“Please share the video below with everybody you know! Most country’s were built on the back of horses & this is how they are repaid…it’s Fxxxxxg disgusting!!”
“Please support all horse welfare charities that are trying to stop the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Please try to watch so you can understand the suffering they go through…the first video is fine to watch; the second, well it shows the truth & it’s not pretty or nice!!”
This video shows a mare delivered to the Cavel horse slaughter plant in Illinois on behalf of kill buyer John Birdsong. The mare should have never been loaded in this horrific condition. This is just more proof that horse slaughter – no matter if on US soil or in Canada or Mexico – will NEVER be humane. Please share wide and far and urge your representative to support the SAFE ACT, legislation that would ban the slaughter of US horses for human consumption.
WARNING – GRAPHIC CONTENT THAT MIGHT BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS.
Animals’ Angels (www.animalsangels.org) latest video shows the brutal reality of the horse slaughter industry in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Argentina. Our investigators followed the slaughter horses’ torturous journey all the way from US auctions to kill buyer feedlots and from there to export pens and slaughter plants across the border.
Please share this video wide and far, it is more proof that horse slaughter will never be humane and that it needs to stop immediately.
Please support the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE ACT; S.541;H.R.1094) Act , legislation introduced to stop the export of US horses across the border for slaughter in Mexico & Canada and to prevent US horse slaughter plants from reopening.
Contact your representative now and urge him/her to support this important legislation. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
“THIS IS A DIFFICULT SUBJECT for me to discuss. I own horses & understand that due to overpopulation, lack of food or abandonment etc. it is causing welfare problems. Charities can’t protect every horse in need of a home, they will simply never have enough funds to protect them all. God…I wish they could, I hate to see horses or any animal for that matter suffer, no animal lover would want an animal to suffer unnecessarily. So to prevent this, if there is no other way possible to save them, I would prefer they were put out of their misery; in the kindest way possible & cremated. Horses die from disease, injury or just old age & their bodies have to be dealt with whatever the circumstance.
“If owners are not permitted to dispose of the body themselves on their own land, which most aren’t; then the body (no matter how loved) has to be dealt with! I dread the day one of my horses dies or has to be put to sleep, but I don’t have land to bury them on or the required permission…it would literally break my heart, but I will have no option but to still call the knacker man (for want of a better word) to cremate the body & return the ashes to me, so I can do with them as I wish.”
“WHAT I OPPOSE is the use of slaughterhouses TO KILL HEALTHY, ILL & ABUSED HORSES FOR FOOD & PROFIT! This planet already kills way too many animals to feed the population, some in the most barbaric, cheapest & despicable ways, with rife abuse & cruelty: which is why I don’t eat animals. Those who don’t own horses but own dogs, would find the practice of a slaughterhouse for dogs horrific & wouldn’t stand for it! Just as it is with horse owners/lovers… HORSES DO NOT BELONG ON THE MENU in this century or the next. By all means their bodies have to be dealt with…BUT NO HORSE SHOULD END UP ON A PLATE! Killing horses for their meat & profit alone is not justified; THOSE WHO WISH TO KILL HORSES FOR FOOD, ARE IN IT FOR THE MONEY, PURE GREED ALONE & IT IS THEY WHO SHOULD BE BANNED!!”
A federal appeals court on Friday removed a temporary ban on domestic horse slaughter, clearing the way for companies in New Mexico, Missouri and Iowa to open while an appeal of a lawsuit by animal protection groups proceeds.
The appeals court’s order Friday said the groups had “failed to meet their burden for an injunction pending appeal.”
Blair Dunn, an attorney for Valley Meat and Rains Natural Meats, said the order lifts the emergency status of the case, meaning it will likely be months before a final decision is issued.
Dunn said the plants are ready to open, although they could agree to remain shuttered if the plaintiffs agree to post a sufficient bond to cover the companies’ losses should they ultimately prevail.
“They are getting ready to go as quickly as they can. It shouldn’t take too long. Not more than two weeks,” he said.
The Humane Society, however, said “the fight for America‘s horses is not over.”
“We will press for a quick resolution of the merits of our claims in the 10th Circuit,” said Jonathan R. Lovvorn, the group’s senior vice president of animal protection litigation and investigations.
The plants would become the first horse slaughterhouses to operate in the U.S. since 2007. Congress effectively banned horse slaughter by eliminating funding for inspections at the plants in 2006. It restored that funding in 2011, but the USDA did not approve the first permits for horse slaughterhouses until this summer.
The issue has divided horse rescue and animal welfare groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes about what is the most humane way to deal with the country’s horse overpopulation, and what rescue groups have said are a rising number of neglected and starving horses as the West deals with persistent drought.
Valley Meat and Responsible Transportation were set to begin horse slaughter operations in August, but U.S. District Judge Christina Armijo blocked their plans while she heard the lawsuit by The Humane Society of the United States, Front Range Equine Rescue and others. The groups claimed the plants should have been forced to undergo environmental reviews under provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act.
Responsible Transportation abandoned its horse slaughter plans and converted its plant to cattle before Armijo dismissed the lawsuit in November.
Attorneys for the plants have argued that the plaintiffs are simply in court because they are morally opposed to horse slaughter and are looking for a way to delay the plants while they lobby Congress for a ban.
