Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Willie Nelson: It's time to stop the inhumane slaughter of horses in U.S.
By Willie Nelson • April 8, 2010
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Tennessee Voices
We ride horses in America, we don't eat them.
My friends and I supported efforts that shut down foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses in the United States, and we continue to work to pass the federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (HR 503/S 727), which would ban horse slaughter and prevent horses from being hauled outside of the United States for slaughter.
This must be what state Rep. Frank Niceley was referring to at a recent House Agriculture Committee meeting when he said, "Willie Nelson thought it was the humane thing to do to shut down the horse processing plants." Showing compassion? Trying to end equine abuse? Yes, that is the right thing to do, and I will keep fighting for America's horses.
Niceley's bill misleads public
Rep. Niceley is sponsoring a bill (HB 1428) in the Tennessee General Assembly to allow a horse slaughterhouse in Tennessee. He wants folks to believe it is more humane to allow buyers to travel around our great country purchasing healthy, wanted horses, then haul them to Tennessee to be slaughtered for human consumption. Who benefits: foreign-owned companies and high-end diners overseas.
Related
Rep. Niceley claimed that by closing horse slaughter plants in the U.S., horses are being abandoned all over the country (not true). What he failed to mention was the same number of horses are still being slaughtered this year as were being slaughtered three years ago when the U.S. plants were operating. Only now they are being hauled to and slaughtered in Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses. This is why the federal bill is critical. It will prevent America's horses from being hauled great distances to be killed.
While transportation causes suffering and injuries, it is when horses get to the slaughterhouse that their flight instinct kicks in. They often flip their heads in the killbox trying to escape. This makes them uniquely difficult to stun properly, and they are often conscious while being hoisted, shackled, cut and bled out. More outrageous, some are conscious while their hooves are cut off.
In the past two years, much has been done to deal with at-risk horses. Affordable veterinary euthanasia and neutering programs and hay/feed relief programs have been created; and additional equine sanctuaries are in the works. In a letter to Tennessee representatives, Veterinarians for Equine Welfare stated, "These efforts are sustainable, they are community assets, and unlike slaughter, they represent the advancement of horse welfare. Tennessee cannot afford to take a step backwards."
Let's work together to write the final chapter on horse slaughter in the United States.
Willie Nelson is a country music singer and songwriter.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100408/OPINION03/4080321
Why not work for humane slaughter practices?
By Willie Nelson • April 8, 2010
*
Tennessee Voices
We ride horses in America, we don't eat them.
My friends and I supported efforts that shut down foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses in the United States, and we continue to work to pass the federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (HR 503/S 727), which would ban horse slaughter and prevent horses from being hauled outside of the United States for slaughter.
This must be what state Rep. Frank Niceley was referring to at a recent House Agriculture Committee meeting when he said, "Willie Nelson thought it was the humane thing to do to shut down the horse processing plants." Showing compassion? Trying to end equine abuse? Yes, that is the right thing to do, and I will keep fighting for America's horses.
Niceley's bill misleads public
Rep. Niceley is sponsoring a bill (HB 1428) in the Tennessee General Assembly to allow a horse slaughterhouse in Tennessee. He wants folks to believe it is more humane to allow buyers to travel around our great country purchasing healthy, wanted horses, then haul them to Tennessee to be slaughtered for human consumption. Who benefits: foreign-owned companies and high-end diners overseas.
Related
Rep. Niceley claimed that by closing horse slaughter plants in the U.S., horses are being abandoned all over the country (not true). What he failed to mention was the same number of horses are still being slaughtered this year as were being slaughtered three years ago when the U.S. plants were operating. Only now they are being hauled to and slaughtered in Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses. This is why the federal bill is critical. It will prevent America's horses from being hauled great distances to be killed.
While transportation causes suffering and injuries, it is when horses get to the slaughterhouse that their flight instinct kicks in. They often flip their heads in the killbox trying to escape. This makes them uniquely difficult to stun properly, and they are often conscious while being hoisted, shackled, cut and bled out. More outrageous, some are conscious while their hooves are cut off.
In the past two years, much has been done to deal with at-risk horses. Affordable veterinary euthanasia and neutering programs and hay/feed relief programs have been created; and additional equine sanctuaries are in the works. In a letter to Tennessee representatives, Veterinarians for Equine Welfare stated, "These efforts are sustainable, they are community assets, and unlike slaughter, they represent the advancement of horse welfare. Tennessee cannot afford to take a step backwards."
Let's work together to write the final chapter on horse slaughter in the United States.
Willie Nelson is a country music singer and songwriter.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100408/OPINION03/4080321
Why not work for humane slaughter practices?
