Tag Archives: horse slaughter

Rescue/Protection Sources

URGENT eALERT: Calls Needed TUESDAY in Support of Amendment Keeping Federal Government Out of Horse Slaughter Business!

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Dear Humanitarian,
Late last week the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee approved the FY2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill.  The language defunding the required USDA inspections of horse slaughter facilities was not included for the first time since 2005, despite strong bipartisan support in Congress. This first step, if successful, may allow foreign investors the opportunity to reestablish horse slaughter in the US.

At a time when Congress is dramatically cutting back federal spending and eliminating wasteful federal programs, it is disturbing that some in Congress would allow for the reestablishment of a taxpayer subsidized federal program that existed solely to support foreign owned horse slaughter facilities that inflicted tremendous suffering on American horses.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

The full House Appropriations Committee will be voting on the FY12 Agriculture Appropriations bill this Tuesday afternoon.  An amendment will be offered to restore the prohibition on putting USDA inspectors in horse slaughter facilities.  Restoring this USDA defund language is important, and it is critical that you call and urge your legislator to support the amendment.

Continue reading URGENT eALERT: Calls Needed TUESDAY in Support of Amendment Keeping Federal Government Out of Horse Slaughter Business! →

Contributors/Press, Rescue/Protection Sources

Horse Advocates Call Foul on Food Network

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Chicago (EWA) – Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) joins its Canadian partner, Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC), in calling for the withdrawal of an episode scheduled to air Monday, May 16 on the Food Network’s program Top Chef Canada.

The program features “French Cuisine” including horse meat and foie gras, angering both horse advocates and animal welfare groups across the globe. The timing of this episode coincides with CHDC’s May Equine Awareness campaign.

In choosing these menu items, the program has completely ignored the cruelty involved in their production. Foie gras is diseased duck liver produced by force feeding ducks using a feeding tube thrust down their throats several times a day until they are too fat to even stand up. The liver becomes hugely swollen in an attempt to deal with the process.

Horse meat in Canada comes from horses that often suffer incredible abuse even before they arrive at slaughter. Beyond this, horse meat is likely to contain drugs that are illegal in food animals.

Continue reading Horse Advocates Call Foul on Food Network →

Contributors/Press, Rescue/Protection Sources

Bonnie-Jill Laflin, NBA’s 1st Female Scout, Joins AWI in Full Court Press to End Horse Slaughter

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(Washington, DC) – The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is pleased to welcome television sports personality and NBA insider Bonnie-Jill Laflin to AWI’s campaign to end horse slaughter.  Bonnie-Jill — a member of the LA Lakers front office and the NBA’s first and only female scout — has been actively involved in the horse community her entire life.  She will help AWI expand its efforts to educate the American public and Members of Congress about the continuing cruelty of horse slaughter.

”It is hard to fathom that we still permit the slaughter of American horses,” said Bonnie-Jill. “Horses are powerful and intelligent, and a symbol of American freedom and spirit — they deserve more respect.  I’m anxious to partner with AWI to build support for protecting these graceful and amazing athletes.”

AWI began the national campaign to end horse slaughter in 2001, after witnessing the abuse of horses collected by killer-buyers at a livestock auction in Pennsylvania.  Over the past decade, AWI has documented inhumane conditions at horse slaughter facilities and during horse transport throughout the U.S. and across the border.  Although horse slaughter plants — operating in the U.S. as recently as 2007 — are dormant for now, the same numbers of American horses are being slaughtered.  Sadly, the only thing that has changed is the location of the slaughterhouses — now across the border in Canada and Mexico.

Continue reading Bonnie-Jill Laflin, NBA’s 1st Female Scout, Joins AWI in Full Court Press to End Horse Slaughter →

Contributors/Press, Rescue/Protection Sources

Extremist Horse Slaughter Group Encourages Horse Cruelty in Nevada

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March 21, 2011 – Chicago (EWA) – United Horsemen (UH), a 501c3 non-profit organization that promotes horse slaughter, is taking its fight against the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to a new extreme. Not only does this group oppose every piece of legislation that benefits the welfare of horses but tries to garner support with bogus scare tactics.

