News From the Front
January, 2010
Click Here to take an important survey to help evaluate the current state of the horse industry. Results will be forwarded to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) which is in the process of preparing a report for Congress. This is a crucial time for our industry and our horses. PLEASE take a few minutes to express your opinions! Your voice matters; your survey counts! Help us win the public policy battle that lies ahead in 2010.
August, 2009
The United Organizations of the Horse is currently drafting the HORSE Act of 2009, to be introduced in Congress this fall.
Click Here for detailed information about the bill.
July, 2009
Results of a national survey of the unwanted horse issue are released by the Unwanted Horse Coalition. Click here to read the report.
Representatives of the United Horsemen's Front travel to Washington, D.C. this month to help educate lawmakers on Capitol Hill about the issue of unwanted horses.
June, 2009
The United Horsemen's Front has joined with the United Organizations of the Horse (UOH), an alliance of equine groups and individuals dedicated to the humane treatment of horses from birth to death.
Click Here to visit the UOH web site.
February, 2009
North Dakota bill calls for horse slaughter feasibility study--legislators say the bill is aimed at finding a solution for the increasing unwanted horse problem in their state and across the country. Read the full article here.
January, 2009
ANIMAL ACTIVISTS USE GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS INAPPROPRIATELY IN HORSE SLAUGHTER DEBATE
The United Horsemen's Front has learned the truth about a 906-page report detailing horrific injuries to slaughter-bound horses, obtained by an animal rights activist under the Freedom of Information Act, and widely promoted as irrefutable proof of horse abuse at U.S. processing plants. Although the incidents did occur as described, animal rights groups have presented this report out of context, exploiting the shock value of the photographs to mislead the public that appalling treatment of horses was standard practice at processing plants, and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture was not providing regulatory oversight.
The disturbing images were actually collected as evidence in a nearly six-year-old U.S. Department of Agriculture ongoing regulatory operation to catch unscrupulous killer buyers. Some of the investigations are still active, and USDA officials say they have won every case to date, putting dishonest horse shippers out of business and bringing the number of humane violations to nearly zero in the two years leading up to the closure of the last U.S. horse processing facility in December, 2007.
"These pictures were graphic. They were intended to be," said Tim Cordes, USDA Senior Staff Veterinarian and National Coordinator for Equine Programs. Part of his job is to ensure that horses, if they must be transported to slaughter, are treated in a safe and humane fashion. "Those were all photographs that were taken to prosecute those that were violating the slaughter horse transport regulations. They were taken explicitly to graphically demonstrate to the administrative judges that these people needed to be prosecuted," he explained.
Joey Astling, Compliance Specialist for the USDA/APHIS Horse Transportation Program, photographed the injured and dead horses as they arrived at the Beltex plants in Texas. He said the images were taken as early as 2003, and confirmed that the horses' deplorable condition was due to injury or neglect suffered before or during the journey to Beltex, not at the processing facility itself.
"Once those animals are loaded on a conveyance moving toward slaughter, it is that person; that owner at that time's responsibility, whether the injury is pre-existing or happens during transport," Astling said.
Court documents included in the 906 pages of FOIA-requested material describe the civil charges and fines levied by USDA against several owner/shippers of slaughter-bound horses. They range from improperly-completed paperwork to failing to seek veterinary care for horses suffering a range of distress including non-weight bearing lameness, blindness in both eyes, and inability to stand or walk unassisted. The USDA's rules prohibit transporting a horse for processing that is under six months of age; heavily in foal; blind in both eyes; unable to walk unassisted; or unable to bear weight on all four legs.
Each violation is punishable by a $5,000.00 fine.
"We want to prosecute to the full extent of the law, and the only way we're able to do that is to submit really good, solid, hard evidence, and sometimes, unfortunately, that includes some pretty graphic pictures," Cordes insisted.
By the time the horse processing plants closed at the end of 2007, the USDA had eliminated nearly all inhumane treatment of slaughter-bound horses.
Although there are no American slaughter plants currently in operation, horses shipped to Canada or Mexico for processing are still guarded by USDA humane transport regulations until they leave the United States.
"Once they cross the border, they are no longer American horses. We've lost whatever hold, whatever authority we had on them-and it's a helpless feeling. When those trucks were backing into our plants, we had animal health technicians and veterinary medical officers assigned to those plants to receive those horses, and they all did a good job," Cordes said. "We've lost that regulatory authority that we were doing so well with and getting better every day with."
This is the first of a series of news releases from the United Horsemen's Front on this topic. Watch these pages for more updates in the near future!
January 22, 2009
A federal ban on horse processing has been revived by animal rights groups; this time, it bears the name H.R. 503, introduced in the House Judiciary Committee by Reps. Conyers and Burton. This is basically a replica of last session's H.R. 6598. Vigorously debated and passed by the House Judiciary Committee, H.R. 6598 received no further action and withered away as the legislative clock wound down.