Proponents of a return to domestic horse slaughter point to a 2011 report from the federal Government Accountability Office that shows horse abuse and abandonment have increased since domestic horse slaughter was banned. They say it is better to slaughter the animals in humane, federally regulated facilities than have them abandoned to starve across the drought-stricken West or shipped to inhumane facilities in Mexico.
Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, calls the practice barbaric and has said blocking a return to domestic horse “is an issue of national importance and scale.”
“Scroll to the end of this post, to see a gallery of some of the worlds most beautiful horses…how could anyone even think, about killing one; let alone eating one??”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has given the green light for the grisly practice of horse slaughter to resume on U.S. soil.The agency approved an application for horse slaughter inspections under federal law at a plant in New Mexico.
This news comes on the heels of the U.S. House and Senate appropriations committees’ votes to halt all funding for horse slaughter in FY 2014. The decision means that the federal government could potentially spend millions of taxpayer dollars to start up inspections at horse slaughter plants, only to have Congress terminate the process in the coming months.
In response to the USDA’s decision, TheHumane Society of the United Statesand Front Range Equine Rescue plan to file suit immediately against the USDA to put a stop to this agency decision. The two groups previously informed USDA that they would take aggressive legal action against the agency, in light of the serious unresolved environmental and food safety issues surrounding horse slaughter.
Jonathan Lovvorn, senior vice president and chief counsel for animal protection litigation at The HSUS, said: “The USDA’s decision to start up domestic horse slaughter, while at the same time asking Congress to defund it, is bizarre and unwarranted. Slaughter plants have a history of polluting their communities and producing horsemeat that is tainted with a dangerous cocktail of banned drugs.
“We intend to hold the Obama administration accountable in federal court for this inhumane, wasteful and illegal decision.”
Hilary Wood, president of Front Range Equine Rescue, said: “America’s horses are not raised as food animals, and they receive numerous substances during their lives making them unfit and illegal for human consumption. Adding insult to injury, the suffering of the horses in the slaughter pipeline and the danger to humans makes this action more than inhumane. Horses bound for slaughter have many alternatives open to them including re-training, re-homing, and humane euthanasia. We remain committed to stopping this insult to justice and our sense of justice.”
The USDA’s approval is particularly surprising, considering the recent scandal in the European Union, where horsemeat was discovered in food products labeled as beef. The operation of horse slaughter plants in the U.S. will make it more difficult to prevent the commingling between horsemeat and beef products that occurred in Europe.
Horses are raised as pets and for use in show, sport, work and recreation in the U.S. and are regularly administered drugs that are expressly prohibited by current federal regulations for use in animals intended for human consumption. For example, a common pain reliever routinely administered to all types of horses, Phenylbutazone, is known to cause potentially fatal human diseases, and if the animal has taken the drug, the meat is adulterated and should not be eaten. There is also no system in the U.S. to track medications and veterinary treatments given to horses to ensure that their meat is safe.
Any facility slaughtering thousands of horses will necessarily be processing the blood, organs and remains of animals whose tissues and blood may contain significant amounts of dangerous substances, which are either known to be dangerous, or which have never been tested on humans and therefore present completely unknown dangers. At least six applications for horse slaughter inspections have been filed with the USDA.
Background:
This month, the U.S. House and Senate Appropriations committees voted to block funding for inspections of horse slaughter plants. President Obama’s proposed FY 2014 budget also included a request for Congress to prevent tax dollars from supporting horse slaughter.
According to a national poll conducted last year, 80 percent of Americans disapprove of horse slaughter.
“Kill buyers” gather up horses from random sources and profit by selling healthy horses for slaughter that bring the best price per pound for their meat. USDA reports show that approximately 92 percent of American horses going to slaughter are healthy and would otherwise be able to go on to lead productive lives.
The methods used to kill horses rarely result in quick, painless deaths, as horses often endure repeated blows to render them unconscious and sometimes remain conscious during the slaughtering process. When horse slaughter plants previously operated in the U.S., the USDA documented severe injuries to horses in the slaughter pipeline, including broken bones and eyeballs hanging from a thread of skin.
The Safeguard American Food Exports Act, H.R. 1094 / S. 541, introduced this year by U.S. Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Reps. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., is a bipartisan measure that would outlaw horse slaughter operations in the U.S., end the current export of American horses for slaughter abroad, and protect the public from consuming toxic horsemeat.
“PLEASE NOTE – GRAPHIC IMAGES OF HORSE TRAILER ACCIDENTS – AT THE END OF THIS POST. Do not scroll down the post if you do not want to see them! They are just one of many reasons why these companion animals should not be slaughtered for human consumption; would you think it ok to send your family pet dog to slaughter? Horses were not put on Gods green earth for humans to eat, they are our pets; just as much as cats & dogs are!”
“It is pure greed, FFS we slaughter enough animals to satisfy the human hunger for meat. Nobody is going to starve, horses are not part of a normal persons diet. I am totally sickened & disgusted that this heinous act, the killing of Gods noble most beautiful creatures; is once more going to be in action!! I can only hope & pray that those who want to eat any part of a horse, after all the health scares etc. suffer a miserable & painful existence!! PLEASE sign the petitions”
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A New Mexico meat plant received federal approval on Friday to slaughter horses for meat, a move that drew immediate opposition from animal rights group and will likely be opposed by the White House.
The U.S. Agriculture Department said it was required by law to issue a “grant of inspection” to Valley Meat Co, Roswell, New Mexico, because it had met all federal requirements. Now, the USDA is obliged to assign meat inspectors to the plant.
