Equine Protection Network
www.equineprotectionnetwork.com
www.saveamericashorses.com
June 9th, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Permission to Cross Post

Victory in t U.S. House of Represenatatives as House Votes to Save
Americas Horses 269-158!

"If given the chance tomorrow, Americans would overwhelmingly vote
to outlaw horse slaughter. On June 8th, 2005 the United States House
of Representatives gave Americans their voice when they
overwhelmingly voted 269-158 to prohibit the use of public money for
horse slaughter", stated Christine Berry of the Equine Protection
Network.

The Sweeney-Spratt amendment to the House Agriculture Approriations
Bill approved on Wednesday by a 269 to 158 landslide vote will
remove federal funding for the inspection of horsemeat at the 3 U.S.
horse slaughterhouses and inspection at the border for horses being
exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. Passage of a companion
bill by the Senate and then President Bush's signature would
effectively shut down horse slaughter in the United States for one
year starting October 1, 2005, the beginning of the fiscal year.
Passage of H.R. 503, the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act will then
prohibit the transportation of horses to slaughter.

Congressman Whitfield from Kentucky stated, "Today the horse
slaughter issue was finally considered in the open, not behind
closed doors. The vote was a major victory and shows the
overwhelming support in Congress to end this brutal practice. The
amazing outpouring of public support helped to make this possible
and I thank everyone who supported our efforts today."

The links to the Congressional Record of the House debate can be
read on the EPN website.

Make sure & copy the entire URL which begins with "http" and ends
in "pdf" Paste it into your browser's location bar & click "Enter".

http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/saveamericashorses/sweeneyspra
ttamend.pdf

Thank you to all who have made calls to your Congressman. Now is the
time to thank them and urge them to support H.R. 503. Contact your
Senators and inform them of your views on horse slaughter. Include
the Polls & Facts from our website.

Use our letter as an example to write your own letter.
EPN Letter Urging Support of H.R. 503:

http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/saveamericashorses/HR503.htm


You will need Adobe Reader a free plug in that you can download to r
ead the debate to Save Americas Horses on the Floor of the U.S.House
from the Congressional Record. Also posted on the EPN website is how
your Congressman voted! Scroll down to Updates!

http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/saveamericashorses/action.htm#

Horse Slaughter Issue & Facts:

The issue of horse slaughter is one of disposal of unwanted horses,
just as we do not slaughter unwanted dogs and cats for human
consumption, nor should we slaughter American horses for human
consumption. The pro slaughter forces often ask, "Who is going to
pay for these unwanted horses to be euthanised?" The answer is
simple – their owners. It is owners' responsibility to cover the
cost of euthanasia and disposal. Just as we cannot use decompression
chambers or drowning to dispose of unwanted dogs and cats, it must
be illegal to slaughter unwanted horses for human consumption. This
issue is not about providing homes for all the unwanted horses, it
is about the method of disposal. Slaughter using a 4" nail to the
head and throat cutting, versus euthanasia via lethal injection.


FACTS:

• Since 1995 poll after poll show Americans want horse slaughter
banned.

• As of 5/21/05 33,489 American horses have been slaughtered,
including 41 American mustangs. Between 1980 and May 21, 2005, your
tax-dollars were used to pay for the USDA inspection of 4,007,645
American horses brutally slaughtered in foreign owned
slaughterhouses located in the United States. Between 1990 and 2000,
500,000 American horses exported to Canada for slaughter.

• Americans do NOT eat horses. This is a cultural issue and culture
shapes our laws.

• Horses are NOT raised, nor are they taxed as food and fiber
animals in the U.S. Americans view horses as sport, recreation, and
pleasure animals, not their next T-bone steak.

• Products used on our horses have NOT been tested by the FDA for
use in horses intended for food. Products used on horses carry the
warning label, "Not for use on horses intended for food."

• The largest horse state, & the leading agricultural state in the
country, California, made it a felony to slaughter a horse in 1998
when over 60% (5 million) of California voters, `Just Said Neigh to
Horse Slaughter'. The passage of Prop 6 did NOT change the status of
horses from livestock to companion animal, nor did the number of
horse abuse cases rise according to Carolyn Stull of UC Davis.

Disposal options include: Burial, Cremation, Landfill, Rendering,
all of which are available to owners in the United States. According
to the National Renderers Association website, 44,000 metric tons of
animal by-products are created each week. If the rendering companies
are handling that amount each week, a 100,000 horse carcasses a year
is nothing!

The issue of groundwater contamination is nothing more than a
smokescreen thrown up by the the pro slaughter forces who want to
continue with the Breed 'Em, Trash 'Em, Can 'Em" attitude. As the
demand for a service increases, the service industry will rise to
meet the demand.

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