Dear State Legislator:
You will soon be asked to vote on ... legislation regarding the commercial slaughter of American horses of which you probably have very little firsthand knowledge. No doubt you have heard from lobbyists and organizations who want you to support the practice, but before you do, you should ask yourself why the residents of Texas and Illinois worked so hard to rid their states of their horse slaughter plants. The answer may surprise you.
As a mayor who lived with this plague in her town for many years, who knows what the horse slaughter industry really is and what it does to a community please allow me to tell you what we experienced. The industry caused significant and long term hardship to my community which was home to Dallas Crown, one of the last three horse slaughter plants in the United States.
All three plants were foreign-owned, and since the market for horsemeat is entirely foreign, the industry will always be dominated by these foreign interests. The corporations involved in this industry have consistently proven themselves to be the worst possible corporate citizens.
The Dallas Crown horse slaughtering facility had been in operation in Kaufman since the late 70's and from the beginning had caused problems both economically and environmentally. I have listed some of the specific issues below.
I will gladly provide you with detailed reports from my former City Manager, Police Chief, and Public Works Director regarding odor and wastewater effluence violations at the Dallas Crown horse slaughter plant in the City of Kaufman.. The reports reference "decaying meat [which] provides a foul odor and is an attraction for vermin and carrion," containers conveyed "uncovered and leaking liquids," there are "significant foul odors during the daily monitoring of the area," and "Dallas Crown continually neglects to perform within the standards required of them."
Therefore, in August of 2005, our City Council decided by unanimous decision to send the Dallas Crown issue to the Board of Adjustments for termination of their non-conforming use status. In March of 2006, the Board of Adjustments voted to order Dallas Crown closed, but the plant was able to tie the enforcement up in the courts until they were finally closed under state law in February of 2007.
Dallas Crown repeatedly described itself as a "good corporate citizen." I will be straightforward in asserting that they are the very antithesis of such.
Dallas Crown had a very long history of violations to their industrial waste permit, ‘loading' the capacity of the wastewater treatment plant.
Dallas Crown denied the City access to their property for wastewater testing beginning October 1, 2004 until July 6, 2005 , despite requirement by city ordinance, city permit agreement, and court order.
City staff reported that a $6 million upgrade to our wastewater treatment plant would be required even though the plant was planned and financed to last through 2015.
Odor problems resulting from the outside storage of offal and hides over several days persisted not only in traditionally African-American neighborhood known as "Boggy Bottom", but at the nearby Presbyterian Hospital , the daycare center, and surrounding areas.
Transport of offal and fresh hides on City and state thoroughfares is conducted in leaking containers without covers.
City documents reveal an extended history of efforts to have Dallas Crown address various environmental issues. Reports include descriptive language including such as "blood flowing east and west in the ditches from your plant," "It has been over 45 days [it had been 59 days] and no apparent cleanup has occurred," "Your system has not improved and subsequently it has gotten a lot worse," "Words cannot express the seriousness" of recent violations and the "adverse effects on the wastewater treatment plant," and "Please be sure trailers are secured before leaving your premises to prevent spills," noting also "bones and blood laying in front of the facility," problems with bones and parts in neighboring yards and the attraction of "dogs and other animals."
In response to 29 citations for wastewater violations, each accompanied by a potential fine of $2,000, Dallas Crown requested 29 separate jury trials, potentially causing yet another economic strain to the City's budget. We could, of course, not afford to litigate in order to extract the fines
Dallas Crown took 11 months to submit a mandatory "sludge control plan" to assist efficient operation of the wastewater treatment plant though City staff requested it orally and in writing many times.
The City Manager advised me that the City would have to spend $70,000 in legal fees because of Dallas Crown problems, which was the entire legal budget for the fiscal year.
During this period, Dallas Crown paid property taxes that were less than half of what the City spent on legal fees directly related to Dallas Crown violations.
Generally, Dallas Crown has the economic ability to prevail, to exceed the constraints of the City's budget.
Dallas Crown had a negative effect on the development of surrounding properties, and a horse slaughter plant is a stigma to the development of our city generally. I have since learned that these problems were mirrored at the other two plants. Fort Worth's Beltex horse slaughter plant also violated Ft. Worth's wastewater regulations several times, clogged sewer lines, and both spilled and pumped blood into a nearby creek (San Antonio Current, June 19, 2003 ). Texas State Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, whose district includes Beltex, and Rep. Toby Goodman, R-Arlington, fought hard against legislation that would have legalized horse slaughter in Texas in 2003.
The horse slaughter plant in DeKalb , IL had a similar pattern. It was destroyed by fire in 2002, and rebuilt in 2004. It was charged and fined by the DeKalb Sanitary District almost every month from the reopening until its closing in 2007 under a new state law for consistently exceeding wastewater discharge guidelines. I can provide you with the documentation of those violations. Like Dallas Crown, Cavel refused to pay their fines for years.
During this time, I learned that an estimated $5 million in Federal funding was being spent annually to support three foreign-owned horse slaughter plants! And when the Dallas Crown tax records were exposed in the city's legal struggle, we found that they had paid only $5 in federal taxes on a gross income of over $12,000,000!
Moreover, the parent company of Cavel has since moved its operations to Canada and continued to slaughter American horses. In Canada they have apparently become even more blatant, dumping huge untreated piles of entrails onto open ground and even using a tanker truck to discharge blood and refuse into a local river.
