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The legal issue of horse slaughter for human consumption has been debated in U.S. courts and Congress for years. It especially heated up in 2012—2013 when the federal appropriations bill was approved without a ban for USDA horsemeat inspections and horse slaughter facilities were attempting to open on U.S. soil. But this isn't the first time the horse slaughter debate has been a contentious topic. The timeline below lists key legal battles and legislative dates at the state and federal levels.
U.S. HORSE SLAUGHTER TIMELINE |
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1998 — 2005
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2006 — 2007
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2010 — 2011
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2012 — 2013
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2014 — 2021
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November 1998: California voters passed Proposition 6 which banned the slaughter of horses, donkeys and mules and sale of horse meat for human consumption.
June 2005: Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) proposes an amendment to the 2005-2006 appropriations bill prohibiting federal funding for inspections of horses for meat. The amendment passed on a vote of 269-158. September 2005: Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), a veterinarian, and nine co-sponsors proposed a companion amendment to the Sweeney amendment that had passed the House of Representatives. The Senate amendment passed 69-28. November 2005: The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005-2006 was signed into law. This appropriation bill included the following paragraph that ultimately led to the closure of horse slaughterhouses in the United States: H. R. 2744—45 SEC. 794. Effective 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, none of the funds made available in this Act may be used to pay the salaries or expenses of personnel to inspect horses under section 3 of the Federal Meat inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 603) or under the guidelines issued under section 903 the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 1901 note; Public Law 104–127). |
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February 2006: The USDA issued a regulation (CFR 352.19) that allowed the remaining slaughterhouses to circumvent the horse inspection funding ban by paying for their own inspections.
September 2006: The House of Representatives passes the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which would ban the sale and transport of American horses for human consumption. The Senate bill died in committee. January 2007: The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S.311) was introduced by Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) in the U.S. House and in the U.S. Senate by Mary Landrieu (D-LA). The legislation was referred to the U.S. House Agriculture Committee but never moved to a full vote. January 2007: A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit upheld Chapter 149 of the Texas Agriculture Code banning the sale, transfer or possession of horse meat for human consumption. This decision was upheld by the 19 judges of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The statute had been in effect since 1949 but had not been enforced during the years that the Texas slaughterhouses were operational. This decision was upheld by the 19 judges of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on March 6, 2007. March 2007: The Dallas Crown slaughterhouse of Kaufman, Texas shut down operations. The mayor and residents of Kaufman had fought a long and expensive battle in an effort to shutter the plant, which had a long list of environmental complaints and was considered a public nuisance.
March 2007: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that it was illegal for horse slaughterhouses to pay the USDA for their own horse meat inspections, closing the loophole that had allowed horse slaughter to continue around the federal law. USDA inspectors were pulled from Cavel International, the equine slaughterhouse in DeKalb, Illinois the following day, and operations were shut down. May 2007: Governor Rod R. Blagojevich signed legislation (H.B.1711) that bans the slaughter of horses in Illinois for human consumption. The state law bans importing or exporting horsemeat if any horsemeat will be used for human consumption. |
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May 2010: Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed amendment HB 765 into law, making it a second-degree felony to kill, maim, or mutilate horses—and forbids the transport, distribution, sale, and purchase of horsemeat for human consumption.
July 2011: U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reintroduced the American Horse Slaughter Protection Act (S. 1176). September 2011: The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a version of the agriculture appropriations bill that no longer contained the ban on funding for horse meat inspections. November 2011: The agriculture appropriations bill for 2012 was passed by Congress and signed into law without the wording that had prohibited horse meat inspections since 2006. |
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September 2012: New Jersey enacted a law that bans horse slaughter in within the state (A-2023). The law prohibits the in-state slaughter of horses, transportation of horses to slaughter and the sale of horse meat for human consumption.
January 2013: The New York State Assembly introduced a bill (A.B. 3905) that would prohibit the slaughter of horses intended for human consumption and the export of horse meat. March 2013: Maine’s House of Representatives introduced L.D.1286 which aimed at protecting horses from slaughter by prohibiting the sale or the transport of horses for slaughter within the state. March 2013: The Safeguard American Food Exports Act was introduced in both the House and Senate. If passed into federal law, the Act would make it illegal to slaughter American horses on U.S. soil and abroad. March 2013: In New Mexico, a bill (H.B.90) introduced in the state house that would allocate money for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of locating a horse slaughter facility in the state. March 2013: Oklahoma lifted its 50-year ban on horse slaughter when Gov. Mary Fallin signed a new law that will allow slaughter facilities to process and export horsemeat. This new law went into effect November 1, 2013. June—September 2013: The USDA issues a “Grant of Inspection” to facilities in New Mexico, Iowa, and Missouri to allow them to slaughter horses. July 2013: In response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision to allow horse slaughter facilities to resume operating on U.S. soil, a federal lawsuit was filed against the agency by HSUS, Front Range Equine Rescue, Horses For Life Foundation, Marin Humane Society, et al. |
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January 2014: A new federal budget with the horse slaughter prohibition language included was passed by Congress and signed by President Obama.