The new bill, H.R. 503, has the same goal: to outlaw the interstate and international transport of horses for human consumption. We will continue to bring you updates and ask you to help us oppose this bill. For now, please take a moment and vote using the poll link below. A NO vote means you support the United Horsemen's Front and are AGAINST a ban on horse processing.
Vote Here!
January 9, 2009
With a new Congress in session on Capitol Hill, the United Horsemen's Front is gearing up for renewed debate over the important horse welfare and horse industry issues left unfinished by the last Congress. We have new evidence that public opinion is in favor of reasonable solutions: read the December 15th entry below for more information about the Horse Policy Resolution, passed unanimously by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
We expect the resolution to receive an official bill number today, January 9, and as soon as we find out what that number is, we'll update these pages so you can refer to it when contacting your lawmakers to voice support for this important issue. Visit the Action page for details on how to find and communicate with your Senators and Representatives.
In the meantime, we are forced to ask once again for your support in a different way. The UHF is running dangerously low on funds to continue our public education efforts. No donation is too small, and if you're able, please send your support to United Horsemen's Front, P.O. Box 454, Hermiston, OR 97838. The United Horsemen's Front has a pending application for 501c3 non profit status, and your gift can be marked as tax deductible. Thank you!
December 15, 2008
In a significant victory for horses and the horse industry, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) overwhelmingly passed a resolution urging Congress to recognize the need for humane horse processing facilities in the United States, and to oppose any federal legislation that would restrict those facilities or related sale and transport of horses. The vote, spearheaded by Rep. Sue Wallis of Wyoming and Rep. Dave Sigestead of South Dakota, took place at the annual NCLS forum December 11-13 in Atlanta, GA. The NCLS is a bi-partisan organization that represents legislators and legislative staff from all 50 states, and is a respected voice for state government before Congress and federal agencies. Read the NCSL News Release Here and the NCSL Horse Industry Policy Resolution Here. Reps. Wallis and Sigestead extended particular appreciation to Dr. Patricia Evans of Utah State University for her work on the unintended consequences of the ban on horse processing; former U.S. Senator Conrad Burns; and Ashton Graham, a graduate student from New Mexico State University, who presented a paper entitled "Wild Horses and Federal Tax Dollars."
The Humane Society of the United States is under attack by the Center for Consumer Freedom, which operates a number of watchdog web sites exposing the policies and actions of HSUS, PETA and other activist groups. In a recent full-page ad in the New York Times, the HSUS was criticized for its connection to the radical animal rights movement. Click here to see the ad. More information about the HSUS agenda can be found at the Humane Watch web site.
November 27, 2008
Click Here to take part in a survey about unwanted horses. This poll, designed for the Unwanted Horse Coalition by an independent consulting firm, takes approximately ten minutes to complete and seeks to gather facts about unwanted horses. Although the problem is intensifying, relatively little is known about unwanted horse numbers, age, sex, breed, recent use, value or what happens to them in the long run.
The Unwanted Horse Coalition is a broad-based alliance of equine organizations, formed under the American Horse Council. It is working toward eliminating the unwanted horse problem through education. This group neither advocates nor opposes horse slaughter. Learn more about the UHC at www.UnwantedHorseCoalition.org.
October 9, 2008
Click Here and scroll to the bottom of the page to read new reports of abandoned horses. The closure of slaughter plants is frequently mentioned in connection with these cases.
Click Here for insight from a long-time cutting horse industry observer about why H.R. 6598 was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee.
October 8, 2008
H.R. 6598 Update
The Good News: This bill died. It failed to reach the full House of Representatives before Congress adjourned its session this fall. The Humane Society of the United States calls this development a "heartbreaking setback." The bill would have made it a federal crime to transport, buy, sell or own a horse, living or dead, which was intended for human consumption.
The Bad News: Congress re-convenes in January, 2009, and the animal rights groups who originally backed the bill have vowed to revive the issue.
What It Means: Your response to the United Horsemen's Front Action Alerts made a big impression in Washington. However, your elected leaders still need to hear from the horse industry. Please continue to call, write, email and fax your senators and representatives. Explain why you, as a horseman or -woman and a voter, oppose the ban on horse slaughter.
Here is some sample text:
Dear (Senator/Representative name here):
As your constituent and a horseman (-woman), I urge you to vote NO on any legislation that would ban horse slaughter. There are more than 100,000 unwanted horses in the U.S. each year. Since the closure of the last processing plant, these horses have been abandoned in greater numbers. A federally regulated slaughter plant is a far more humane option than death by neglect and starvation. In addition, the slaughter ban has profoundly damaged the livelihood of hard-working families in the horse industry, by eliminating the base price for horses and drastically reducing sales. I am devoted to horses, but until there is a more realistic solution to the unwanted horse problem, please oppose any bill that would ban horse processing plants in our country.
Sincerely,
(your name and contact information)
Find your elected leaders and their contact information here: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress