal fall upon taxpayers' shoulders because they can no longer be sold to recoup costs.

Therefore, we the undersigned urge Congress and the Obama Administration to protect the private property rights of livestock owners and to oppose legislation that would restrict the market, transport, processing, or export of horses; to recognize the need for humane horse processing facilities in the United States; and not to interfere with State efforts to establish facilities in the United States.		Oppose Criminalizing Horse Meat

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People signing the "Oppose Criminalizing Horse Meat" petition!

  1. Tue., Feb. 9, 2010 12:00 AM    link kent h. | Dayton, ID

  2. Mon., Feb. 8, 2010 2:02 PM    link kathryn s. | Westgate, IA

  3. Wed., Feb. 3, 2010 3:26 AM    link Christine J. | Johnsonville, NY

    Anyone who is for slaughtering any animal, particularly horses, is a Bebop Cowboy (or Cowgirl) Asshole; Click here to see what a Bebop Cowboy (or Cowgirl) Asshole is;

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVs3VSpA_28

    and

    A Song 4 Slaughterhouse Sue;

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xwqaohLp-A

    Just say "Woah" to Horse Slaughter!

  4. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  5. Tue., Feb. 2, 2010 2:04 AM    link Susan K. | Peyton, CO

    Professionally, we have had to euthanize so many horses because horse owners fail to care for horses, are financially unable and cause emaciated cases or injured horses that will not recover from their lamness or other health conditions. It is far better to have wise regulated business operations in the horse industry in comparision to the death and inhumane treatment of horses in the range that are overpopulated or neglect from owners and have humane solutions for horses that have to be put down. I see this far too often in our field when working with our own limited rescue/rehabilitation program. We must access the horses and far too many we are unable to take on due to the financing needed to house the horses that will ultimated have to be put down. The cost for each horse we have to put down is almost $450.00 per horse. It would be much wise to have plans open that could properly handle such cases. The misguided closing of the plants have caused more harm to horses in the long run. Please consider this petition carefully. Thank you

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  7. Mon., Feb. 1, 2010 2:36 PM    link Name not displayed | Sneads Ferry, NC

  8. Sun., Jan. 31, 2010 11:39 PM    link Name not displayed | Angel Fire, NM

  9. Sun., Jan. 31, 2010 8:19 AM    link Julie W. | Reva, VA

    Please realize that sometimes the humane death of a horse is not worse then the life they must endure.

  10. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  11. Sun., Jan. 31, 2010 4:28 AM    link Bruce S. | Litchville, ND

    I agree!! very well written. I've raised horses for forty plus years. never thought anything like this would ever happen. I kept my horses in good shape all the time. now I lose money when I take them to a vet. so sad.

  12. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  13. Fri., Jan. 29, 2010 10:53 PM    link Bill L. | Wagoner, OK

  14. Fri., Jan. 29, 2010 9:29 PM    link Name not displayed | Hamilton, OH

  15. Thu., Jan. 28, 2010 9:31 PM    link Clint B. | Souris, ND

    Well done!! The current conditions have to change if we are going to preserve our cherished way of life.

  16. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  17. Thu., Jan. 28, 2010 9:29 AM    link deric m. | Southlake, TX

  18. Tue., Jan. 26, 2010 3:35 PM    link Name not displayed | Flower Mound, TX

    You need horse slaughter plants in the United States again, give me a break. I bet you want these plants in your home state too. If you have an over population problem, then round them up and ship them to Mexico or Canada and slaughter them there, but then you wouldn’t make any money on the sale of the meat. The horses industry in the United States has been born on the backs of dead horses for as long as time has been around. You raise 50 to race, ride, compete, and kill the 30 that don’t pan out. Well wakeup ranchers in the west,” you ant panen out” you can’t raise beef out there any more; the ranches are down by ½ and it not looking any better in the years to come. Eastern and southern beef is going to take the market and pretty soon they are going to see the 3 percent of the beef you produce as too much pain for very little gain. The people of the country are looking at the west and seeing what they want it to be, wildlife, wild horses and unspoiled vistas. They will bring money to the west not the rancher, they only bring sadness to a dying way of life looking for the last gasp of air at any cost, and to prolong the time is just cruel and ingenious. I’m sorry your way of life is disappearing, I truly am, but it will no longer be keep alive by the life of any horse, my grandfather was a stone carver, his way of life is gone as well. Horse lovers like me are the new breed; we love them, care for them and put them down when there life is at end. Were those school kids that grew up reading about wild horses and the 1971 wild horse act, now were grown up, and we got money. But more important than that we have resolve and dedication to a dream that will come true, a horse is something that we respect for what it has given us over the years, the way it feed us clothed us, loved us , as well as made our standard of live one of the best in the world. Long live the horse

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  20. Tue., Jan. 26, 2010 2:30 PM    link Jeff P. | Ironside, OR

  21. Tue., Jan. 26, 2010 2:30 PM    link Edie P. | Ironside, OR

  22. Mon., Jan. 25, 2010 1:32 PM    link Lynn S. | Powell, WY

  23. Mon., Jan. 25, 2010 11:58 AM    link Name not displayed | Provo, UT

  24. Sun., Jan. 24, 2010 3:48 PM    link Lisa E. | Carnation, WA

    The closing of horse slaughter plants have put many unwanted horses in dire situations that prolong their suffering. Let's make the process humane not eliminated.

  25. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  26. Sun., Jan. 17, 2010 10:37 PM    link Rebecka S. | Lander, WY

    It is not cruel and inhumane to end their life painlessly. It is cruel to have them starve and die a long and painful death!

  27. This comment has been reported to the site manager. It will be reviewed and removed if inappropriate. Thank you!

  28. Sat., Jan. 16, 2010 7:27 AM    link Linda F. | Big Sandy, MT

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