2014 — 2020: The federal bill, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, which would make it illegal to slaughter equines on U.S. soil or abroad, has been introduced in every Congressional session. Despite broad bipartisan support, the measure has yet to be passed into law. January 2021: New York State introduced a bill (S.1442) that would prohibit the slaughter of racehorses and make it illegal to traffic slaughter-bound horses in the state. It would also require New York state racehorse breeders to designate money to aftercare programs. May 2021: The Save America's Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act was introduced in the U.S. House. If passed into federal law, slaughtering American equines on U.S. soil or abroad would be illegal. June 2021: U.S. Representatives Troy Carter (D-LA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and John Katko (R-NY) introduced an amendment to the federal transportation bill, the INVEST Act, to prohibit the transport of slaughter-bound equines over state lines and over U.S. borders. |
There's no such thing as a commercial horse slaughter plant that doesn't inflict cruelty on horses. And horse slaughter isn't only bad for horses, it’s also bad for people and communities. Listed below are concise facts, recent history, and current developments on the horse slaughter issue.
FACTS
■ American horse meat is unsafe for human consumption. Because horses aren't raised as food animals in the USA, it's permissible to administer medications and other toxic substances that are expressly forbidden for use in animals intended for human consumption. There is currently no system in place to trace the drug histories of American horses.
■ Horse slaughter is inherently cruel. Because horses' instinctual flight response makes them ill-suited for stunning, they often endure repeated blows and sometimes remain conscious during dismemberment. The road to the slaughterhouse is also rife with cruelty and suffering. After being purchased by kill buyers, the horses are trucked long distances to Mexico or Canada without food,water or rest. Many are injured or die in transit.
■ A national poll revealed that 80% of Americans favor a ban on horse slaughter and recognize that we have a responsibility to protect these intelligent, sensitive animals from being butchered.
■ Subsidizing horse slaughter plants in the USA will divert important food safety resources away from products that Americans eat. At a time when the nation is focused on fiscal responsibility, it's outrageous that Congress continues to consider taxpayer dollars be allocated for USDA horsemeat inspections every year in the fiscal budget.
■ Horse slaughter is inherently cruel. Because horses' instinctual flight response makes them ill-suited for stunning, they often endure repeated blows and sometimes remain conscious during dismemberment. The road to the slaughterhouse is also rife with cruelty and suffering. After being purchased by kill buyers, the horses are trucked long distances to Mexico or Canada without food,water or rest. Many are injured or die in transit.
■ A national poll revealed that 80% of Americans favor a ban on horse slaughter and recognize that we have a responsibility to protect these intelligent, sensitive animals from being butchered.
■ Subsidizing horse slaughter plants in the USA will divert important food safety resources away from products that Americans eat. At a time when the nation is focused on fiscal responsibility, it's outrageous that Congress continues to consider taxpayer dollars be allocated for USDA horsemeat inspections every year in the fiscal budget.
THE PAST
The last three U.S. horse slaughterhouses were shut down in 2007. In 2006, these facilities—two in Texas, one in Illinois, all foreign owned—killed and processed more than 90,000 horses for human consumption. Americans don't eat horse meat, so it was shipped overseas to countries like France, Belgium and Japan.
The owners of these slaughtering plants paid no export taxes and little in income taxes. The slaughterhouses themselves were not clean/green enterprises, and proved to be environmentally damaging as well as economically draining. It's telling that Texas and Illinois have implemented laws specifically banning selling, giving and possessing horse meat intended for human consumption: States with experience hosting horse slaughter facilities don't want them back.
RECENT STATE LEGISLATION
■ Oklahoma lifted its 50-year ban on the practice March 29, 2013 when Gov. Mary Fallin signed a new law that will allow facilities to process and export horsemeat. This new law went into effect November 1, 2013.
■ In New Mexico, a bill (H.B. 90) introduced in the state house on Jan. 16 would allocate money for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of locating a horse slaughter facility in the state.
■ The New York State Assembly is considering a bill (A.B. 3905) introduced January 28, 2013 that would prohibit the slaughter of horses intended for human consumption and the export of horse meat.
■ Maine’s House of Representatives introduced a horse slaughter bill (L.D. 1286) on March 28, 2013.
■ In New Mexico, a bill (H.B. 90) introduced in the state house on Jan. 16 would allocate money for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of locating a horse slaughter facility in the state.
■ The New York State Assembly is considering a bill (A.B. 3905) introduced January 28, 2013 that would prohibit the slaughter of horses intended for human consumption and the export of horse meat.
■ Maine’s House of Representatives introduced a horse slaughter bill (L.D. 1286) on March 28, 2013.
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2019 FEDERAL LEGISLATIONThe Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, H.R.961 / S.2006 will ban horse slaughter facilities on U.S. soil, end the current export of American horses for slaughter abroad, and protect consumers from eating toxic horsemeat. Please join the effort to pass The SAFE Act into law by reaching out to your federal legislators.
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The Carter-Fitzpatrick amendment will ban hauling slaughter-bound equines across state lines or over U.S. borders. The provision has passed the U.S. House and now it's up to the Senate. Please call your two U.S. Senators and urge them to support the measure!
Please join the effort to help shut down the illicit ejiao trade by contacting U.S. Representative. Urge them to cosponsor the Ejiao Act to stop the profiteering off the backs of donkeys.
horsemeat is toxic
Horses receive multiple medications, such as steroids, dewormers and ointments, throughout their lives. The FDA bans the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) phenylbutazone (bute) in all food-producing animals. Many horses have received bute, which is a carcinogen, and can cause aplastic anemia and other health conditions in humans.
rife with cruelty
Horse slaughter is inherently cruel. Because horses' instinctual flight response makes them ill-suited for stunning, they often endure repeated blows and sometimes remain conscious during dismemberment. The road to the slaughterhouse is also rife with cruelty and suffering. After being purchased by kill buyers, the horses are trucked long distances to Mexico or Canada without food,water or rest. Many are injured or die in transit.
80% of americans oppose
National polls reveal that 80% of Americans favor a ban on horse slaughter and recognize that we have a responsibility to protect them from the horrific cruelty they endure throughout the slaughter pipeline.
"UNWANTED" HORSE MYTH
Those that want horses to be slaughtered claim without it the USA will have a burgeoning population of “unwanted horses.” This is false propaganda. The market for slaughtered horses is set by the international demand for their meat in other countries, not by the number of supposedly unwanted horses.
FELONY IN ALL 50 STATES
In March 2014, South Dakota became the final U.S. state to enact a felony provision for animal cruelty.
RECOGNIZED BY THE FBI
In 2104 the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) upgraded animal cruelty crimes as a class A felony, putting them in the same category as homicides and arson.
NIBRS NATIONAL DATABASE
In January 2016 the FBI started tracking and collecting information about incidents of animal cruelty in the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This initiative is in collaboration with the National Sheriffs’ Association and other agencies.
FEDERAL ANIMAL CRUELTY STATUTES
U.S. federal laws specifically passed to safeguard animals from cruelty include:
— The Horse Protection Act (horse soring)
— Animal Fighting Venture Prohibition Act
— Preventing Animal Cruelty & Torture Act
— The Horse Protection Act (horse soring)
— Animal Fighting Venture Prohibition Act
— Preventing Animal Cruelty & Torture Act
"THE LINK"
Referred to as "The Link", it's now widely recognized that there is a direct correlation between acts of cruelty to animals and violence toward humans. This includes child abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse and other violent behavior.
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BAN LIVE EXPORTS OF SLAUGHTER-BOUND EQUINESOn June 30, 2021, the U.S. House passed an amendment to the INVEST Act, H.R.3684, infrastructure bill that would ban hauling slaughter-bound equines across state lines or over U.S. borders. While the U.S. Senate did not include a similar measure in their package, the House has an opportunity to reinsert the language in conference committee. If adopted and passed into law, no American equine will be shipped to slaughterhouses.
The Carter-Fitzpatrick amendment will ban hauling slaughter-bound equines across state lines or over U.S. borders. The provision has passed the U.S. House and now it's up to the Senate. Please call your two U.S. Senators and urge them to support the measure!
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