Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/15466206.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
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Posted on Fri, Sep. 08, 2006 |
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WASHINGTON - The House brushed
aside objections from horse doctors and the White House and voted Thursday to
outlaw the slaughter of horses for meat. Critics of
the practice made an emotional appeal, showing photographs of horses with
bloodied and lacerated faces, the result of being crammed into trailers
destined for slaughterhouses. Celebrities
also turned up the pressure: Actress Bo Derek was on hand for Thursday's
263-146 vote, and country singer Willie Nelson and oil tycoon T. Boone
Pickens have been campaigning against horse slaughter. Lawmakers
thought they had ended the practice with a vote last year. But instead of
banning it outright, Congress yanked the salaries and expenses of federal
inspectors. In response, the Bush administration simply started charging
plants for inspections, and the slaughter continued. ''It is one
of the most inhumane, brutal, shady practices going on in the U.S. today,''
said Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y., a sponsor of the ban. Sweeney
argued that the slaughter of horses is different because horses, such as Mr.
Ed, Secretariat and Silver, are American icons. ''They're as
close to human as any animal you can get,'' said Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C. Rep.
Christopher Shays, R-Conn., added: ``The way a society treats its animals,
particularly horses, speaks to the core values and morals of its citizens.'' The bill's
future is uncertain. The Senate has not acted on a similar bill, and Congress
intends to finish its session by the end of the month. The
administration contends a ban would do more harm than good for horses. ''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 letter released Thursday. American
horse meat is sold mostly in Europe and Asia; some goes to U.S. zoos. Defenders of
horse slaughter said it offers a cheap 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. ''These
unwanted horses are often sick, unfit or problem animals,'' said Rep. Collin
Peterson, D-Minn. ``Many of them are already living in pain or discomfort,
and tens of thousands more could be neglected, starved or abandoned if their
owners no longer have processing available as an end-of-life option.'' Supporters
said a U.S. ban likely would send horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.
Unlike other countries, U.S. law requires that horses and other livestock be
unable to feel pain before they are killed. ''These
facilities provide a humane alternative to additional suffering or possible
dangerous situations,'' said GOP Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, who chairs
the House Agriculture Committee. Horses are
slaughtered at three foreign-owned plants -- two in Texas and one in
Illinois. In all, about 88,000 horses, mules and other equines were slaughtered
last year, according to the Agriculture Department. |
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