I have mentioned only the pollution issue, but this is but one negative aspect of horse slaughter. I have subsequently learned of a USDA document containing 900 pages of graphic photos that show the horrors that the horses were subject to. Behind the privacy fences of these plants, trucks arrived continuously and on those trucks was every form of inhumane violation one can imagine from mares birthing foals to horses with eyes dangling from their sockets and legs ripped from their bodies.
The more I learn about horse slaughter, the more certain I am: There is no justification for horse slaughter in this country. My city was little more than a door mat for a foreign-owned business that drained our resources, thwarted economic development and stigmatized our community. Americans don't eat horses, and we don't raise them for human consumption. There is no justification for spending American tax dollars to support this industry at the expense of Americans and our horses.
Sincerely,
Former Mayor Paula Bacon
Kaufman, TX
325-665-2043 cell
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Pro-slaughter says Livestock - Anti-slaughter says Companion, Here is What the FDA Says...
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/CVM_Updates/DraftGFIAnesthetics.htm
February 12, 2009
FDA Reminds Public of Comment Period Deadline for the Draft Guidance for Industry on Anesthetics for Companion Animals
On December 17, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published in the Federal Register the availability of a draft guidance document for industry entitled “Guidance for Industry #192: Anesthetics for Companion Animals.” The comment period for the guidance closes on March 2, 2009.
The purpose of the guidance document is to provide industry with FDA’s recommendations for the development of new animal anesthetic drug products for companion animals (dogs, cats, and horses). The guidance discusses information that sponsors should consider when planning and conducting safety and field studies for their proposed drug product. The guidance also provides recommendations on how to analyze the study data and how to present the collected data in an organized package to CVM.
The draft guidance, once finalized, will represent the Agency’s current thinking on the development of companion animal general anesthetic (injectable or inhalational) drug products.
The draft guidance document is available at http://www.fda.gov/cvm/Guidance/guide192.pdf. The federal register notice can be found at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-29953.htm. Interested persons may submit written comments on or before March 2, 2009, to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), FDA, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. Electronic comments may be submitted to: http://www.regulations.gov/. Identify all submissions to the docket with the following docket number: 2008D-0623.
For additional information about the draft guidance, please contact Dr. Germaine Connolly at FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, 240-276-8331, germaine.connolly@fda.hhs.gov.
February 12, 2009
FDA Reminds Public of Comment Period Deadline for the Draft Guidance for Industry on Anesthetics for Companion Animals
On December 17, 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published in the Federal Register the availability of a draft guidance document for industry entitled “Guidance for Industry #192: Anesthetics for Companion Animals.” The comment period for the guidance closes on March 2, 2009.
The purpose of the guidance document is to provide industry with FDA’s recommendations for the development of new animal anesthetic drug products for companion animals (dogs, cats, and horses). The guidance discusses information that sponsors should consider when planning and conducting safety and field studies for their proposed drug product. The guidance also provides recommendations on how to analyze the study data and how to present the collected data in an organized package to CVM.
The draft guidance, once finalized, will represent the Agency’s current thinking on the development of companion animal general anesthetic (injectable or inhalational) drug products.
The draft guidance document is available at http://www.fda.gov/cvm/Guidance/guide192.pdf. The federal register notice can be found at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-29953.htm. Interested persons may submit written comments on or before March 2, 2009, to the Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), FDA, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852. Electronic comments may be submitted to: http://www.regulations.gov/. Identify all submissions to the docket with the following docket number: 2008D-0623.
For additional information about the draft guidance, please contact Dr. Germaine Connolly at FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, 240-276-8331, germaine.connolly@fda.hhs.gov.
URGENT ACTION NEEDED!
URGENT ALERT: MONTANA CONSIDERS HORSE SLAUGHTER BILL
February 17, 2009
Dear Humanitarian:
The Montana State House of Representatives is currently considering a bill that would enable the construction of horse slaughter plants in Montana – and which would severely restrict citizen action to oppose their construction. Introduced by Representative Edward Butcher (R-Winifred) , H.B. 418 flies in the face of American public opinion and fiscal responsibility.
Horse slaughter is a brutal and un-American trade in which our horses – animals not raised for slaughter – suffer enormously to satisfy the whims of high-end diners in Europe and Asia. So horrid is the trade that the country’s sole remaining horse slaughter plans (all European-owned) were shut down under state law in 2007. Meanwhile, the United States Congress is considering a federal ban that would permanently end the slaughter of American horses here or abroad. Montana Representative Edward Butcher and his supporters are seriously out of step with current thinking, yet the Montana House Agriculture Committee, which held a hearing on the bill last week, is poised to move the legislation out of committee as early as the end of this week.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
If you live in Montana, please take a moment to contact members of the House Agriculture Committee TODAY – with the exception of the bill’s sponsor - and ask them to OPPOSE H.B. 418. Contact information is shown below. Respectfully let them know that:
· The establishment of a horse slaughter plant in Montana would be fiscally irresponsible.
· There is currently a federal restriction in place – passed by the United States Congress – that would prohibit the federally required inspection of horsemeat, thus preventing its sale outside of Montana state lines.
· The United States Congress is expected to pass a federal ban on horse slaughter in the near future making this state bill irrelevant.
