Horse slaughter: Difference between revisions

| 25,000<ref>[http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/311009/argentina___the_horse_meat_industry.aspx "The horse meat industry."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211225021/http://meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/311009/argentina___the_horse_meat_industry.aspx |date=2011-12-11 }} ''Meat Trade News Daily'', 06 Oct 2009. In 2009, a British agriculture industry website reported the listed horse meat production levels in various countries.</ref>

Horses in the United States are not bred or raised for meat. Nearly all equine medications and treatments are labeled, "Not for horses intended for human consumption." Meat from American horses raises a number of potential health concerns, primarily due to the routine use of medications banned in food animals and a lack of tracking of such use. Unlike livestock raised for food (where all potential medications are tested for withdrawal times and vigilantly tracked), there is no way to guarantee which medications have been used in a particular horse. During November and December 2010 inspections of EU-regulated plants in Mexico which slaughtered horses for human consumption, the European Commission Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) uncovered violations.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120405004350/http://horsebackmagazine.com/hb/archives/8591 Horsebackmagazine.com] "In a report filed by the FVO (Food and Veterinary Office), a number of serious violations and actions taken were cited, including these noted by Animals’ Angels. Two out of five establishments failed to meet EU requirements relating to slaughter hygiene and water quality. Additionally, there were non-traceable carcasses, a number of which were in contact with EU eligible horse meat. No export certificates will be issued until these issues are satisfactorily resolved. Random samples were taken from horse meat processed in 2008, 2009 and 2010 tested positive for EU prohibited drug residues. Sworn statements made by horse owners on veterinary medical treatment histories were not authenticated and proven false, including cases of positive results for EU prohibited drug residues. From January and October 2010, of the 62,560 US horses shipped to slaughter 5,336 were rejected at the border due to advanced pregnancy, health problems or injuries. In a visit to one US export pen, 12 of the 30 horses held there were rejected."</ref> Most American horses destined for slaughter are transported to EU-regulated plants in Mexico and Canada. Horses, unlike traditional food animals in the United States, are not raised (or medicated) with the intent of becoming human food. Because American horses are not intended for the human food chain, they often receive medications banned by the [[Food and Drug Administration]] for use in food animals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bettingroyalascot.co.uk/|title=Royal Ascot 2021 &#124; News &#124; Runners &#124; Betting on Ascot &#124; Dates & Times|access-date=2020-09-15|archive-date=2020-08-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824082311/https://www.bettingroyalascot.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref> Concern also exists that horse meat will be mixed with ground-beef products<ref>{{cite webnews|last=Strom|first=Stephanie|title=U.S.D.A May Approve Horse Slaughtering|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/business/usda-may-approve-horse-slaughter-plant.html?_r=0|publisherwork=The New York Times|date=March 2013 |access-date=2014-04-19|archive-date=2013-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131130103913/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/business/usda-may-approve-horse-slaughter-plant.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref> and sold improperly labeled in the US, as occurred during the European [[2013 horse meat scandal]].

Before 2007, three major equine [[slaughterhouse]]s operated in the United States: Dallas Crown in [[Kaufman, Texas]]; Beltex Corporation in [[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]],; and Cavel International in [[DeKalb, Illinois]]. All were Belgian-owned, with Multimeat also having French and Dutch ownership; Velda owned Cavel, Multimeat owned Beltex and Chevideco owned Dallas Crown. The slaughterhouses exported about $42&nbsp;million in horse meat annually, with most going overseas. About 10 percent of their output was sold to zoos to feed their carnivores, and 90 percent was shipped to Europe and Asia for human consumption. Although the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] voted overwhelmingly to end horse slaughter in 2006, the bill never came to a vote before the [[United States Senate|Senate]]. The two [[Texas]] horse-slaughter plants were ordered closed in 2007, after protracted battles with local municipalities who objected to their financial drain on the municipalities (no tax revenue), ditches of blood, dismembered foals and noxious odors in residential neighborhoods.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2010/04/09/former-mayor-horse-slaughterhouses-a-drain-on-taxpayers-never-mind-the-ditches-of-blood|title=Former Mayor: Horse Slaughterhouses a Drain on Taxpayers — Never Mind the Ditches of Blood &#124; Pith in the Wind}}</ref> Later that year, the Cavel plant was closed after local community action.<ref name=huffington>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070629/horse-slaughter/|title=Last US Horse Slaughterhouse to Close|author=Tara Burghart|date=June 29, 2007|publisherwork=The Huffington Post|access-date=2007-07-16|archive-date=2007-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702184807/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070629/horse-slaughter/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Two bills, H.R. 503 in the House and S. 1915 in the Senate, were introduced in the [[109th United States Congress|109th Congress]] to prevent the slaughter of horses for human consumption. H.R. 503 was passed by the House on September 7, 2006, by a recorded vote of 263&ndash;146.<ref>[http://thomas.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR00503:@@@S Bill Summary & Status : 109th Congress (2005–2006) : H.R.503 : All Congressional Actions with Amendments].</ref> S. 1915 was read twice, referred to committee and not voted on.<ref>[http://thomas.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01915:@@@X Bill Summary & Status : 109th Congress (2005–2006) : S.1915 : All Congressional Actions].</ref> Both bills died at the end of the 109th Congress, and were reintroduced in the [[110th United States Congress|110th Congress]] on January 17, 2007, as H.R. 503 and S. 311.<ref>H.R.503 was referred to committee and not reported out for a vote.[http://thomas.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR00503:@@@X Bill Summary & Status : 110th Congress (2007–2008) : H.R.503 : All Congressional Actions].</ref> S. 311 was reported out but not taken up for a vote.<ref>[http://thomas.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN00311:@@@X Bill Summary & Status : 110th Congress (2007–2008) : S.311 : All Congressional Actions].</ref> The bills were not reintroduced in the [[111th United States Congress|111th Congress]]. Two bills were introduced in the 112th Congress: H.R. 2966 and S. 1176, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011. The latter was introduced on July 9, 2011, by Senators [[Mary Landrieu]] (D-LA) and [[Lindsey Graham]] (R-SC) to amend the [[Horse Protection Act of 1970]] ({{usctc|15|44}}) to prohibit the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption.<ref>[http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s1176is/pdf/BILLS-112s1176is.pdf S.1176] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121106173127/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s1176is/pdf/BILLS-112s1176is.pdf |date=2012-11-06 }}, June 9, 2011, Government Printing Office.</ref>

