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Horse Slaughter in the United States

By: Allison Keller
Table of Contents:
History: page 2
Developent: pages !"#
Dis$overy: page #
A$tivist %oles: pages #"&
%elevant 'a(s and Treaties: page &
Causes: pages &")
Conse*uen$es: page )
Solutions: pages )"+
,pposition: page +
-ore .i$tures: page /
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Horse Slaughter and Environmental Science:
Horses are part of the environent and huan
intera$tions: horse slaughter" have endangered their (ell
being0 ,ne of the ost influential reasons of
endangerent is overharvesting0 Horse slaughter plants
1ill up(ards of 222 horses daily involving inhuane
pra$ti$es0
History of Horse Slaughter
Horse slaughter has been around for a generation" both in the U0S and globally0 before
222+" the us has never allo(ed horse slaughter in its borders0 ho(ever" people have shipped
horseeat a$ross the border to $anada and e3i$o0 after this the eat is shipped priarily to
asian $ountries0 Be$ause of the la(s against horse slaughter in the U0S0" no do$uents sho(ing
the later history and ar$hival re$ords e3ist0 in 14#4" Te3as had t(o fully organi5ed horse
slaughter plants 6(hi$h (ere illegal at the tie70 These t(o plants" along (ith the others have all
been internationally organi5ed" also
funded0 8n the year 222)" house of
representatives voted unaniously to end
horse slaughter 9 prohibit
the e3port of our horses for
$onsuption" by huans or anials" (orld(ide:: ho(ever"
the bill didn;t pass the senate and no a$tion
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(as ta1en0 in the sae year" $ongress passed a la( for the USDA eat inspe$tors to ta1e part in
the onitor of horse eat" in$reasing the toleran$e in support of horse slaughter0 in 222+" the
debate bet(een the federal governent to ban the la( preventing horse slaughter (as uplifted0
Developent:
8n the past fe( years 62212:221!7" the slaughter of doesti$ horses has been brought to
the <ederal =overnent;s attention0 8n Te3as" and other states" the ban of horse slaughter
affe$ted the lo$al and state(ide e$onoy0 This $reated a desire to allo( the slaughter of horses0
The federal governent still opposed this (ith the Appropriations Bill 6the prohibition of USDA
to inspe$t horse eat7" ho(ever if not passed horse slaughter (ill resue0 The federal Aeri$an
Horse Slaughter .revention A$t (ill end horse slaughter if brought ba$1" ho(ever (ith the
$ongress uninterested in the issue" horse slaughter (ill li1ely $ontinue0The >uropean Union has
banned the iport of horse eat" due to the edi$ine (e give to our horses0 These suppleents
are not labeled for huan $onsuption and (ould not pass the <DA0 These edi$ines (ould
ost li1ely in$lude Bute" u$h li1e an aspirin for horses" $ontains harful levels of Clenbuterol
and .henylbuta5one of (hi$h $ould enanger the safety of anyone (ho (ere to $onsue horse
eat0 8n 2211" the ?e( -e3i$o" -issouri" and 8o(a used federal oney to resue the slaughter
of horses0 8n 221!" a la( allo(ing horse slaughter (as passed0 But" in the ne3t year president
obaa signed a plan preventing the slaughter of horses0 After horse slaughter (as brought to
$iti5ens attentions" tie (ent into resear$hing the $onditions of slaughter houses0 @hile being
transported" they $an go for 2# hours (ithout rest0 They are shipped on $attle trailers of (hi$h
are not ade for horses:: too lo( and result in head inAuries0 @hen they get to the slaughter
house any are already dead" ho(ever the living are $raped into sall $orrals and are trapled
to death0 @hen they go in for slaughter they do not use any sort of euthanasia0 They have their
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heads $hopped off" are hauled alive in the air by a leg and have their ne$1s $ut" any give have
given birth due to stress on 1ill floors" they have been shot in the head by guns ade for $o(
slaughter0 These guns are ina$$urate and never $ause a fatal hit" so horses are often $ons$ious and
paraly5ed (hen being s1inned and but$hered0
Dis$overy
The dis$overy of horse slaughter is not evident0 Be$ause horse slaughter has been
prevalent for hundreds of years" it has been spread by (ord of outh0 8n the 14+2;s the Anial
rights oveent began" and fro then on a$tivists have ade an ipa$t on the huane
treatent of anials0 After the resear$h (ent in to the investigation of horse slaughter plants"
anial a$tivist began protesting for the ban of horse slaughter0 ,n$e enough Aeri$ans (ere
infored on the $ruelty of horse slaughter" radi$al disposition of these groups be$ae $lear0 They
(ent to the <ederal =overnent" and no( Horse slaughter has been brought to U0S attention0
A$tivists %ole
After parties against the slaughter of horses (ere fored a$tion began to ta1e pla$e0
