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Horse Slaughter Ban Passes House

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Anonymous

Guest
Horse Slaughter Banned



Standardbred Canada

September 7, 2006



Amid calls of animal cruelty and abhorring a cultural symbol, the U.S. House of Representatives voted this afternoon to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption.



The vote was far from unanimous, as the vote was 263-146 in favour.



"The way a society treats its animals, particularly horses, speaks to the core values and morals of its citizens," said Christopher Shays, a Republican representative from Connecticut.



"It is one of the most inhumane, brutal, shady practices going on in the U.S. today," said Rep. John Sweeney, R-New York., a sponsor of the ban.



Sweeney further argued that horses are a part of American culture, setting them apart from the slaughter of other livestock for human consumption.



Defenders of horse slaughter say it offers an inexpensive and humane way to end a horse's life when the animal no longer is useful. They say many owners cannot afford to care for an unproductive horse.



"We have serious concerns that the welfare of these horses would be negatively impacted by a ban on slaughter," Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in a release.



Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minnesota said many that are slaughtered are sick or already living in pain, and that by banning the practice, it is possible that more horses would simply be starved or abandoned.



They further contend that by banning the practice, slaughter houses will simply move to Canada our Mexico, where the practice is permitted.



The ban now will go to the Senate for approval.



(With files from the Associated Press)



standardbredcanada.ca
 

High Plains

Well-known member
Now I wonder if the good Rep. Sweeney from New York has considered how humane it would be to ship these pensioner horses to Mexico or Canada to be slaughtered. :roll: The true humane thing would be to build slaughter houses in strategic places across the country so that the horses that have reached the end of their useful life or are no longer wanted by one-time backyard cowboys can be disposed of quickly instead of dragging out the process through long shipping processes. There are a lot of folks that need incentive to go ahead and do the right thing by getting rid of the unwanted horse instead of postponing the inevitable and promoting neglect. A little cash in return for doing the right thing is sure a better alternative to creating emaciated and poor-doing horses that nobody wants.

Just goes to show that the further our society gets away from the land and agriculture the sorrier we become at making rational decisions about things that are of and from the land. They ought to leave the animals to the people that know animals. Too much danged emotion and attempts at heroism.

I know, I know, these comments belong in the Political Bull Session. Just couldn't resist a response. Good day all!
 

Red Robin

Well-known member
High Plains said:
Now I wonder if the good Rep. Sweeney from New York has considered how humane it would be to ship these pensioner horses to Mexico or Canada to be slaughtered. :roll: The true humane thing would be to build slaughter houses in strategic places across the country so that the horses that have reached the end of their useful life or are no longer wanted by one-time backyard cowboys can be disposed of quickly instead of dragging out the process through long shipping processes. There are a lot of folks that need incentive to go ahead and do the right thing by getting rid of the unwanted horse instead of postponing the inevitable and promoting neglect. A little cash in return for doing the right thing is sure a better alternative to creating emaciated and poor-doing horses that nobody wants.

Just goes to show that the further our society gets away from the land and agriculture the sorrier we become at making rational decisions about things that are of and from the land. They ought to leave the animals to the people that know animals. Too much danged emotion and attempts at heroism.

I know, I know, these comments belong in the Political Bull Session. Just couldn't resist a response. Good day all!
I sure got to agree with everything you said High plains.
 

elwapo

Well-known member
We would love to make some value added $ off of your horses north of the border. Send em all to Canada.
On second thought that would be dumping. Might have to set up an
R-horse to protect the value of our slaughter horses.
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Good ideas all.

I listened to Micheal Reagan tonight driving home from Miles City.
He remarked on this and thought our congressmen had a lot more
serious things to worry about besides the of banning horse
slaughter.

He said he loves horses, but we need a way to dispose of
horses. And he said all this would do, would be to send the horses to
Mexico (aparently he didn' know about Canada). He said that other
countries eat things we wouldn't think of eating and that what are pets
to us is FOOD to some of them. (He talked about some country serving a soup in a restaurant and if you ask what is in it, it is "Bird Nest Soup". That's right. They swim out in the ocean and get birds nests, bring them back and cook them.)

Then a fellow called in that had gone rabbit hunting with his son. He's
wondering how long it is going to take for the wackos to put a stop to rabbit hunting. He knew this wasn't just about horses.

There are some folks with common sense still out there, but
263 member of the House of Representatives apparently don't have any.

They talked about Bo Derek and Willie Nelson going to the House of Representatives today to get this passed and apparently that helped sway
the vote.

I bet those two are real proud of themselves tonight.
 

High Plains

Well-known member
I like BMR's idea. We ought to gather up all of the tired old ponies, forgotten backyard broomtails and the like. Let 'em graze for an afternoon on Capitol Hill. Let all of the lawmakers get a real good look at the results of this piece of legislation.

Just hope it doesn't make it any further through the Senate.
 
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