· H.B. 418 contains language, which would severely restrict the ability of American citizens from challenging the construction or operation of a horse slaughter plant. The restrictive language sets a dangerous precedent that could impact other sectors of civic life.
· Horse slaughter is a cruel and predatory business that purposely seeks out healthy horses; it does not provide a humane outlet for so-called “unwanted” horses as its proponents would like the public to believe.
· Americans don’t eat horses, nor do we raise them for slaughter. The vast majority of Americans oppose horse slaughter – and passage of H.B. 418 will be a proverbial black eye for Montana.
Montana House Agriculture Committee
Jopek, Mike (D) (Chair)Butcher, Edward (R) (Vice Chair) (H.B. 418’s sponsor – Do Not Contact)French, Julie (D) (Vice Chair)Bean, Russell (R)Belcourt, Tony (D)Caferro, Mary (D)Dickenson, Sue (D)Fleming, John (D)Furey, Timothy (D)Hoven, Brian (R)Howard, David (R)Kerns, Krayton (R)MacDonald, Margaret (D)McClafferty, Edith (D)Randall, Lee (R)Regier, Keith (R)Roundstone, J. David (D)Taylor, Janna (R)Wagner, Bob (R)Warburton, Wendy (R)
How to Contact Legislators
By Telephone
Call the Session Information Desk at 406-444-4800 to leave a message for as many as five legislators or one legislative committee per call. Your message will be delivered directly to the legislators. The TTY (Telephone Device for the Deaf) number is 406-444-4462.
By Fax
House 406-444-4825
Online
You may send a message by clicking here: http://leg.mt. gov/css/sessions /61st/legwebmess age.asp.
You may also use the e-mail addresses provided with the legislative http://leg.mt. gov/css/Sessions /61st/roster. asp?HouseID= 0&SessionID=94% 20 and published in legislative guides.
By Mail
Address letters to:Rep. XXXXMontana House of RepresentativesPO Box 200400Helena, MT 59620-0400
Please be sure to provide your Representative with your name and mailing address, and as a constituent, request a response on this issue. Please also share our “Dear Humanitarian” eAlert with family, friends and co-workers, and encourage them to contact their legislators, too. As always, thank you very much for your help.
Sincerely,
Chris Heyde
Please note AWI's new address and telephone number.
************ ********Christopher J. HeydeDeputy Director, Government and Legal AffairsAnimal Welfare Institute 900 Pennsylvania Ave, SEWashington, DC 20003http://www.awionlin e.org/http://www.compassi onindex.org/
February 17, 2009
Dear Humanitarian:
The Montana State House of Representatives is currently considering a bill that would enable the construction of horse slaughter plants in Montana – and which would severely restrict citizen action to oppose their construction. Introduced by Representative Edward Butcher (R-Winifred) , H.B. 418 flies in the face of American public opinion and fiscal responsibility.
Horse slaughter is a brutal and un-American trade in which our horses – animals not raised for slaughter – suffer enormously to satisfy the whims of high-end diners in Europe and Asia. So horrid is the trade that the country’s sole remaining horse slaughter plans (all European-owned) were shut down under state law in 2007. Meanwhile, the United States Congress is considering a federal ban that would permanently end the slaughter of American horses here or abroad. Montana Representative Edward Butcher and his supporters are seriously out of step with current thinking, yet the Montana House Agriculture Committee, which held a hearing on the bill last week, is poised to move the legislation out of committee as early as the end of this week.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
If you live in Montana, please take a moment to contact members of the House Agriculture Committee TODAY – with the exception of the bill’s sponsor - and ask them to OPPOSE H.B. 418. Contact information is shown below. Respectfully let them know that:
· The establishment of a horse slaughter plant in Montana would be fiscally irresponsible.
· There is currently a federal restriction in place – passed by the United States Congress – that would prohibit the federally required inspection of horsemeat, thus preventing its sale outside of Montana state lines.
· The United States Congress is expected to pass a federal ban on horse slaughter in the near future making this state bill irrelevant.
· H.B. 418 contains language, which would severely restrict the ability of American citizens from challenging the construction or operation of a horse slaughter plant. The restrictive language sets a dangerous precedent that could impact other sectors of civic life.
· Horse slaughter is a cruel and predatory business that purposely seeks out healthy horses; it does not provide a humane outlet for so-called “unwanted” horses as its proponents would like the public to believe.
· Americans don’t eat horses, nor do we raise them for slaughter. The vast majority of Americans oppose horse slaughter – and passage of H.B. 418 will be a proverbial black eye for Montana.
Montana House Agriculture Committee
Jopek, Mike (D) (Chair)Butcher, Edward (R) (Vice Chair) (H.B. 418’s sponsor – Do Not Contact)French, Julie (D) (Vice Chair)Bean, Russell (R)Belcourt, Tony (D)Caferro, Mary (D)Dickenson, Sue (D)Fleming, John (D)Furey, Timothy (D)Hoven, Brian (R)Howard, David (R)Kerns, Krayton (R)MacDonald, Margaret (D)McClafferty, Edith (D)Randall, Lee (R)Regier, Keith (R)Roundstone, J. David (D)Taylor, Janna (R)Wagner, Bob (R)Warburton, Wendy (R)
How to Contact Legislators
By Telephone
Call the Session Information Desk at 406-444-4800 to leave a message for as many as five legislators or one legislative committee per call. Your message will be delivered directly to the legislators. The TTY (Telephone Device for the Deaf) number is 406-444-4462.
