ARGUMENTS BY OPPONENTS
Opponents of this bill have argued that horse slaughter is a necessary evil, and that without
it, the horses that would have been slaughtered will be abandoned or neglected, leading to another and worse form of cruelty
to horses. The available evidence, however, does not support this assertion. Between 1990 and 1995, the number of horses slaughtered
in the United States decreased from 345,700 to 109, 225. By 2001, the number of horses slaughtered in the United States or
exported for slaughter had dropped to only 79, 734. 7
[Footnote] During this time, there was no reported epidemic of
unwanted horses resulting from the decreased number of horses being slaughtered.
[Footnote 7: Humane Society
Equine Slaughter Table, supra note 2.]
According to a 2002 United States Department of Agriculture report,
92.3% of the horses arriving at two Texas slaughter plants arrived in good condition. 8
[Footnote] They were not the
`unwanted' sick, old, or starving horses. This statistic comports with common sense: healthy animals maximize the amount
of meat processed per horse and help insure that the meat will be of good quality and safe for human consumption. Thus, the
proportion of currently slaughtered horses that fall into the category of `unwanted' sick or old horses would appear to
be small.
[Footnote 8: R. Timothy Cordes, D.V.M. and Betsy J. Stillers, Technical Coordinators, U.S.D.A. Guidebook
for USDA's Slaughter Horse Transport Program, January 2002, at 5.]
The corollary of the opponents' argument
regarding unwanted horses is that horse slaughter for human consumption is a humane form of euthanasia. Again, the available
evidence does not support this claim. The previously described `puntilla' slaughter method used at many slaughterhouses
in Mexico could never be considered humane. As described by Dr. Dodman, Director of Animal Behavior Department of Clinical
Sciences at Tufts' Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, `No ethical veterinarian, faced with a client who has a horse
that is old, sick, or otherwise no longer wanted, would suggest that the horse in question should be put on a truck and hauled
thousands of miles to slaughter. Instead, the veterinarian would most likely suggest truly humane euthanasia via chemical
injection, after which the carcass can be composted, buried, incinerated, sent to landfill or rendered.' 9
[Footnote]
The shot could be performed by any veterinarian at the farm, ranch, or racetrack.
[Footnote 9: Written testimony
of Dr. Dodman at 2, submitted for the Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing on July 31, 2008.]
The
Committee received many letters from horse rescue organizations across the country, repeatedly telling the same experience
of attempting to buy horses at auctions and getting out-bid by `killer-buyers' from the horse slaughterhouses. Based on
these and other letters, testimony received at our hearing, and countless phone calls and conversations with other interested
stakeholders, it appears to the Committee that there is a strongly committed community of horse rescue and sanctuary organizations,
farmers, horse owners, and other entities and persons that are willing and able to assist with any `unwanted' horses that
may result from this legislation. Large organizations such as the National Black Farmers Association, Animal Welfare Institute,
and the Humane Society of the United States also have pledged to work with their members to find homes for any `unwanted horses.'
Horse slaughter for human consumption is a business. It is motivated by economic forces, not altruistic ones. In the
Committee's opinion, the equities balance in favor of this legislation. We know for certain that if we do nothing, hundreds
of thousands of horses will meet cruel and inhumane deaths at foreign slaughterhouses; if we pass this legislation, we save
horses from suffering this same fate in the future. There may be unintended adverse consequences for a small percentage of
these horses; but we are confident that the supporters of this bill--which are many and varied--are sincere about their commitment
to the welfare of all horses.
