Congress to
Enter Fray on Slaughtering Horses for Consumption
By LAURA MARQUEZ
July 25, 2006 — - A congressional hearing to investigate
what critics call America's dirty little secret -- the slaughtering of horses whose
meat is then shipped overseas -- is scheduled for this afternoon.
"It's like eating cats or
dogs," said Jerry Finch, president of Habitat for Horses, which rescues
abused horses. "We just don't do it in this country."
But they do in Europe and Japan,
he said. Finch estimates 400 horses in the United States are slaughtered every
day, specifically to provide horse meat for consumption abroad.
Polls show about 80 percent of
Americans are against the slaughtering of horses for food, probably because the
horse is a significant part of American lore. One of the most popular news
stories of the year was the injury of Barbaro, a Kentucky Derby champion, and
children's books are filled with tales of kind ponies and horses, like
"The Black Stallion" and "My Friend Flicka."
Yet three horse slaughterhouses
exist in this country, two in Texas and one in Illinois.
Congress is considering
legislation that would shut their doors, making the transportation of horse
meat to other countries illegal. Today a subcommittee of the House Energy and
Commerce Committee will listen to testimony by horse lovers -- among them oil
baron T. Boone Pickens, who has dubbed the practice America's "dirty
little secret" -- as well as lobbyists for the slaughterhouses.
House Majority Leader John
Boehner said the House will vote on the issue when it returns from its summer
recess in September.
Jerry Finch of Habitat for Horses
plans to be there. "I've been fighting this issue for five years," he
said. "This is the closest we've ever come and I'm confident we'll succeed
this time."