By Fax
House 406-444-4825
Online
You may send a message by clicking here: http://leg.mt. gov/css/sessions /61st/legwebmess age.asp.
You may also use the e-mail addresses provided with the legislative http://leg.mt. gov/css/Sessions /61st/roster. asp?HouseID= 0&SessionID=94% 20 and published in legislative guides.
By Mail
Address letters to:Rep. XXXXMontana House of RepresentativesPO Box 200400Helena, MT 59620-0400
Please be sure to provide your Representative with your name and mailing address, and as a constituent, request a response on this issue. Please also share our “Dear Humanitarian” eAlert with family, friends and co-workers, and encourage them to contact their legislators, too. As always, thank you very much for your help.
Sincerely,
Chris Heyde
Please note AWI's new address and telephone number.
************ ********Christopher J. HeydeDeputy Director, Government and Legal AffairsAnimal Welfare Institute 900 Pennsylvania Ave, SEWashington, DC 20003http://www.awionlin e.org/http://www.compassi onindex.org/
Is the Horse Slaughter Movement Funded by horse Breeders?
Is the Horse Slaughter Movement Funded by Horse Breeders?
A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTIONby A BuzzFlash Reader
The slaughter of horses for human consumption is no longer legal in the US. Sadly more than 100,000 horses each year are shipped to Canada and Mexico to satisfy the palates of “gourmands” overseas. Upwards of 90 percent of the horses sold for slaughter are healthy, sound animals, according to USDA statistics. Of that 90 percent, some are bred solely for the slaughter market, others come from farms providing horse urine to pharmaceutical companies and others are horses with cosmetic or minor conformation issues which make them valueless to the breeders, many of whom are producing a hundred or more foals yearly.
Several states, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, among others, are studying or considering opening horse slaughter plants under the guise of providing a more “humane” method of disposing of “unwanted” horses than shipping them in trucks cross country for slaughter in Canada or Mexico. There is also a well-funded, but virtually unknown national movement afoot, with bills pending in Congress, to allow horse slaughter for human consumption once again.
This issue is not about treating horses humanely or dealing with “unwanted” horses. It’s about profit, pure and simple. For example, the wording of the North Dakota bill includes “… to meet overseas export markets for horsemeat…” Clearly, sponsors of this bill see a market opportunity, thinly disguised as a way to “solve” a conveniently overstated problem.
As the movie line goes, “Follow the money.” Who would profit if a horse slaughter facility were to open in any given state? We know the slaughter facility will make money; that’s a given. But so will the people who supply the horses destined to become someone's dinner. Who is lobbying for these plants to reopen? It's my guess that it’s the potential suppliers who see the slaughter business as a way to make money off an “unwanted” or “valueless,” product, to quote the North Dakota bill’s sponsor.
For a breeder, each year’s “crop” of foals has a percentage of colts and fillies who do not meet the breeders’ standards. The North Dakota bill is sponsored by a rancher who raises Quarter Horses, which, coincidently, is the most common breed to be sent to slaughter. His last sales catalog listed 80-plus young horses for sale. Were there any “unwanted” or “valueless” horses sent to slaughter because they didn’t make “the cut”? Horse breeders, as well as horse associations, surprisingly, are some of the most vocal supporters of horse slaughter.
Other lobbyists for the horse slaughter movement claim a slaughter facility will alleviate horse “overpopulation” by providing breeders and others with a place to send horses (for a profit) to a “humane” death rather than let them face starvation, neglect or abandonment because the owner, for whatever circumstance, is unwilling to care for the animal. Horse slaughter proponents won’t tell the public that the death of a horse in a slaughter facility is anything but humane. They also won’t share statistics that don’t support their cause. For example, cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment, not to mention horse theft, actually went down when the slaughter plants closed. Supporters also won’t tell the public that there are dozens of rescue facilities, not to mention horse-loving youths and adults, who would willingly take a breeder’s “unwanted” horse and give it a loving home.
Horse slaughter is a highly emotional subject with “facts” bandied about with little but anecdotal evidence to back them up. Factual information can be found in the USDA records, as well as from organizations that track this type of activity. If, after researching the issue for yourself, you feel moved to contact legislators and share your opinion in opposition to horse slaughter, be prepared for a fight. Too much money is on the table for breeders, ranchers, kill buyers/shippers and foreign and domestic investors in slaughter facilities to let this issue die.
Here are the links to some websites you may wish to visit:
Article about horse slaughter provided by the Humane Society of America
http://www.hsus.org/horses_equines/issues/horse_slaughter_common_myths.html
Article in Agweek supporting horse slaughter, primarily in North Dakota.
http://www.agweek.com/articles/?article_id=19950&property_id=6
Article from Animal Law Coalition detailing the results of a study on abuse of horses following the closing of slaughter facilities
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/534
Article from Animal Law Coalition providing information about horse slaughter bills in various states
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/682
Contact information for federal legislation to further protect horses
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/567
A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
Vicki A Voice For Our Horses
No breed is more prominently represented in the slaughter trucks rolling
toward Canada and Mexico than the quarter horse. ~ John Holland
A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTIONby A BuzzFlash Reader
The slaughter of horses for human consumption is no longer legal in the US. Sadly more than 100,000 horses each year are shipped to Canada and Mexico to satisfy the palates of “gourmands” overseas. Upwards of 90 percent of the horses sold for slaughter are healthy, sound animals, according to USDA statistics. Of that 90 percent, some are bred solely for the slaughter market, others come from farms providing horse urine to pharmaceutical companies and others are horses with cosmetic or minor conformation issues which make them valueless to the breeders, many of whom are producing a hundred or more foals yearly.