Huane so$ieties edu$ated the publi$" and (rote arti$les over the treatent in these fa$ilities0
The <ederal =overnent (as enlightened to the brutality and inAusti$e that these inno$ent horses
had to go through" and too1 a$tion by $reating la(s and bans over horse slaughter in the united
states0 State adinistration too1 part in shutting do(n these establishents" and filing la(suits
against its (or1ers for inhuanity0 Anial hospitals
provided help to nurse these un(anted horses ba$1 to
health" or euthani5ing the if it (as too late0 ,n the
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personal level" horses (ere adopted into ne( loving
failies and provided a better future0
%elevant la(s and Treaties
.eranent a$tion $obating horse slaughter has
ta1en pla$e in the for of la(s0 >3aples of these pertain to the Safeguard Aeri$an <ood
>3ports 6SA<>7 A$t" that of (hi$h bans horse slaughter for $onsuption" also banning the e3port
of this eat0 There (as also the 2212
agri$ulture appropriations bill0 This
bill (as signed by .resident obaa
banning horse slaughter on$e and for all0
<inally" 'o$al adinistrative $hapters too1
a$tion to ban horse slaughter and fighting the reaining plants0
Causes
-any blae the $ost of ta1ing $are of a horse as the ain reason (hy so any blaeless
horses are sent to slaughter0 .eople $an;t 1eep up (ith all the bills and (hat it ta1es to feed a
horse no(adays0 The $ost of living has risen" $ausing une3pe$ted pressure on the ar1et be$ause
of droughts and floods negatively affe$ting $rops0 @ith the in$rease in pri$e and the de$rease in
aount of food" lousy $areta1ers resort to negle$t and selling the horses to be 1illed0 Another
fa$tor of horse slaughter $auses is the overpopulation of horses0 Horses have been overbred and
then only the (orthy babies are used0 The un(anted others and foals are sent to slaughter
be$ause they are deeed (orthless by breeders0 ?ot all o(ners are this $ruel" ho(ever be$ause
the $ost of euthani5ation has be$oe so e3pensive" o(ners (ould rather a1e oney and
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inhuanely 1ill their anials" rather than spend a little ore oney and put the do(n0 Also"
people around the (orld in poor $ountries are struggling to survive0 Horse eat is a $heap
alternative" $reating a deand for ore to be shipped (orld(ide0
Consequences
Currently" $onse*uen$es of horse slaughter $an in$lude an in$rease in $rie rate due to
the illegal foreigners trying to a1e a bu$1 and going against the la(s" as (ell as a foul sten$h
$ausing an un(anted housing ar1et" (hi$h then $auses a de$rease in e$onoi$ in$oe around
the $ities0 Be$ause these $ities $annot revive their in$oe" they resort to in$rease in ta3es0 %e$ent
reports have sho(n people finding blood in
their bathtubs and (ater be$ause the (ater
filtration plants $annot filter the blood due to
the aount being put in0 Also" there has been
resear$h done reporting that the edi$ations
given to horses $annot be ingested by huans
and lead to death0 <uture $onse*uen$es $ould result in the ultiate $rash of $ities on$e revolving
around the horse slaughter industry" as (ell as un1no(n and possibly in$urable diseases $aused
by the suppleents (e give to our horses0
Solutions
The ban of horse slaughter has already begun0 The United States governent has set up
la(s to end horse slaughter" and lo$al authorities have gone about enfor$ing these la(s0 ,ffi$ers
of la( ust physi$ally shut do(n these plants" as (ell as onitor the iport and e3ports of
horses to and fro U0S borders0 =roups supporting the end of horse slaughter have $reated
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oveents to infor the publi$ and edia" $obating e3isting horse slaughter plants" as (ell as
raising a(areness for the global end of horse slaughter0 8f one (ould li1e to help end this vi$ious
treatent of horse they $an (rite letters to the lo$al and federal leaders" as (ell as volunteer at
res$ues" and or possibly adopting one of these agnifi$ent $reatures0
Opposition
,pposing vie( believe that the
$ontinuation
of horse slaughter (ould de$rease the aount of
negligen$e due to o(ners not having the
oney to $are for their horses ranging fro
death by starvation" disease" alnutrition"
dehydration" intolerable (eather" and so on0 Ho(ever" these o(ners don;t have to $hose bet(een
negle$ting
their anials and slaughterhouses0 8n the slaughterhouse
the anials (ill
die painful deaths (hi$h is no better than letting the rot
in a ba$1yard0 There are also anial shelters" Huane
So$ieties" and plenty of barns full of horse loving people
(ho are (illing to ta1e in a horse and provide a better future0 These barns $an help pay for
huane euthani5ation" or bring the anial ba$1 to health and provide a ne( life0
-ore .i$tures
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