The USDA also said it may soon issue similar grants for plants in Missouri and Iowa.
NO HORSE SHOULD END UP ON THE END OF A BUTCHERS HOOK!!
Horse meat cannot be sold as food in theUnited States, but it can be exported. Attempts to reach Valley Meat Co via a number listed on-line were unsuccessful.
Valley Meat would be the first meat plant to be allowed to slaughter horses since Congress banned it in 2006.
It is not known when the plant will start production, but two bills in Congress want to ban horse slaughter and President Obama has asked Congress to ban it.
The Humane Society of the United States and Front Range Equine Rescuethreatened on Friday to sue the USDA, saying horses are raised as pets and as working animals. Because they are not intended as food animals, horses are given medications banned from other livestock, the groups said, questioning if the meat would be safe.
The USDA says it can test for residues of 130 pesticide and veterinary drugs. It also has safeguards to keep horse meat out of the food supply.
Congress effectively banned horse slaughter in 2006 by saying the USDA could not spend any money to inspect horse plants. Without USDA inspection, meat plants cannot operate.
The ban was part of the annual USDA funding bill and was renewed a year at a time through 2011. The prohibition expired in October 2011.
Lawmakers could vote on reinstating the ban in coming weeks when the USDA appropriations bills are debated in the House and Senate. But no date has been set to consider the bills and it could be months before work is completed.
The USDA said it was required by law to issue the grant of inspection because Valley Meat met all federal requirements. At one point, the company sued the USDA for an overly long review of its application. Once it issues a grant of inspection, the USDA is obliged to assign meat inspectors to a meat plant.
“Until Congress acts, the department must comply with current law,” said a USDA spokeswoman.
Valley Meat retrofitted its plant for horses after drought weakened its cattle slaughter business.
Horse meat is sold for human consumption in China, Russia, Mexico and other foreign nations and is sometimes used as feed for zoo animals.
But in the United States, horses enjoy a higher stature, more akin to house pets, than to hogs, cattle and chickens.
An estimated 130,000 U.S. horses are shipped annually to slaughter in Canada and Mexico. Groups have quarreled for a decade whether a ban on slaughter will save horses from a cruel death or lead to abandonment by owners of animals they cannot afford to feed or treat for illness.
Early this year, regulators discovered that horse meat was being sold as beef in Ireland. The mislabelled meat was found in meatballs sold by Swedish retailer IKEA in much of Europe and in other outlets.
IF YOU SCROLL FURTHER – GRAPHIC IMAGES ARE BELOW – VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED
USDA conducts tests on domestic and imported products to identify the species that yielded the meat. The tests can distinguish beef, sheep, swine, poultry, deer and horse.
As well, USDA stepped up its species testing in April because of the meat adulteration scandal in Europe.
(Reporting By Charles Abbott; Editing by Bernard Orr)
“WTF…the video is at the bottom of this post. I can’t & refuse to believe that he can get away with shooting a horse dead; just to make his fxxxxxg point!! If ever I saw a cowardly piece of shit…there one stands. Just who the fxxk does he think he is? above the law obviously…talk about a fxxxxxg turd; his shit isn’t good enough to be on my boots!”
“You can bet you bottom dollar, that if that scenario was a guy that worked in a
Tim Sappington Kills Horse
kennel, who took a dog out, shot & filmed it to use for or against something…he would be in jail faster than a horse kicks! The video posted on YouTube, isTim Sappington, who is employed by the Valley Meat Company in Roswell, New Mexico!
“If he thinks he can shoot a horse in cold blood & get away with it, he is very wrong. I’m not the least bit surprised he has had to beef up his security, & is getting hate & death calls…I hope they carry on for long time yet! What he did was just sadistic & very wrong…if I was him I would be keeping a very low profile, because there are a lot of people who take great offence at people who purposefully hurt an animal then video it. That is one cold hearted MF who doesn’t give a crap about horses or any animals!!”
“We’re horrified by the video, and we are glad to hear that there’s an investigation going on,” said Keith Dane, director of equine protection for the Humane Society of the U.S. in Washington. “It appears this was made for publicity’s sake and to taunt animal lovers.”
A video posted on YouTube has sparked outrage among animal activists and left death threats against a Roswell meat company.
In the video, an employee at the Valley Meat Company out of Roswell, NM – which is working with the USDA to get a horse slaughter plant in the area – brings a horse out of its pen, swears at activists and then kills the horse with a single gunshot.
“To all you animal activists, f**k you,” Tim Sappington, a maintenance contractor with Valley Meat Company, said in the video.
He then shoots the horse point blank in the head. The horse falls to the ground and dies.
Sappington has received several death threats for the video. People who operate the plant, who contend they had nothing to do with the video, are also receiving threats.
“You know what people should be slaughtering? You f***ing s***cs, should never have been allowed in this country,” one caller said.
Rick De Los Santos, a part-owner of Valley Meat Company in Roswell, has been slammed with hate calls and death threats since a video hit the Web.
“I didn’t have anything to do with that video, that’s the honest truth, but like I said, people will make assumptions,” De Los Santos said.
De Los Santos said Sappington shot the video on his own time and at his own home. The De Los Santos’ say people have also stolen “no trespassing” signs off their property.
They’ve hired a private security firm and installed new surveillance cameras. The family says they support Sappington’s right to kill and eat horses, but not the video.
“He shot a horse, that’s what he eats, it’s not against the law to slaughter your own horse,” De Los Santos said. “Now, putting it on YouTube, I would not have done that.”