Several states, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, among others, are studying or considering opening horse slaughter plants under the guise of providing a more “humane” method of disposing of “unwanted” horses than shipping them in trucks cross country for slaughter in Canada or Mexico. There is also a well-funded, but virtually unknown national movement afoot, with bills pending in Congress, to allow horse slaughter for human consumption once again.
This issue is not about treating horses humanely or dealing with “unwanted” horses. It’s about profit, pure and simple. For example, the wording of the North Dakota bill includes “… to meet overseas export markets for horsemeat…” Clearly, sponsors of this bill see a market opportunity, thinly disguised as a way to “solve” a conveniently overstated problem.
As the movie line goes, “Follow the money.” Who would profit if a horse slaughter facility were to open in any given state? We know the slaughter facility will make money; that’s a given. But so will the people who supply the horses destined to become someone's dinner. Who is lobbying for these plants to reopen? It's my guess that it’s the potential suppliers who see the slaughter business as a way to make money off an “unwanted” or “valueless,” product, to quote the North Dakota bill’s sponsor.
For a breeder, each year’s “crop” of foals has a percentage of colts and fillies who do not meet the breeders’ standards. The North Dakota bill is sponsored by a rancher who raises Quarter Horses, which, coincidently, is the most common breed to be sent to slaughter. His last sales catalog listed 80-plus young horses for sale. Were there any “unwanted” or “valueless” horses sent to slaughter because they didn’t make “the cut”? Horse breeders, as well as horse associations, surprisingly, are some of the most vocal supporters of horse slaughter.
Other lobbyists for the horse slaughter movement claim a slaughter facility will alleviate horse “overpopulation” by providing breeders and others with a place to send horses (for a profit) to a “humane” death rather than let them face starvation, neglect or abandonment because the owner, for whatever circumstance, is unwilling to care for the animal. Horse slaughter proponents won’t tell the public that the death of a horse in a slaughter facility is anything but humane. They also won’t share statistics that don’t support their cause. For example, cases of abuse, neglect and abandonment, not to mention horse theft, actually went down when the slaughter plants closed. Supporters also won’t tell the public that there are dozens of rescue facilities, not to mention horse-loving youths and adults, who would willingly take a breeder’s “unwanted” horse and give it a loving home.
Horse slaughter is a highly emotional subject with “facts” bandied about with little but anecdotal evidence to back them up. Factual information can be found in the USDA records, as well as from organizations that track this type of activity. If, after researching the issue for yourself, you feel moved to contact legislators and share your opinion in opposition to horse slaughter, be prepared for a fight. Too much money is on the table for breeders, ranchers, kill buyers/shippers and foreign and domestic investors in slaughter facilities to let this issue die.
Here are the links to some websites you may wish to visit:
Article about horse slaughter provided by the Humane Society of America
http://www.hsus.org/horses_equines/issues/horse_slaughter_common_myths.html
Article in Agweek supporting horse slaughter, primarily in North Dakota.
http://www.agweek.com/articles/?article_id=19950&property_id=6
Article from Animal Law Coalition detailing the results of a study on abuse of horses following the closing of slaughter facilities
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/534
Article from Animal Law Coalition providing information about horse slaughter bills in various states
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/682
Contact information for federal legislation to further protect horses
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/567
A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
Vicki A Voice For Our Horses
No breed is more prominently represented in the slaughter trucks rolling
toward Canada and Mexico than the quarter horse. ~ John Holland
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Bible's Lessons Help In Taming Horses
Bible's Lessons Help In Taming Horses
by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
Grant Golliher is a special kind of horse whisperer: he subdues wild horses with gentleness and a dash of spirituality.
And true to form, he's made for Hollywood: about 6 feet tall and trim, with rough, leathery hands, silver hair and piercing blue eyes. He wears buttery tan chaps and a white 10-gallon hat.
As Golliher enters a round pen at a county fair in Jackson, Wyo., a chestnut horse bolts away, bucking and screaming. The cowboy pays no heed; instead he hoses down the pen so the horse won't kick up dust.
'Show 'Em Who's Boss'
He tells the four dozen spectators sitting on bleachers that he's been breaking horses since he was a kid.
"And we did things the old way, I call it," he says. "Make 'em do it, show 'em who's boss. If they give you any grief, whack 'em with a two-by-four. Get their attention."
Over the years, he ruined a bunch of talented horses that way, he says. One horse strangled himself with his rope trying to get away.
But a quarter century ago, Golliher met Ray Hunt, one of the original horse whisperers, who tamed horses by building trust not fear.
Golliher mounts Freckles, a gray horse he calls his "buddy," and begins to chase around the chestnut.
