Dear Representative:

I am writing from California to urge you to support SB 1921 and its 1st. House Amendment, an amendment introduced by Representative Robert S. Molaro that would prohibit the slaughter of horses for human consumption in Illinois and the trade and transport of horseflesh and live horses intended for human consumption.

There are currently two equine slaughterhouses in operation in the state of Texas, with a third being rebuilt in DeKalb, Illinois.  All of these plants are foreign owned.  Most of the profits are siphoned overseas, not put in to the American economy.  The opposition to this
legislature will tell you that the plant being rebuilt in your state will provide a service for people to "dispose of" their old, sick and unwanted horses and that they will be providing jobs in the state. 

This could not be farther from the truth.  Many horses which end up in these places are acquired by agents working for the slaughterhouses who buy them at auction, frequently outbidding families looking for a nice riding horse.  They want nice, healthy horses, not the old and the sick.  The jobs provided by the horse slaughter industry are not quality jobs but instead are low-paying with a high turnover rate.

A large percentage of Americans when informed of horse slaughter do not approve of it and they, together with numerous equine and other organizations, are currently working to get the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 857) enacted in order to ban it entirely from this country altogether.

We are not interested in ending the slaughter of other livestock, as some opponents of this bill irrationally believe.  Horses are not raised as food animals, our veterinarians commonly prescribe and treat them with potent drugs that may reside in the horseflesh and be dangerous when consumed by humans.

California led the charge by banning horse slaughter and the trade and transport of horseflesh in 1998, as a result horse theft has declined by 30%.

Horses have played a significant role in the history and culture of the United States.  We admire them, from the prowess of a Thoroughbred at the racetrack to the wild, free nature of our Mustangs who roam the open plains.  Many of us regard horses the same as a cat or a dog, a companion animal.  As a non-food and recreational animal, they should be protected from slaughter. Again, I urge you to support SB 1921 and its 1st. House Amendment to protect
horses from slaughter.

I look forward to receiving a response from you regarding your position on this issue, which is of importance to me.  Thank you.

Sincerely,

Duane Burright
California