They just wish the calls would stop. “I hope you — die and your whole — family, you —in —hole,” another threat said. “This isn’t the last time you’ll hear from me —head.”
This should be considered a hate crime against all of us who have spoken out against the Roswell NM horse slaughter house. The owner of the slaughter house intends to hire 40-100 people, and Tim is the first employee of Valley Meat Co.
What do you expect from, TIM SAPPINGTON; a narcissist, self righteous, bully coward and animal murderer who makes his living from the suffering of horses?
He does this everyday; it is nothing to this piece of shit. He is as cold as they come. Obviously ARA’s are getting under his skin. Good!! Im am soooo sorry this horse had to be the pawn in the ugly. That horse would have died at his hands anyway, on camera or not.
This subhuman is a psychopath. He has no remorse for what he does. Karma is coming his way…. I feel it. He will pay…. some how, some way…..some day. I hope I am alive to witness it.
To see the edited, (no violence or foul language) visit this link: http://tinyurl.com/cylvdxpBelow you will find a list of phone numbers to call in Chavez County where the slaughter house is planning on opening. Send the link to these people, remember be polite with whom ever you speak to!Chaves County Manager – Stanton L. Riggs, Esq. – Phone: 575-624-6602 – Email: sriggs@co.chaves.nm.us
Janetta B. Hicks, District Attorney – Phone: (575)622-4121 – Email: 5thDA@da.state.nm.usNew Mexico Livestock Board: (575) 623-3031
Food Safety Inspection Service at 202-720-9113.The Office of Governor Susana Martinez – Phone (505) 476-2200 or web contact: http://tinyurl.com/4olx7lv
Contacting the news may generate interest in this story, yesterday Fox News put out a poll on horse slaughter, so they may be very interested in the story:FoxNews Hotline – Phone: 888-369-4762 – Email: foxnewstips@foxnews.com.Please make a brief, polite phone call to your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators to urge co-sponsorship of H.R. 1094 S. 541, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act that ends the cruel slaughter of America’s horses as well as their export for slaughter abroad.
You can say something like: “I would like you to please co-sponsor and support H.R. 1094/S. 541, the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act to protect our nation’s horses and keep the food supply safe for consumers.”
The slaughter of horses for meat is not only unnecessary but it is also harmful in many ways. Sign the petition: http://tinyurl.com/bcp7unr
I was hoping to find more petitions but as yet none, I would do one if I had the time to sit at PC, do my usual work & write a petition…hopefully won’t be long before there are some then people can tell the world how disgusted they are with this pig of an inhumane dick!
“Why the hell do we need to keep talking about killing horses for food…for Christ’s sake!! We already kill more than enough cow’s, pigs, sheep & poultry, all classed as livestock. These days the demand for high-end meat products, at good retail prices, mean livestock are modified, to produce the maximum end product! With the introduction of specific genes to the male species, breeding via artificial insemination & intense farming methods, which often use genetics & growth hormone drugs, to give the best profitable products; I think the USDA & the Health & Safety dudes have plenty to occupy themselves!!!
Especially since the recent scare of horse meat contaminating meat supposed to be fit for human consumption…when it clearly isn’t& probably hasn’t been for a while! 99% of horses have drugs, wormer’s, fly repellents etc. administered within their bodies even at young ages; meaning their meat is totally unfit for human consumption!
Horses are not intensely farmed, they do not take growth hormones to make them fatter in the rump to make better steaks…because first & foremost, THEY ARE NOT LIVESTOCK ! Horses are & always will be considered companion animals. Horses are pets, as much a part of the family as cats & dogs; therefore they should be classed as such; PETS! I for one would no more see my horse as edible, than any of my dogs; could you eat your dog??
If there is an abundance of horses that can not be cared for, then kind euthanasia is the answer; providing a gentle, painless death, in order to prevent suffering. Horse slaughter is a death fraught with terror, pain, & suffering, which often starts before they are even loaded onto a trailer; many hours or days before they get to the slaughter plant!!
“There is a template at the end of this news post, kindly written by Julie Jo (Facebook) along with an email address. Could everyone please copy & paste the letter & send it to the address below: please don’t let them kill our pets, horses belong in a stable…not the bloody table.”
The U.S. will be legally obligated to inspect horse-slaughtering plants if Congress doesn’t act to reinstate a ban on the killing of the animals, which would only be used in meat for export, the Department of Agriculture said.
Congress last year lifted the ban established in 2006 that prevented horse slaughter in the U.S., Michelle Saghafi, a USDA spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement today. While no plants are currently authorized to slaughter horses, “several companies” have asked that theUSDA Food Safety and Inspection Servicere-establish inspections, the agency said.
“These companies must still complete necessary technical requirements and FSIS must still complete its inspector training, but at that point, the department will legally have no choice but to go forward with inspections, which is why we urge Congress to reinstate the ban,” according to the USDA statement, which did not give a time frame on when inspections would occur.
The first horse-slaughtering plant may be approved in the next two months, according to A. Blair Dunn, a lawyer for Valley Meat Co., owner of a plant in Roswell,New Mexico. The New YorkTimes reported the possible approval earlier today.
Lawsuit Filed
Valley Meat filed a lawsuit against the USDA and FSIS in October and alleged that the USDA was violating the Federal Meat Inspection Actby failing to offer inspection for horse meat,Dunn, who is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said in a telephone interview. The law states that the USDA must appoint inspectors to examine “all amenable species,” which include horses, before slaughter, Dunn said.