"Now, what I'm going to do is go ahead and drive these horses around a little bit," he says, as the horse lets loose a bucking spree. "This horse is troubled. He's a 5-year-old. He's been ridden quite a bit, but lately he's been bucking off his rider — his owner."
If Golliher can't cure his bucking, he says, the horse could end up at the slaughterhouse.
The cowboy shakes a white plastic bag attached to a long crop — he calls it his "flag" — and touches it to the horse's flank. The chestnut snorts, his eyes bulge. But — and this is key — the horse is not tied up. He knows he can run away.
And that's the secret of horse whispering, Golliher says: giving a horse the chance to make the right choices.
"If the horse won't come to you, you don't capture him, you don't rope him and choke him down," he explains. "You let him know he's free, let him know he still has the freedom to choose whether to come to you or not, see. And that's the relationship with God."
Odd talk for a cowboy perhaps. But Golliher applies spiritual principles to his horse training — and horse whispering principles to life.
Discipline And Love
In the round pen, the chestnut has stopped running but is dancing around, clattering against the fence in an attempt to avert the flag. Golliher persists.
"I'm going to keep pressing the issue until we get some change here," Golliher says.
Golliher follows the chestnut around the pen, tapping the plastic flag on his haunches and forcing the horse to face his fear. The horse finally stops.
"There," he says, removing the flag and stroking the horse's neck with his hand. Golliher then walks toward the audience, and the horse follows.
Golliher says this is tough love.
"Love is great," he says. "But love without discipline is abuse. Discipline goes along with love. I love you enough when you make a mistake, I'll bring it up. We're going to try to deal with it."
Golliher sees this as a metaphor for how God works with people.
"Hebrews, Chapter 12 says God disciplines those he loves," he says later. "And when we go the wrong way, he has his way through life circumstances, we run into trouble. God steps in and starts waving his flag," he says. "So to me, this is just the Bible opening up through God's creation — which is a horse."
In the corral, Golliher has a decision to make. It would be a good time to end the session with the chestnut. But he opts to press a little further. With one swift move, Golliher mounts the horse and reaches for his flag.
"Now, if he was to buck, I just need to stay on," he says. "If I can."
A Horse Is A Mirror
The horse dances around, his hooves in constant motion. But he doesn't buck. Soon the horse settles into a calm walk. Golliher reaches down and rubs his chest.
"See him lick his lips?" he asks. "That's a good sign. That means he feels good about what just happened. Horses really love you when you help them get through their fear."
The crowd murmurs with amazement. Afterwards, people rush up to seek his advice.
Golliher says what astounds him most is not the changes in the horses, but in the people who watch and practice horse whispering. Some abused women have told him they see themselves in the skittish horses. Some men begin to use gentleness rather than fear in their relationships.
Horse whispering, Golliher says, gives people insight into themselves.
"The horse is just a mirror," he says. "He's just trying to tell us, 'Let me show you how to live.'"
by Barbara Bradley Hagerty
Grant Golliher is a special kind of horse whisperer: he subdues wild horses with gentleness and a dash of spirituality.
And true to form, he's made for Hollywood: about 6 feet tall and trim, with rough, leathery hands, silver hair and piercing blue eyes. He wears buttery tan chaps and a white 10-gallon hat.
As Golliher enters a round pen at a county fair in Jackson, Wyo., a chestnut horse bolts away, bucking and screaming. The cowboy pays no heed; instead he hoses down the pen so the horse won't kick up dust.
'Show 'Em Who's Boss'
He tells the four dozen spectators sitting on bleachers that he's been breaking horses since he was a kid.
"And we did things the old way, I call it," he says. "Make 'em do it, show 'em who's boss. If they give you any grief, whack 'em with a two-by-four. Get their attention."
Over the years, he ruined a bunch of talented horses that way, he says. One horse strangled himself with his rope trying to get away.
But a quarter century ago, Golliher met Ray Hunt, one of the original horse whisperers, who tamed horses by building trust not fear.
Golliher mounts Freckles, a gray horse he calls his "buddy," and begins to chase around the chestnut.
"Now, what I'm going to do is go ahead and drive these horses around a little bit," he says, as the horse lets loose a bucking spree. "This horse is troubled. He's a 5-year-old. He's been ridden quite a bit, but lately he's been bucking off his rider — his owner."
If Golliher can't cure his bucking, he says, the horse could end up at the slaughterhouse.
The cowboy shakes a white plastic bag attached to a long crop — he calls it his "flag" — and touches it to the horse's flank. The chestnut snorts, his eyes bulge. But — and this is key — the horse is not tied up. He knows he can run away.
And that's the secret of horse whispering, Golliher says: giving a horse the chance to make the right choices.
"If the horse won't come to you, you don't capture him, you don't rope him and choke him down," he explains. "You let him know he's free, let him know he still has the freedom to choose whether to come to you or not, see. And that's the relationship with God."
Odd talk for a cowboy perhaps. But Golliher applies spiritual principles to his horse training — and horse whispering principles to life.
Discipline And Love
In the round pen, the chestnut has stopped running but is dancing around, clattering against the fence in an attempt to avert the flag. Golliher persists.
"I'm going to keep pressing the issue until we get some change here," Golliher says.
Golliher follows the chestnut around the pen, tapping the plastic flag on his haunches and forcing the horse to face his fear. The horse finally stops.
