Calls Urgently Needed to Oppose Gardner Amendment
At long last, the U.S. House of Representatives is poised to consider a ban on the use of trailers with more than one level for hauling horses. This week, the House is expected to take up consideration of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, H.R. 7. At present, language explicitly banning ALL hauling of horses on double-deck trailers is included in the bill – a safe and sound measure. However, opponents are trying to undermine this modest yet important legislation. Representative Cory Gardner (R-CO) has offered an amendment to strip the double-deck trailer ban from the bill and allow this inhumane practice to continue.
Support for banning the use of double-deck trailers is strong, and includes the American Veterinary Medical Association, National Black Farmers Association, Animal Welfare Institute, and Veterinarians for Equine Welfare. Equine rescue, humane, and professional organizations all realize it is cruel and dangerous to haul horses on double-deck trailers. Even the U.S. Department of Agriculture has expressed opposition to double-deck hauling of horses, stating that, “We do not believe that equines can be safely and humanely transported on a conveyance that has an animal cargo space divided into two or more stacked levels.” (9 CFR Parts 70 and 88). In fact, the USDA has already prohibited the use of these trailers to transport horses to slaughter, but its rule does not cover horses being transported for any other purposes. All horses, regardless of where they are going, deserve this important protection, and the language included in the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act will provide it.
Time Is Short; Here’s What You Can Do:
We must shore up support for the ban and against the Gardner Amendment. Please, can you help us? Because of the urgency of this action, emails may not be read in time to influence your Representative. Please take a few minutes TODAY to call and urge your U.S. Representative to support the existing double-deck trailer ban in H.R. 7, and oppose the Gardner Amendment to strip this language out. Below are some additional points that might be useful when you call.
To find the name of your Representative and his/her phone number, please visit www.compassionindex.org. You can also call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected.
Thank you for taking action on this very important issue. Be sure to share this eAlert with friends, family, and coworkers and urge them to call in support of the double-deck trailer ban as well.
Sincerely,
Chris Heyde
Deputy Director
Government and Legal Affairs
Double-Deck Trailers are Inhumane and Unsafe. According to the USDA and the American Veterinary Medical Association, horses require 7-8′ (84″-92″) ceiling clearance for safe and humane transport. Double-deck trailers often have ceilings as low as 5’5″, well below the recommended minimum. Even trailers “modified” for special use have ceilings no higher than 5’11” (71″). When transported in these physically inadequate vehicles, many horses have arrived at their destination with grievous wounds on their shoulders (withers) and backs because their heads were forced into an unnatural and unbalanced position for extended periods of time during travel. Double-deck trailers, designed for shorter-necked species like cattle and swine do not provide adequate space for horses to retain their balance, leading to unstable footing, falls, injuries, trampling, and death.
Grisly Accidents Cost Lives, Traumatize First Responders, and Inflict Financial Burdens on Communities. Accidents in recent years have created gruesome roadside scenes of horses twisted, entangled, dead, and dying. Responders are often unprepared and left shocked by such horrifying disasters. Local communities have had to pay for the rescue and rehabilitation of the horses in many cases.
A Patchwork of State Laws Exists. Six states ban the use of double-deck trailers for the transport of horses entirely (Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont). A federal law would harmonize the varying state laws that address horse transport, improve enforcement of horse transportation safety laws, and make America’s roads a safer place for all interstate travelers.
USDA Regulation Doesn’t Cover Non-Slaughter Horse Transport. The USDA has unequivocally stated that double-deck trailers are inhumane and unsafe and has implemented a ban on their use for the transport of horses to slaughter. Unfortunately, there is a need for Congress to do what USDA has not been able to do – prevent the use of double-deck trailers to transport horses for other purposes. No matter the destination, using double-deck trailers to transport horses is inherently dangerous to horses and to people.
We respectfully urge you to support the language in the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act banning the transportation of horses on double-deck trailers. This language will make transportation safer for horses and our roadways safer for drivers. Feel free to contact us with any questions.
SIMPLE FACTS:
AVERAGE HORSE HEIGHT: 7′-7’8″ (84″-92″ or 15-17 hands)
AVERAGE TRAILER CEILING HEIGHT: 4’7″-5’11” (55″-71″) each level
RECOMMENDED HEIGHT: 7-8′ (84″-96″) each level
MODIFIED RODEO TRAILER: 5’11” (71″) each level
AVERAGE HEIGHT OF A HOUSE DOOR: 7′ (84″)