The latest attack, made under the guise of a property rights issue, is against a proposed ban on “horse tripping” in Nevada. Horse tripping is a deadly and sadistic event which has found its way into the US from third world “Charro” rodeos and involves roping the legs of a running horse. The event commonly causes fatal injuries or permanent lameness to the animal.

“They are misleading the public with false information and trying to scare people into opposing the legislation. This is not an attack on rodeos or a first step to anything. It is a bill designed to end the cruel, dangerous treatment of horses as was the ban on horse soring,” stated Vicki Tobin of the Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA).

In its latest email to its supporters, UH provides a list of invalid talking points that are an insult to the public’s intelligence and a disservice to American rodeos. The group claims that the Charro Rodeo Association voluntary banned horse tripping in 1995 when in fact, they were forced to do so by a 1994 law, AB 49x – a law that was not spearheaded by the HSUS.

Continue reading Extremist Horse Slaughter Group Encourages Horse Cruelty in Nevada →

*Featured/Spotlights, Breeds, Contributors/Press, Media/Radio/TV Sources, Rescue/Protection Sources

Willie & The Nelson Family Sing “Wild Horses”

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Country Music Legend Covers Stones Classic to Help Animal Welfare Institute Protect America’s Horses

March 22, 2011 (Washington, D.C.) – The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is honored to announce the exclusive release of the Rolling Stones’ classic “Wild Horses” – performed and produced by the legendary Willie Nelson and his family members.  Willie & The Nelson Family are donating the proceeds from the sale of the song to AWI’s campaigns on behalf of wild and domestic horses.  Willie and the entire Nelson family are long-time supporters of AWI and its efforts to end horse slaughter and preserve the right of wild horses to roam free.

“The BLM has been rounding them up at an alarming rate, supposedly for their own good. Sadly, there are more wild horses in holding pens than in the wild. Something is wrong with that, so we must act now before the BLM has managed these magnificent animals into extinction,” said Willie Nelson. “It’s time for the cowboys to stand up for the horses.”

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was enacted in 1971 to halt the disappearance of these iconic animals from public lands in the American West.  Since then, however, over 20 million acres of land set aside by Congress for wild horses have been removed from their range, even as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — the very agency charged with their protection — claims there is not enough land to support existing herds.  The BLM is unnecessarily removing horses based on spurious claims of damage to range and other adverse impacts.  The BLM’s mismanagement of America’s wild horses is largely designed to benefit a livestock industry that has for decades, exploited western public lands while profiting from massive subsidies funded by taxpayer dollars.  Willie & The Nelson Family and AWI are calling on the BLM and the Obama administration to immediately halt all wild horse round-ups, restore the land provided by law to wild horses and to stop warehousing horses on private lands at even greater expense to the taxpayer.

Continue reading Willie & The Nelson Family Sing “Wild Horses” →

Contributors/Press, Rescue/Protection Sources

Thoughts on the Summit of the Horse

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by Bonnie Kohleriter, EWA contributing writer

The goal of this conference stated “The sole purpose …convene the horse industry…bring together different perspectives…find pragmatic, sustainable, economically viable solutions for horses both domestic and wild.”

A look at the objectives and sponsors of the hosting organization, United Horsemen, of this conference infers this is a group of horse people united around a common goal. Yet if one were to look closely at the sponsors of this conference one would see all groups are not primarily involved with horses.

Of the so called “Gold Buckle Sponsors” only 3 out of 9 are primarily involved with horses. Of the “Silver Spur Sponsors” 11 out of 19 and of the “Bronze Concho Sponsors” 2 out of 6 are involved mainly with horses. Of the 34 total sponsor groups listed, less than half or 16 are involved primarily with horses as a livelihood. Most other groups are cattle ranchers and farmers.