"There," he says, removing the flag and stroking the horse's neck with his hand. Golliher then walks toward the audience, and the horse follows.
Golliher says this is tough love.
"Love is great," he says. "But love without discipline is abuse. Discipline goes along with love. I love you enough when you make a mistake, I'll bring it up. We're going to try to deal with it."
Golliher sees this as a metaphor for how God works with people.
"Hebrews, Chapter 12 says God disciplines those he loves," he says later. "And when we go the wrong way, he has his way through life circumstances, we run into trouble. God steps in and starts waving his flag," he says. "So to me, this is just the Bible opening up through God's creation — which is a horse."
In the corral, Golliher has a decision to make. It would be a good time to end the session with the chestnut. But he opts to press a little further. With one swift move, Golliher mounts the horse and reaches for his flag.
"Now, if he was to buck, I just need to stay on," he says. "If I can."
A Horse Is A Mirror
The horse dances around, his hooves in constant motion. But he doesn't buck. Soon the horse settles into a calm walk. Golliher reaches down and rubs his chest.
"See him lick his lips?" he asks. "That's a good sign. That means he feels good about what just happened. Horses really love you when you help them get through their fear."
The crowd murmurs with amazement. Afterwards, people rush up to seek his advice.
Golliher says what astounds him most is not the changes in the horses, but in the people who watch and practice horse whispering. Some abused women have told him they see themselves in the skittish horses. Some men begin to use gentleness rather than fear in their relationships.
Horse whispering, Golliher says, gives people insight into themselves.
"The horse is just a mirror," he says. "He's just trying to tell us, 'Let me show you how to live.'"
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Abandoned Horse Reward Fund Announced!
For Immediate Release
ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE ESTABLISHES ABANDONED HORSE REWARD FUND
Washington, DC (January 29, 2009) – The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced today the establishment of the “Animal Welfare Institute Abandoned Horse Reward Fund.” Under the program, individuals providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone who abandons a horse in violation of state law will be rewarded with up to $1,000 by AWI. “We’ve heard time and time again from those defending horse slaughter that the fight to end this cruel practice has led to an increase in abandoned horses. The truth is that the number of American horses going to slaughter now is the same or higher as before the domestic plants closed under state law. In fact, killer buyers seem to be buying more horses than when the plants were open,” said Chris Heyde, AWI’s Deputy Director of Government and Legal Affairs.
Under the program, individuals with evidence should first contact their local police department, provide as many details as possible about the horse abandonment situation and let the department know about the Animal Welfare Institute Abandoned Horse Reward Fund. In such cases, eligibility for rewards and specific reward amounts will be determined by AWI. For complete terms and conditions of this reward fund, please go to www.awionline.org.
“If horses are being neglected or abandoned and the law is being violated, individuals need to be held accountable. Caring for a horse or any animal is a lifelong responsibility and not something you toss aside when inconvenient. We hope our reward fund will assist in bringing criminals to justice,” said Chris Heyde.
The Animal Welfare Institute has been at the forefront of efforts to pass a federal law to end horse slaughter. While the few remaining horse slaughter plants operating in the US were shut down in 2007 under state law, the absence of a federal law means that American horses are still at risk of being slaughtered for human consumption, and more than 100,000 horses were exported to Mexico and Canada in 2008 for that purpose. In Canada, horses are often shot to death while in Mexico some plants still use the “puntilla” knife to stab the horse into a state of paralysis prior to being slaughtered while still fully conscious. The meat is then sold to high-end consumers in Europe and Asia. Congress is currently considering the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503), which will protect American horses from this brutal trade.
##30##
For further information contact:
Chris Heyde, 202-446-2142
Liz Ross, 202-497-6780
For over 58 years, AWI has been the leading voice for animals across the country and on Capitol Hill. Please join us in our ongoing campaigns to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. Sign up for AWI eAlerts to receive the latest news on what you can do to help us protect all animals: http://www.awionline.org/joinus.
ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE ESTABLISHES ABANDONED HORSE REWARD FUND
Washington, DC (January 29, 2009) – The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) announced today the establishment of the “Animal Welfare Institute Abandoned Horse Reward Fund.” Under the program, individuals providing information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone who abandons a horse in violation of state law will be rewarded with up to $1,000 by AWI. “We’ve heard time and time again from those defending horse slaughter that the fight to end this cruel practice has led to an increase in abandoned horses. The truth is that the number of American horses going to slaughter now is the same or higher as before the domestic plants closed under state law. In fact, killer buyers seem to be buying more horses than when the plants were open,” said Chris Heyde, AWI’s Deputy Director of Government and Legal Affairs.
Under the program, individuals with evidence should first contact their local police department, provide as many details as possible about the horse abandonment situation and let the department know about the Animal Welfare Institute Abandoned Horse Reward Fund. In such cases, eligibility for rewards and specific reward amounts will be determined by AWI. For complete terms and conditions of this reward fund, please go to www.awionline.org.
“If horses are being neglected or abandoned and the law is being violated, individuals need to be held accountable. Caring for a horse or any animal is a lifelong responsibility and not something you toss aside when inconvenient. We hope our reward fund will assist in bringing criminals to justice,” said Chris Heyde.