This week, theJustice Departmentasked for another 60 days to respond to the lawsuit, Dunn said. The request was made so “USDA can make sure all the components are in compliance in order to issue a grant of inspection,” according to Dunn. The USDA has notified Valley Meat that the company has completed all of its requirements to move forward, Dunn said.
Once approved, Valley Meat will sell the horse meat for export, Dunn said. They’d be open to selling domestically if there is a market, he said.
FSIS doesn’t allow imports of horse meat from other countries to the U.S. for human consumption, Cathy Cochran, a spokeswoman for USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, said in an e-mailed statement. Also, none of the countries or companies in the European Union that have recently recalled beef because of non-disclosed horse meat ship beef to the U.S., she said.
European Withdrawals
In Europe, retailers withdrew products such as frozen beef burgers, lasagne and meat balls from the shelves after the discovery of horse meat in products in several countries, after the initial case in Ireland in mid-January. The European Union has ordered immediate testing across the region for equine DNA in beef products and the veterinary drug phenylbutazone in horse meat.
“The meat and poultry inspection process in the U.S. puts FSIS inspectors carrying out our mandatory inspection requirements in U.S. plants every day they operate and at ports of entry inspecting products that come into our country,” Cochran said in the statement.
The agency also conducts “port-of-entry re-inspections for imported products, and that offers evidence on how other country’s inspection systems are working, she said. In addition, there are yearly reviews of countries that export to the U.S. to make sure they are “at least equivalent” to the U.S. process, she said. FSIS also conducts on-site regulatory system audits at least once every three years in nations that ship to the U.S.
“Many Thanks to Julie Jo for creating this template letter, in objection to the opening of a horse slaughter plant in Roswell, New Mexico.”.
“Please copy & paste the letter into an email & send to:- AgSec@usda.gov
To Whom It May Concern:
I have learned that you are likely to approve a horse slaughtering plant in Roswell, New Mexico in the next two months and I do not set well with this. New Mexico has served for years as a gruesome funnel for horses going to slaughter in Mexico. A horse slaughter facility in Roswell, New Mexico, will only increase the traffic of horses coming into our state for slaughter.
In the midst of drought and economic difficulty, New Mexicans have rallied around humane solutions for horses, including an emergency feed assistance program, subsidized gelding program, and a humane euthanasia program. I understand 120,000 U.S. horses/year are sent to slaughter — actually a number that we can do something about. With less breeding and more support for a basic infrastructure to support horses, America‘s horses will be provided with some basic compassion and decency, which they deserve.
I understand that the applicant for the Roswell license had previous USDA violations when they were operating as a cattle slaughterhouse. Documented evidence of egregious violations and a lack of enforcement by the USDA in U.S. slaughterhouses led to the de-funding of USDA inspections in 2007, but in the absence of a federal ban on horse slaughter, America’s wild and domestic horses continue to be shipped across federal borders where they are slaughtered just as inhumanely to this very day. If horse slaughter plants are reopened in the U.S., horses will undoubtedly suffer torturous agony on U.S. soil again.
This is evidenced by cruelty violations and lack of enforcement of the and lack of enforcement of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act that have been documented in GAO reports. U.S. undercover surveillance footage shows horses being whipped, beaten and electrically prodded and repeatedly bludgeoned, resulting in fully conscious horses being dragged, hung, bled out and dismembered alive. Established research indicates that there is no data to support the inflated number of horses reported as abandoned in the U.S. Countless unsubstantiated reports and articles are circulated by proponents which create the misconception that abandonment is out of control. It’s a crime to abandon, neglect or abuse a horse, and history clearly shows that crime rates increase during times of economic downturn.
The substantiated data shows there is an increase in horses in need that is tied to the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Investigations have revealed some of the horses found abandoned were rejected for slaughter and were simply dumped by kill buyers. This would not have happened if slaughter was illegal. The “unmanageable surplus horses” is an artificial crisis created by the proponents to justify slaughter as “a necessary evil”, but slaughter is not driven by a surplus of horses; rather it is driven by a foreign market for horse meat.
On average, less than 1% of the 9 million horses that exist in the U.S. are “surplus or unwanted”. This tiny fraction of the horse population can easily be managed and reabsorbed back into the equine community just as it has in the past. The “surplus” of horses created by the industry can simply be kept longer, sold or traded, retrained in new disciplines, donated to retirement and rescue facilities, humanely euthanized or they can provide a public service such as equine therapy.
When the market for horsemeat dropped, and the number of horses sent to slaughter went from over 300,000 in the 1990’s to less than 50,000 in 2003, the industry was forced to take responsibility for the surplus of horses. The country was not overrun with “unwanted” horses; rather they were reabsorbed back into the equine community.
Horse owners that are unable to provide continuing care for their horses can have them humanely euthanized for the cost equal to one month’s care. Humane euthanasia clinics are often times available to horse owners that cannot afford to have a qualified veterinarian administer the lethal injection.
Slaughter creates a salvage or secondary market that enables and encourages over breeding and contributes to any excess horses in the market. U.S. horses, whether used for competition, recreation or work are treated with many substances known to be toxic to humans; substances that can be lethal when ingested by humans, and many of which have been banned from the human food chain in most countries. Horse slaughter is NOT desirable economic development. As evidenced from the past 30 years of operation in the U.S., these communities have been devastated by slaughter’s negative economic and environmental impacts. The government paid out over five million dollars in tax payer money a year to subsidize three foreign-owned horse slaughter plants in the U.S.
