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Resumption of Horse Slaughter, Congressman James Moran

Posted by on June 14, 2012

ames Moran submits his Amendment to Prohibit USDA Inspections at Horse Slaughter Plants.

Resumption of Horse Slaughter in the U.S. REAL Possibility in NEAR Future ~ Says Congressman James Moran

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The Persian Horse Blog is Dedicated to the Horses and Burros  who have Shed their Blood, Lost their Freedom, and Given their Lives for BLM.

Photo Courtesy of Equestrian Life Style Magazine

Per the following Email from Congress Person James Moran  the resumption of horse slaughter in the U.S. is very real possibility in the near future.

Please read the following Email and Take Appropriate Action Suggested at the Bottom of this Alert.

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“Knowing of your support for protecting horses from slaughter, I share your concerns and wanted to update you on some recent developments.

As you know, in 2006 a bipartisan amendment that prohibited the USDA from spending funds to inspect horse slaughter facilities was supported on the House floor by a vote of 269-158. Despite its inclusion in every subsequent Agriculture appropriations bill, the provision was dropped by the new Chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee in the fiscal year 2012 bill. During the Appropriations Committee markup, an amendment I offered was added that reinstated this important language by a bipartisan vote of 24-21. The bill later passed the full House with the defund provision intact. But during a closed-door meeting of the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations, the amendment banning horse slaughter was removed. The final bill (H.R. 2112), which also included funding for the rest of the federal government, passed the House and was enacted on November 18th.

As a result, the USDA is currently allowed to inspect horse slaughter facilities. While no facilities are currently operational, news reports have confirmed the possible start up of slaughter factories in at least four states. Several individuals who advocated most vocally for the language’s removal have now formed a business that aims to open as many horse slaughter plants as possible in the U.S. While I am encouraged that state leaders and local communities have generated public opposition to these proposals, the resumption of horse slaughter in the U.S. is very real possibility in the near future.

The opposition to horse slaughter for consumption abroad is a fiscal and public safety matter as much as it is an ethical issue. Taxpayer-funded inspections of horse slaughter facilities, which could cost several million dollars a year, are supported by the same federal agency that inspects all other meat consumed in the U.S. Given current constraints on agency budgets, it makes no sense to divert funding for critical meat safety inspections from food consumed in the U.S. to food consumed in other countries. And horses are not raised for human consumption, with many routinely given drugs that are explicitly banned in animals that may later be eaten. The Humane Society of the U.S. recently petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to enforce these restrictions and ban horse meat as an adulterated product.

In the upcoming weeks, the House Appropriations Committee will consider a funding bill for agriculture programs for fiscal year 2013. I plan to once again offer an amendment to reinstate a ban on USDA inspections of horse slaughter plants at that time. No policy of this significance, particularly when it is opposed by over three-quarters of the American public, should be decided by a handful of Members in a backroom conference.

I appreciate you interest in this important policy and your compassion for the welfare of these special creatures. You can rest assured that I will remain vigilant and do all I can to end the inhumane practice of horse slaughter in the U.S.

Sincerely,
James P. Moran

P.S. I invite you to visit my website at www.moran.house.gov that contains information on many topics of interest and allows you to sign up for the Moran e-News.

JPM/bl”

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WHAT YOU CAN DO ~ TAKE ACTION

 

Persian Horse has suggested repeatedly in the past that “It is all about the COMMITTEE”. The Congressional Committees Hold All the POWER over the Laws we want passed to Protect the Horses.

We NOW have Exactly TEN DAYS to Fax ALL the Members of the HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE asking them to “SUPPORT THE MORAN AMENDMENT TO PROHIBIT USDA INSPECTIONS AT HORSE SLAUGHTER FACILITIES IN THE UNITED STATES”.

CLICK HERE to see the Names of the Full Committee Members, and which States they are from.

After you see which STATE the Committee Member is from, CLICK HERE, Find the Correct State, The Committee Member, His FAX NUMBER will be shown on His State Page.

CLICK HERE to Send 5 FREE FAXES a day from your Computer.  You do not need a Fax Machine.  The Faxes are sent through your computer.

Keep the Message Simple in your Fax.  Simply State:   ”SUPPORT THE MORAN AMENDMENT TO PROHIBIT USDA INSPECTIONS AT HORSE SLAUGHTER FACILITIES IN THE UNITED STATES”.

You May also feel free to CALL the members of the House Appropriations Committee; However Persian Horse recommends sending FAXES in lieu of Emails.  Faxes MUST be kept on Record for 7 years, and they are Tangible Proof of your Voice.  Emails can be deleted.

Per James Moran’s Office, (June 8, 2012) we have approximatelyTEN DAYS to Make our Demands, as American Tax-Paying Citizens, and American ANTI-Horse-Slaughter Advocates, before Congressman James Moran submits his Amendment to Prohibit USDA Inspections at Horse Slaughter Plants.

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