The Animal Welfare Institute has been at the forefront of efforts to pass a federal law to end horse slaughter. While the few remaining horse slaughter plants operating in the US were shut down in 2007 under state law, the absence of a federal law means that American horses are still at risk of being slaughtered for human consumption, and more than 100,000 horses were exported to Mexico and Canada in 2008 for that purpose. In Canada, horses are often shot to death while in Mexico some plants still use the “puntilla” knife to stab the horse into a state of paralysis prior to being slaughtered while still fully conscious. The meat is then sold to high-end consumers in Europe and Asia. Congress is currently considering the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503), which will protect American horses from this brutal trade.
##30##
For further information contact:
Chris Heyde, 202-446-2142
Liz Ross, 202-497-6780
For over 58 years, AWI has been the leading voice for animals across the country and on Capitol Hill. Please join us in our ongoing campaigns to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. Sign up for AWI eAlerts to receive the latest news on what you can do to help us protect all animals: http://www.awionline.org/joinus.
Talk Radio- Live Feed Saturday Feb. 7th at 4 PM with John Holland!
LIVE FEED ON SATURDAY FEB. 7TH 4PM With John Holland (Senior Analyst for AAHS) and Paula Bacon and Laura Allen!
Saving America's Horses on WFL Endangered Stream Live, Talk Radio for the Protection of AnimalsThe Hidden Cruelty of Horse Slaughter and the Fight for Federal Support to Make it Stop.Host Katia Louise interviews an expert panel of guests on the continuing sordid practice of horse slaughter as currently sustained by the United States. Horses suffer unimaginable cruel treatment in the process of their transport out of the US to Mexico and Canada where they experience barbaric slaughter. Listeners will learn the truth about one of America's darkest secrets and how to take action to stop this cruel and rapidly growing business of exports through the support of current, yet disregarded bills lingering in Congress for the past 8 years. Guests include Paula Bacon representing Americans Against Horse Slaughter and as former mayor of Kaufman TX, she helped to shut down the Dallas Crown, a US horse slaughter plant now operating in Mexico, among the worst malign abusers of cruelty in this brutal practice. Also joining us is the renown author on the issue of horse slaughter, John Holland; senior analyst for Americans Against Horse Slaughter. Holland has authored and coauthored studies on the relationship of horse slaughter to the rate of abuse and neglect in horses and has written dozens of articles on the subject of horse slaughter and its politics. Plus we have Animal Law Attorney, Laura Allen of the Animal Law Coalition who's been fiercely active in the support of getting legislature passed for the Prevention of the Equine Cruelty. These panelists are fighting to abolish horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter with support more stringent enforcement of laws to prevent abuse and neglect.Call-in number: (646) 727- 2170. Calls will be accepted live during the show. The chat room at the show's WFL Endangered Stream Live Blog Talk Radio page will be open throughout the broadcast for simultaneous discussion and to help answer questions. Registered listeners may connect and talk straight from their computer from anywhere in the world. (learn more) Listen live on Saturday, Feb 7th at 3pm (PST) at WFL Endangered Stream Live Blog Talk Radio.Listen anytime on demand. Links:http://wflendangeredstreamlive.org/showlineup.htmlhttp://www.blogtalkradio.com/wflendangeredstreamlive/2009/02/07/Saving-Americas-Horses
Saving America's Horses on WFL Endangered Stream Live, Talk Radio for the Protection of AnimalsThe Hidden Cruelty of Horse Slaughter and the Fight for Federal Support to Make it Stop.Host Katia Louise interviews an expert panel of guests on the continuing sordid practice of horse slaughter as currently sustained by the United States. Horses suffer unimaginable cruel treatment in the process of their transport out of the US to Mexico and Canada where they experience barbaric slaughter. Listeners will learn the truth about one of America's darkest secrets and how to take action to stop this cruel and rapidly growing business of exports through the support of current, yet disregarded bills lingering in Congress for the past 8 years. Guests include Paula Bacon representing Americans Against Horse Slaughter and as former mayor of Kaufman TX, she helped to shut down the Dallas Crown, a US horse slaughter plant now operating in Mexico, among the worst malign abusers of cruelty in this brutal practice. Also joining us is the renown author on the issue of horse slaughter, John Holland; senior analyst for Americans Against Horse Slaughter. Holland has authored and coauthored studies on the relationship of horse slaughter to the rate of abuse and neglect in horses and has written dozens of articles on the subject of horse slaughter and its politics. Plus we have Animal Law Attorney, Laura Allen of the Animal Law Coalition who's been fiercely active in the support of getting legislature passed for the Prevention of the Equine Cruelty. These panelists are fighting to abolish horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter with support more stringent enforcement of laws to prevent abuse and neglect.Call-in number: (646) 727- 2170. Calls will be accepted live during the show. The chat room at the show's WFL Endangered Stream Live Blog Talk Radio page will be open throughout the broadcast for simultaneous discussion and to help answer questions. Registered listeners may connect and talk straight from their computer from anywhere in the world. (learn more) Listen live on Saturday, Feb 7th at 3pm (PST) at WFL Endangered Stream Live Blog Talk Radio.Listen anytime on demand. Links:http://wflendangeredstreamlive.org/showlineup.htmlhttp://www.blogtalkradio.com/wflendangeredstreamlive/2009/02/07/Saving-Americas-Horses
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