Horses have an established total impact on the US Gross Domestic Product of $112.1 BILLION and if “surplus’ horses are not sent to slaughter their absorption back into the equine community can instead provide a boost to the economy. Millions of dollars in losses are attributed to horse slaughter by those that have come forward from within the slaughter industry.
The majority of equine industry and community members OPPOSE horse slaughter.
Horse slaughter benefits a relatively small number of powerful stakeholders within the U.S. equine industry that stand to profit from the exploitation of irresponsible excess breeding practices.
You will see in the video below exactly what happens to these slaughter horses:-
Viewer Discretion Is Advised
I trust that upon examination of the above facts you will find it in the best interest of the USDA and the state of New Mexico to not approve of this.
Yours faithfully
Your Name & Country
Please – take the time to read the following facts about horse slaughter, don’t be fooled into thinking horses will die of starvation; if horse slaughter plants don’t re-open!! Satisfy your own knowledge, please, read the facts below from the HSUS:-
“Please note, I have just copied this from my email, as a horse owner myself; I don’t want this to happen. So please read the information below then sign the signature where it says “please click here to spread the word” then copy & send to all your friends.”
“We don’t amalgamate with cows, pigs or sheep nor do we ride any, they are livestock! I hate the fact that they are killed too being a vegetarian (nearly vegan) Horses are pet’s, therefore should be classed as such & given the same rights. They make a big impact in the lives of those who love them.”
URGENT NEW INFORMATION ON THE OKLAHOMA HORSE SLAUGHTER ISSUE
To all our Shambala Supporters!!!!!
Last week, the Legislature of the State of Oklahoma voted to lift its ban on slaughtering horses for shipment to Europe and elsewhere. It awaits Governor Mary Fallin‘s signature to become law.
With the horsemeat scandal in 13 European countries raging (and growing), this seems like the ultimate example of bad timing. Yet, the Oklahoma legislature claims that the slaughter of wild mustangs and horses is necessary — “humane euthanasia,” they call it — but you can bet it is solely a money-motivated scheme. The truth is that those who lobbied for this law include people who own mineral rights on land with gas, oil, and in some cases, uranium. They want to see their land clear of these beautiful animals so that government regulations do not interfere in their questionable practices. No horses = no federal investigators.
These “concerned” landowners trot out images of feeble, sickly horses with their rib cages poking through their hides to make you think these pathetic “poster children” are better off slaughtered so that they can feed people in Europe and Asia. But think about it. If you were one of those “gourmands” hungry for horsemeat, would seeing such old, bony horses have you sharpening your steak knife? Of course not. Young, healthy horses are what they want.
For the past two years, Vickery Eckhoff, a writer for Forbes Magazine has been doing an excellent series of exposés on the fraudulent practices of those greedy landowners and lobbyists. She documented that 90 percent of the horses going to slaughter are “healthy and sound.” This includes thoroughbreds, even some winners of several venerable horse races, that have outgrown their usefulness. She also cited a study showing that under four percent of the horses sold for slaughter were older than age 10.
Since horse slaughterhouses in the U.S. were banned until last year, U.S. horses traveled 24 hours or more, without food, water or rest, in livestock trucks designed for cattle, to Mexican or Canadian slaughter plants, using slaughter methods also designed for cattle. Horses cannot stand up straight in these conditions. It is pure torture. Now plans are underway to start slaughtering these magnificent creatures in the State of Oklahoma.
The Roar Foundation/The Shambala Preserve, the American Humane Society, the ASPCA, the Doris Day Animal League, Saving Americas Horses, Wild For Life Foundation and virtually every other animal rescue and relief organization stand in solidarity against this needless torture and slaughter.
Governor Fallin’s office is taking count of calls received pro or con on the horse slaughter issue. It just takes 1 minute to call and tell the receptionist that you’re calling to voice your opposition to the repeal of the horse slaughter ban, that horse slaughter is inhumane and unnecessary. Governor Mary Fallin’s office number is 405-521-2342 during normal business hours. Or call and leave a message on the Governor’s voice mail at 405-522-8857. If the voicemails are full, keep calling. You can also email the Governor by visiting her website.
This is about as sad and heinous a situation I’ve come across. Please be a part of the growing outrage against the slaughter of horses to be sold for human consumption by making these urgent, life and cruelty saving calls and e-mails to Governor Mary Fallin. (Numbers above)
With love and undying concern for the animals to whom we are responsible.
SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE (CBSMiami) – Animal activists have made a disturbing discovery; the slaughter of two horses whose remains were found dumped in Southwest Miami-Dade, months apart.
Thursday night, investigators from the Animal Recovery Mission found more than 150-pieces of a horse in the area of SW 81st Terrace and 123rd Avenue after being called by a neighbor.
Friday morning, while they were investigating the scene of the slaughtered horse, an employee with the Animal Recovery Mission found the remains of a second horse in the same area that was dumped there several months ago. All that was left were the bones.
However, there were serious signs of abuse on the first horse found Thursday night.
“This horse was beaten, stabbed to death, butchered alive, it really suffered,” said Richard Couto from the Animal Recovery Mission.
Couto said the remains of the second horse had been there awhile.
“Some person is using this as a dump site for butchered horses,” said Couto. “It was dumped here a while ago and covered in concrete and construction debris, enough to conceal it for the past three or four months.”
