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horse slaughterUrge Your Illinois Representative to Vote NO on HB 4812 – A bill to reopen cruel horse slaughter plants in ILVOTE COULD TAKE PLACE ANY DAY – CALL NOW! Urgent calls are needed to protect equine welfare in the state of Illinois. Please contact your State House Representatives to help preserve the 2007 Illinois ban on horse slaughter which ultimately resulted in the closure of the last remaining horse slaughter plant in the United States. To no surprise, the Illinois State House Committee on Agriculture and Conservation passed HB 4812, a bill to reopen cruel horse slaughter plants in the state. State Rep. Jim Sacia, introduced the bill to repeal the state ban, paving the way for horse slaughter to reappear in Illinois. As has been discussed and voted on many times before, the slaughter process subjects horses to extreme cruelty and an inhumane death. Supporters on both sides of the issue agree that we have a nationwide crisis right now, and something must be done to save these majestic beings from cruelty. We disagree, however, on how to handle the problem. The Animal Welfare Institute does not believe subjecting horses to the trauma of slaughter by captive bolt or being stabbed in the neck by puntilla knife is the answer. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn reiterated his desire to protect the welfare of animals this weekend, “As long as I am governor, we’re never going to pass any kind of legislation that allows cruelty toward animals, whether it be dogs, cats or any other living things.” Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10424 ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7d1c4aed-e45e-4859-8c6b-27d6e0727403) Equine Welfare Alliance Releases Study Refuting Horse Slaughter HypeCHICAGO, (EWA) – The Chicago based Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) released a study of horse slaughter trends analyzing data from 2006 through October, 2009. The study documents and analyzes monthly horse slaughter totals as reported by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Canadian horse meat exports as reported by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The findings refute the “facts” horse slaughter proponents have been circulating on the impact on the horse industry since the plants closed by showing that the closings had no impact on slaughter totals. Graphs in the study show exports quickly replaced domestic slaughter during 2007. In fact, 2008 was the second highest year for slaughter since 1995. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10164 AQHA Blames Non-Existent “Ban” for the Consequences of Its Own PolicyFebruary 5, 2010 – CHICAGO (EWA) – On February 4th the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) posted a release issued by the Animal Welfare Council (AWC) claiming that “experts” warned of current issues facing the horse industry if slaughter was ended. Reminiscent of past years, the AQHA is again promoting disinformation in the hope the American public will trust them for their good name. The refusal to address the excess breeding of horses over the years has caught up with slaughter proponents. Once again, they find themselves scrambling to find scapegoats for a problem they created. Driven by the quest for registration fees, the AQHA has promoted overbreeding for decades as they have built their ever expanding empire worldwide. The release revives the myth of the “unintended consequences” by claiming “experts” warned of a negative impact on horse welfare if slaughter was ended. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10142 Pure Thoughts, Inc. and Florida Horse Industry Enthusiasts: Keeping Florida Horses Safe
Wellington, FL – In the state of Florida, where the horse industry generates $7 billion in revenue and employs over 250,000 people, most of us never thought horse slaughter would be an issue we need to worry about. But unfortunately, we have discovered it is indeed a concern here. Recently the PBSO has put out a flyer with tips on how to keep your horse and your barn safe, and the ASPCA held a summit during the George Morris clinic regarding horse welfare. With the recent discovery of horses in a pen on a slaughter farm in Miami, more crimes against horses have been discovered. As if the cruelty of the slaughtering of horses wasn’t enough, there is a new side to this crime that makes it even more disturbing. The demand for lean horse meat from some cultural groups has spurned a new technique that is not so new at all: the horses are being starved before they are slaughtered. Pure Thoughts Inc. Horse Rescue has taken in 17 of these starved, slaughter-bound horses in the past 12 days. Jennifer Swanson, co-founder of PTHR, stated, “It has been crazy. We have had to work diligently to find foster homes and stalls available because we are full, but the work is worth it. This is what we have been hoping for: the stopping of horses going to slaughter. After years of traveling to kill pens and discovering that many of the horses there were from Florida, in early 2009 we decided that we need to focus on keeping the horses of this state safe. We are working to stop them from ending up in kill auctions; we’re rescuing horses from abuse and neglect, and taking in abandonment cases. The recent uncovering of the Miami slaughterhouses has added an extreme influx, but we can and will do it.” The responsibility and mission of Pure Thoughts, Inc. has grown exponentially in recent months, are we’re now at a point of desperate need from the public and the community. We are in need of volunteers, foster homes, adoption and donations. Our goal this year is to expand the rescue, to show the great people of the horse industry how wonderful these horses are, and to help them make the next horse they put in their barn, a rescue horse. If you can help, please visit www.PTHR.org or email Jennifer@PureThoughtsHorseRescue.com. Media Contact: Jennifer Swanson Slaughter Supporters Call for Boycott of Some of America’s Most Beloved Horsemen and Most Effective Horse OrganizationsWillie Nelson, Carrie Underwood, Pat Parelli, Sheryl Crow, Viggo Mortensen, Barbie Twins, USEF, Humane Society, PETA under Attack from Obscure Animal Agriculture Group CHICAGO, (EWA) – Some of America’s most prominent horse lovers were verbally assaulted and accused of malfeasance today for exercising their right of free speech over the ongoing decimation of the wild horse herds and their opposition to horse slaughter. The unprecedented attack came in a release issued today by little known Wyoming State Representative, Sue Wallis of United Organizations of the Horse (UOH), and left many in the horse industry scratching their heads. The rambling diatribe called for a boycott of the respected United States Equestrian Federation, legendary horse trainer Pat Parelli, Willie Nelson and others for speaking up for the humane treatment of horses and protection of Mustangs. The release accused them of taking “dirty money” and selling out to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), but offered no specifics or proof. The attack comes on the heels of a week of growing press coverage of nationwide demonstrations against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its removal of wild horse herds from the American West. In an earlier release, Wallis praised the BLM’s actions in removing the horses and she has suggested they be slaughtered and fed to the world’s hungry. Currently, horse meat sells for $30 per pound in Europe, making such a humanitarian offering unlikely. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9733 ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=b319b994-9527-4ca1-85da-0c9d531a4f6d) |