On November 18, 2011, the ban on the slaughter of horses for meat was lifted as part of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2012.<ref>{{cite news | title = Horse: Coming soon to a meat case near you? | url = http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/11/30/horse-coming-soon-to-a-meat-case-near-you/ | access-date = 2011-12-01 | publisher = [[CNN]] | date = November 30, 2011 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111202170850/http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/11/30/horse-coming-soon-to-a-meat-case-near-you/ | archive-date = December 2, 2011 }}</ref> However, it was reestablished by Congress on January 14, 2014, with the passage of the Fiscal Year 2014 Omnibus Appropriations Act.<ref>{{cite web | title = Congress Reinstates Annual Ban on Horse Slaughter | date = 14 January 2014 | url = http://www.awionline.org/content/congress-reinstates-annual-ban-horse-slaughter | access-date = 2014-03-14 | publisher = [[Animal Welfare Institute]] | archive-date = 2014-03-14 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140314191618/http://www.awionline.org/content/congress-reinstates-annual-ban-horse-slaughter | url-status = live }}</ref>

On March 12, 2013, Senators Landrieu and Graham introduced S. 541, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act of 2013. The SAFE Act amends the [[Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act]] to deem equine (horses and other members of the family Equidae) parts an unsafe food additive or animal drug. The SAFE Act also prohibits the knowing sale or transport of equines (or equine parts) in interstate or foreign commerce for human consumption. An identical version of the bill, H.R. 1094, was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Patrick Meehan (R-PA) and [[Jan Schakowsky]] (D-IL).<ref>{{cite web | title = National Animal Welfare Groups, Veterinarians and Horse Owners Applaud Federal Efforts to Protect Horses and the Public | URLdate = 13 March 2013 | url = https://awionline.org/content/animal-welfare-groups-applaud-federal-efforts-protect-horses | access-date = 2014-03-14 | publisher = [[Animal Welfare Institute]] | archive-date = 2014-03-14 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140314191719/https://awionline.org/content/animal-welfare-groups-applaud-federal-efforts-protect-horses | url-status = live }}</ref>

In the European [[2013 horse meat scandal]], foods advertised as containing beef were found to contain undeclared or improperly declared horse meat—100 percent of the meat content, in some cases.<ref>{{Cite webnews|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-21375594|title=Findus lasagne beef '100% horsemeat'|work=BBC News |date=February 7, 2013|via=www.bbc.co.uk|access-date=September 15, 2020|archive-date=March 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329055853/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-21375594|url-status=live}}</ref> A smaller number of products also contained other undeclared meats, such as pork.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/16/tesco-burgers-off-shelves-horsemeat|title=Cameron tells supermarkets: horsemeat burger scandal unacceptable|date=January 16, 2013|website=the Guardian|access-date=September 15, 2020|archive-date=September 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906164601/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/16/tesco-burgers-off-shelves-horsemeat|url-status=live}}</ref> The issue came to light on January 15, 2013, when it was reported that equine DNA had been discovered in frozen beefburgers sold at several Irish and British supermarkets.