Couto said the selling of illegalhorse meat is a multi-million dollar industry especially in Florida.
“People are eating this for medical purposes thinking it cures cancers, helps the side effects of chemotherapy, helps with blood disorders and males are eating this thinking that it helps with the libido. Unbelievably, it actually is the reverse,” said Couto.
“The drugs administered to these animals toxifies the meat so whoever ate this horse, this horse meat, isn’t probably feeling too good right now.” ” 🙂 good, I hope they have the worst shit’s ever & it makes him ill for rest of his/her life… serves them right…my horses has wormers several times a year, plus booster injections that all horses are supposed to have! On top of that, Bute & injections for any pain or antibiotic etc. for any bodily injury. But on English passports, one for each horse, there is a section you can tick if you don’t want them to end up as food for some rich lazy fat git in Europe!
Couto said they don’t know where the horse came from or if it was stolen but he said he believes it was a cared for pet because it had brand new horse shoes and was under the age two. Each time he finds a slaughtered horse, it’s a tough sight.
“It’s awful every time you come to one of these scenes especially when you see signs of serious abuse. When you don’t see a bullet hole in the head of an animal in the head of a horse you know how much he suffered,” explained Couto.
Police are investigating and no arrests have been made.“That’s because they are so bloody sneaky, they have looks out, for when they’re dumping a body or cutting one up…they are rarely caught in the act. Although I have seen Richard in some bizarre disguises…trying to get undercover video to aid arrests
“Having supported ‘ARM’ due to my love of horses; I wanted to show you a video from last year…this is still happening RIGHT NOW…news videos will only show the aftermath, which is bad enough; but I wanted you to see the horses before slaughter (if you can watch the video)!!”
“If I could get my hands on the bastard responsible, well lets just say they would be walking with glass shoved down each finger nail, & forced to walk on their them…because that’s how the poor mare in the video must have felt…poor girl. I also know if Richard could, he would have put the mare out of her misery asap…but he had to abide by the law…not like the MF’s that left these horses hanging around…just waiting for the right moment, when nobody’s around…so they can be slaughtered!!. Jail is too good for these evil abominations!”
“This hurts me more, than seeing a horse that has already died, which is upsetting enough! But being a horse owner for over 40 years, watching them suffer, knowing the serious amount of pain they are in, is just the most horrifying, gut wrenchingly hardest thing for me to watch…so yes my tears are flowing as I write this; even though I have seen it before…it always makes me cry for them & want to go cuddle my horses.”
“I’m also showing it, hoping it will raise awareness to what’s happening right now! If you live in the area & come across a scene similar to what’s in the video…you know to contact police; people don’t just dump their horses, if they can sell them on the black market, for meat & there are plenty of ex race horses & other thoroughbreds, due to over breeding!”
“This barbaric practice will only stop when people keep reporting these hideouts to ARM or the police.”
“PLEASE, PLEASE USE VIEWER DISCRETION”
(I’ve probably made it sound worse than it is I don’t want people having a go at me!! )
“THERE IS NO BLOOD or GUTS…WHICH OBVIOUSLY UPSET PEOPLE…THIS VIDEO SHOW’S HOW THE HORSES SUFFER, WELL BEFORE THEY ARE EVEN TOUCHED WITH A KNIFE!”!
Governor Christie signed A.2023/S.1976 on Friday making it illegal to slaughterhorses for humanconsumption in New Jersey. The law also prohibits the sale of horse meat for human consumption, bans the transport of live horses for the purpose of slaughter, and bans the transport of horse meat for human consumption.
Governor Christie signed a New Jersey law that now prohibits the slaughter of horses and the sale and transport of horses and horse meat for human consumption. Credits: Photo by Liz Lamont
“This bipartisan measure is a nod to our decency and respect for horses in our state, ensuring that no horse is slaughtered in New Jersey for human consumption. It also ensures that our highways will not be used to transport horses to slaughter in other states which have not enacted a similar ban on the practice.”
The bill was introduced by Assemblyman Ronald Dancer(R) of Ocean, Burlington, Middlesex and Mercer Counties and Senator Raymond Lesniak (D) of Union County.
“New Jersey does not eat horse meat and our horses will not be taken from stable to a table.”
More than 80 percent of Americans are against the slaughter of horses for human consumption, and even though there are no horse slaughter plants in the United States, over 100,000 American horses are still exported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.
The law now imposes a fine of $100 and imprisonment of 30 days for anyone convicted of slaughtering or selling horse meat for human consumption. Civil fines ranging from $500 to $1000 will be applicable for each slaughtered horse.
“Now more than ever, it is critical that we do all we can to get Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. If passed, this legislation would achieve two things: It would prohibit the export of our horses to other countries for slaughter, and it would completely ban horse slaughter for human consumption in the United States. While there is currently no commercial horse slaughter occurring in the U.S., proponents are working to resume it. Unless citizens object, horses may soon be commercially slaughtered in our communities for human consumption overseas. A slaughter facility in New Mexico has already applied for government approval to slaughter horses.“
Animal protection organizations and humane supporters continue to support the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act of 2011 – HR2966/S1176 which will prohibit the transport and sale of all horses in the United States.
For more information how you can help, please click here.
