Subject: The American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act
Dear Congressman Burgess,
Greetings from your constituent in Flower Mound! I hope things are going
well for you and you are enjoying your new job!
I am contacting you in reference to the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act,
H.R. 857. As you are probably aware, there are many horse owners in your
district, and Flower Mound has a very large equestrian community. I myself
have owned horses all my life, and currently own two beautiful Arabian horses,
so this subject is near and dear to my heart.
The movement to legalize horse slaughter for human consumption here in
Texas, as expressed in HB 1324 (authored by Rep. Betty Brown of
Kaufman, Texas) was forced to concede it was against the wishes of
the constituents of this state, and this bill died in the senate
conference committee. As a recent Texas poll showed, the vast
majority of Texas voters (77%) oppose the slaughter of horses for
human consumption.
Congress and State Legislatures have recognized and enacted laws to
protect our equines (horses, ponies, burros, donkeys, and mules) that
form the foundation and basis for the logical extension of same that
H.R. 857 provides. They are:
· In l972, Congress enacted the Wild Horse and
Burro Act. This
designated the wild horse and Burro as part of American heritage and
providing protection against those that would cruelly slaughter them
for food.
· In l985, Congress enacted the Export
Administration
Amendments Act to prohibit the export of horses by sea from the
United States for purposes of slaughter.
· In l998, the State of California enacted the
Prohibition on
Slaughter of Horses and Sale of Horsemeat for Human Consumption
Initiative Statute. This Act prohibited the slaughter of California
horses for human consumption and the possession or sale of horsemeat
for human consumption.
· In l999, Congress enacted HR 4868, which
expressly prohibits
the import, export or sale of dog and cat fur. This ban was
incorporated into a miscellaneous trade package. This ban has held up
even under the continued pressure from foreign trade groups that feel
because they do not share our cultural bias we should allow these
sales, imports, and exports of pet dog and cat hides to and from
their countries.
· In 2002, Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn
(now US
Senator), issued a legal opinion stating that Chapter 149 of the
Texas Agriculture Code prohibiting the possession or commercial sale
of horse meat does apply to the two remaining horse slaughter plants
in operation, is not federally pre-empted and is prosecutable through
the Texas District Attorney's Offices. A similar law is on the books
in the State of Illinois.
· In 2003 Texas citizens stopped the
decriminalization of horse
slaughter for human consumption.
Extending the above laws by adopting a federal prohibition on the
slaughter of horses and sale of horseflesh for human consumption is
consistent with the international obligations of the United States as
it applies equally to domestic and foreign producers and is
consistent with agreements that expressly allow to protect the health
and welfare of human beings and of animals and to forbid deceptive
trade practices in international or domestic commerce. (HR 4868
resides under the same logic and to date continues to protect our
dogs and cats from being slaughtered for their hides and meat.)
Congressman Burgess, I would ask for your support of H.R. 857 in hopes
that someday soon the barbaric practice of horse slaughter, which casts a cloud
of shame on the great state of Texas, will be history. I would also ask
that you make your support clear to Congressman Charles W. Stenholm, 17th
district, who is the ranking minority member of the U.S. House Agriculture
Committee. Mr. Stenholm has made statements supporting horse slaughter.
(The only other Texan on that committee is freshman Republican congressman Randy
Neugebauer from Lubbock.)
We are depending on you for representation.
Respectfully,
Sherillyn Flick
Founder and past President of the Flower Mound Republican Club
3220 Miracle Lane
Flower Mound, TX 75022-5525
817-430-9000