Continue reading Thoughts on the Summit of the Horse →

Contributors/Press, Rescue/Protection Sources

Wyoming Horse Slaughter Plant Plan Grows More Nebulous

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January 3, 2011 – Chicago (EWA) – In an interview on January 1st with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, horse slaughter promoter Sue Wallis announced yet another change in plans for her proposed Wyoming horse slaughter plant. The plant will not use facilities in Cheyenne. It also won’t sell horsemeat for human consumption, it won’t be designed by Temple Grandin, and won’t open this year as previously announced.

Wallis had initially announced that she planned to open a horse slaughter plant to provide horse meat to Wyoming state prisoners and school children. When that plan was criticized it began to change.

On April 28th of last year, Wallis had announced in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that she was negotiating to take over the Cheyenne Stockyards as an “intake facility” for a mobile slaughter operation. She claimed the plant would be designed by renowned slaughter plant designer Temple Grandin even though Grandin normally designs complex fixed facilities that specialize in reducing stress and fear in animals before they are slaughtered. The apparent discrepancy was not explained.

Continue reading Wyoming Horse Slaughter Plant Plan Grows More Nebulous →

Breeds, Contributors/Press, Rescue/Protection Sources

Horse Slaughter Proponents Attack Rose Parade Mustang Float

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December 31, 2010 – Chicago (EWA) – Sue Wallis, Executive Director of United Organizations of the Horse (UOH) and organizer of an upcoming meeting of horse slaughter proponents in Las Vegas, has launched an eleventh hour attack on not just horses, but floats showing horses.

Wallis, in a letter posted on her summit blog, announced a press release from an obscure member group called the National Tribal Horse Coalition. The organization, originally the Northwest Tribal Horse Coalition, was renamed when it joined UOH in May of 2009. The press release claims the float “is an abuse of the reputation of the North American Indian” because a Native American is included on the float looking over the mustangs.

The float, sponsored by Madeleine Pickens, mustang advocate and wife of oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens, depicts the beauty of these American icons. Wallis, who believes mustangs are feral pests, has long advocated their slaughter.

Continue reading Horse Slaughter Proponents Attack Rose Parade Mustang Float →

Contributors/Press, Rescue/Protection Sources

Horse Summit Comes under Friendly Fire

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Brogan Horton (left) meeting with President Bush in 2006.

December 30, 2010 – We have all shot ourselves in the foot, but seldom does an entire organization take up automatic weapons and form itself into a firing squad for that purpose. Such is the case with the organizers and sponsors of the upcoming Summit of the Horse to be held the first week of January in Las Vegas.

In fact, one has to use the term “sponsors” carefully because quite a few of those listed as sponsors on the event’s web page were not even aware of their lofty status until struck by painful ricochets from the summit firing squad.

The list of “sponsors” has dwindled as these organizations have become aware of their listing and requested their names be removed. Even the renowned slaughter plant designer, Temple Grandin, has informed Equine Welfare Alliance that she has instructed Ms. Wallis to stop using her name.

In an interview with Horseback Magazine, Dr. Grandin said, “They kind of were misrepresenting my involvement.” When I read this, I thought, “Welcome to Wallis World.”

Continue reading Horse Summit Comes under Friendly Fire →

Contributors/Press, Rescue/Protection Sources

Absence of Logic

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December 28, 2010 – It is said that you cannot teach someone common sense.

This is the case with the mantra of illogical statements we hear from horse slaughter supporters. The statements, spoken with such authority, in fact either lack common sense or amount to nothing more than finding a piece of jello they can nail to the wall.

The “unwanted” horse stories would lead the country to believe that millions of horses are running loose in our streets. Every sound bite and every article warns of unwanted horses. Another favorite is to start articles with “since Congress banned horse slaughter” or “because of the slaughter ban.”

When the unwanted horses are combined with the ban on horse slaughter, it provides a powerful statement in favor of horse slaughter. That is, until you look at the facts. One need not be a horse owner to see the lack of logic behind the statements of slaughter supporters.  This illogic is as easily detected by a New York apartment dweller as a seasoned horse owner.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12848