“If this is the case then they should put a ban on all race horse breeding NOW or else many more will be slaughtered because of pure greed…everybody wants that one special colt that will grow into a real money maker! They breed & breed looking for this special one, the ones that don’t make the grade like Stardust Dancer (in picture) will simply go to slaughter…they won’t spend money on a horse, even if it’s just for food…if it’s not going to bring that money back! They don’t talk about these horses as sentient beings, they talk about them as if their inanimate objects! “
Toronto – The horseracing industry in Ontario, Canada is struggling and some believe it will face a complete shut down next year. If that happens, a government panel believes as many as 13,000 horses would be killed.
Oroville, California – Stardust Dancer pictured here, was owned by Gary Barber, CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer before being sent to slaughter auction at the age three for failing to win enough races.
The Toronto Star reports that it’s expected that at least two-thirds of theracing tracks are going to face a shut down and for those that remain open, they will have fewer race days and smaller purses. That all adds up to owners and breeders trying to justify maintaining expensive animalswith little chance of getting back their investment.
Thoroughbred owner Ian Howard says, “The question is, if (a horse’s) value is zero, how do you justify feeding them when you have no way to make a living anymore because the tracks you need to be in existence are gone?”“That’s when it gets ugly.”
Things got bad for the industry in the spring when the provincial government decided to cancel the agreement it had, to share money from the slots programwith racetracks and the money ($345 million in 2011-2012) would be used for provincial health care and educationinstead.
Then The Star says a Horse RacingIndustry Transitional Panel reportlast month estimated that about half the horses now racing, between 7500 and 13,000 animals, would be euthanized as a result, and there was little help offered in terms of moral or financial support. A finance report last week suggested that Ontario’s 17 racetracks will need to be consolidated to just 7 or 8 tracks for the industry to remain viable.
Glenn Sikura, president of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society’s Ontario division says, “It’s a sad reality.” “We’ve been so cautious not to talk about (mass euthanasia) in the industry because first of all, we’re all animal lovers and god forbid anything like that would happen.” The report estimates that between 20,000-30,000 people working full-time in the industry would also lose their jobs.
All eyes will be on the annual thoroughbred yearling auction at Toronto’sWoodbine Racetrack this week. How many horses sell and for what prices will signal how much confidence is left in the shaky.
Sikura says the sale makes up about three-quarters of the annual income for breeders and if prices fall below the $25,000 average from last year’s sale, it will spell disaster for some owners and put them out of business immediately. He adds, “If a $20,000 horsebecomes a $10,000 horse, then the horse that used to bring $10,000 is now a giveaway,” estimating it costs about $30,000 a year to care for a horsethat races regularly.
Some are now rallying to try to win public support to keep the industry alive, with an online petition hoping to collect 50,000 signatures. But since it started in February less than 10,000 names have been added. There’s also a website and a Facebook page that has collected fewer than 500 members.
“Take a look at the following video, this was obviously before the government decided to stop money from the slots program! It’s all gone tits up now, & the horses will pay with their lives”
The Ontario Horse Racing Industry is part of a highly competitive global market. The industry contributes 60,000 jobs, $1.1 billion to the provincial government and $2 billion in recurring expenditures – all of which would be lost if the Slots at Racetracks Programs is cancelled in Ontario.
DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
You can find out more about me & this blog by reading "ABOUT THIS BLOG" on the menu (when i finish it) lol
PLEASE NOTE.....
Not all of my posts will be current news, or even about animal abuse! I do like to share other animal news, uplifting stories or videos; some that are funny or just touch the heart!
If I have anything to say on any post, you will see it in bold blue writing. I try to remain a lady, but it's hard to contain my anger & emotions at the some of the stories I post; I don’t have a heart of stone, tears stain many articles I write!
Lastly, my apologies for any errors; I am learning whilst posting, so if you find anything that doesn't work or a broken link, sorry, I'm only human!!!!
ABOUT THESE POSTS
I would just like to make readers aware, that I search for stories on the internet; regards animal abuse etc. I copy stories etc. from the internet; assuming these stories are correct at time of publishing. Having said that, sometimes the press get it wrong! So I just want to add that at the time of me posting a news story, I presume all the facts seem present & correct.
Please note....all people mentioned in this blog, are presumed innocent, until proven otherwise, in a court of law.
Error: Please make sure the Twitter account is public.
Flag Counter Added May 2012
Face Book – Please Take Notice
For anyone wishing to connect to me via my Facebook page...PLEASE NOTE, ONLY PEOPLE I ADD AS ANIMAL ADVOCATES CAN SEE MY WHOLE PAGE...I do this out of respect for those friends I have who do not wish to see graphic images, videos or links of animal abuse!
As 99% of my page is animal related; anyone not in the above group of friends; will only see a limited amount of posts!!
DUE TO ANIMAL HATERS...I WILL ONLY ADD PEOPLE WHO CAN PROVE WHO THEY ARE via Facebook, Wordpress, Twitter etc. & WHO HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN ANIMAL WELFARE... i.e. if your Facebook page has absolutely nothing to do with animals, I see no point in joining my page. My Facebook is solely for animal welfare, I am not interested in playing games etc. I don't mean to sound rude but I am not interested in the amount of friends I have, its the quality of those friends that count.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND REQUESTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN. I do not want anyone to be upset by graphic images etc.
My aim is to educate & raise awareness to the horrors animals face, at the hands of humans, every day, around the world!!
We can not hope to achieve better laws, to protect animals, unless we unite as one, to speak up for those who are voiceless!!
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DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
STOP ANIMAL ABUSE 
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