Thoroughbred
Retirement Foundation, Inc.
Contact:
Skip
Trimble - (214) 855-2960
Chris
Heyde (703) 836-4300
Diana
Pikulski - (802) 496-3282
Leslie
McCammish - (859) 255-1555
Survey
Shows Texans Strongly Oppose Horse Slaughter
Austin,
TX (May 9, 2003) – An opinion
poll conducted this week reveals that an overwhelming majority of Texas
voters (72%) are opposed to the slaughtering of horses for human
consumption. Texas is home to the two remaining horse slaughter houses in
the United States. Both are foreign owned, and the meat is shipped to
Europe and Asia where it is considered a delicacy.
The
survey was conducted May 4-6, 2003 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research for
Blue Horse Charities, a
corporation organized by Fasig-Tipton Co.,
Inc., the country's oldest
Thoroughbred auction house, which
conducts several sales each year at Lone Star Park
and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, the largest equine
rescue in the country. The survey was commissioned to determine public
sentiment on the issue, in light of pending legislation to overturn existing
Texas law which outlaws the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Earlier
this year a Texas State Representative introduced a measure to decriminalize
this activity – so long as the horsemeat is consumed elsewhere.
In response to the question, “Do you favor or oppose changing state law to legalize the slaughter of horses and foreign export of horsemeat for human consumption?” 77% of those polled said they opposed. “The horse holds a unique place in the lives of Americans, so we weren’t surprised to learn that 77% of Texans oppose the legislation pending in the state legislature,” said John Hettinger, a major shareholder of Fasig-Tipton Co., Inc.
The
survey also revealed that horse slaughter is an unknown industry to most
Texans, with 89% of those questioned stating they were previously unaware of
the practice. Even fewer
realize the cruelty involved throughout the entire process, from livestock
auction to slaughter. Because horses are not raised for human
consumption in the US, slaughterhouses and their middlemen known as
“killer buyers” have to travel throughout the entire US from auction to
auction to fill their quotas, often buying from owners who are unaware that
their animals will be killed and their flesh served in European restaurants.
Diana
Pikulski, Executive Director of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation says
“There are ample, quality sanctuaries across the United States that can
take in horses in need of homes. We
have 4 major farms at correctional facilities where inmates and juvenile
offenders derive emotional as well as educational benefits while helping
care for the horses. Additionally
we have 7 other satellite farms around the country.”
Not
all legislation on this issue is bad. A
federal bill, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (HR 857), was
recently introduced by Representative John Sweeney (R-NY). This humane
bill will not only ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption, but
also the export of live horses for slaughter abroad.