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mperrier@texascattleraisers.org

To:

Mark Perrier ~ Coordinator, Educational Programs/Policy Analysis

Manager, Horse Identification Program

 

From:

Valerie James-Patton

Email http://us.f820.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=valerie_jamespatton@yahoo.com

 

November 2, 2005

 

Dear Mr. Perrier,

 

In a letter to Todd McCartney dated April 11, 2003, from Mary Nash, she asked the question of how many stolen horses have actually been recovered at the Texas slaughter facilities, by the TSCRA brand inspectors since 1997. I have searched the Mary Nash website, and it appears that those questions remain unanswered. I have been interacting daily with others who have been reviewing documents from Todd McCartney, Larry Gray, Pete Gibbs, Michelle Carlisle, as well as other documents containg information from the field inspectors themselves, about the actual events, persons involved, and the estimated numbers of stolen horses by the field inspectors at the facilities. I have written to Todd McCartney and asked him again for those answers, and have yet to receive a reply. It is important to get the official statistics from the TSCRA's database of records. Given that it has been well over 2 years since this question was first asked, more than ample time has passed to allow for the gathering of these statistics, (a requirement according to the legislation is that TSCRA must keep and report these records to a database) and they should be easily obtained.

 

I have been studying the information contained on your website regarding TSCRA, Texas A&M, and the current stolen horse recovery program which includes a $5 dollar horse slaughter fee from every horse slaughtered in Texas, to be collected by TSCRA according the Texas Agriculture legislation (Ag. Code § 148.029) enacted September 1, 1997 which pays TSCRA for field inspectors at the 2 Texas horse slaughtering facilities to inspect each horse for brand marking, and for the recovery of stolen horses, as well as the $2 fee paid to Texas A&M to provide equine education to horse owners about horse theft.

 

I am requesting the documents from September 1, 1997, to the current date, that show the total amounts of the $5 fees for the slaughter of horses that have been collected by the TSCRA through this legislation.

 

I am aware that TSCRA pays TEAS $2 of the fee of each slaughtered horse, (Ag. Code § 148.029) for the funding to provide an equine education program to horse owners about horse theft, by the Texas A&M. Just recently a newlsletter was distributed by Texas A&M, announcing an equine education class about horse theft is scheduled to begin and you are to be the educational program director. Is the first equine education program about horse theft that has been offered to the horse owner by Texas A&M, since the inception of that law ?

 

I will also need the documentation that will show how the remaining $3 portion of those fees have been spent by the TSCRA to include an itemized account describing what the expenses were for, and the totals of the amounts that have been paid.

 

I would like to know, as well, how this part of the legislation is enforced:

§ 148.003 of the Texas Agriculture Code, "Slaughter of Unbranded or Unmarked Livestock; Slaughter Without Bill of Sale" reads, "(a) A slaughterer may not purchase or slaughter for market livestock that is unmarked or unbranded."

What happens to the horses at Beltex and Dallas Crown that are received with no branding or marking? How many horses have been received with no branding or marking? Where is the documentation showing where these horses go after they leave Beltex and Dallas Crown? Who takes responsibility for making sure Ag Code § 148.003 is enforced and followed?

 

And finally, following up on the original and previously unanswered question from Mary Nash, I am requesting the documents which contain the data and records of the number of the reported stolen horses, since 1997, through 2005, which have been recovered in the Texas horse slaughtering facilities by the TSCRA field inspectors. I will need the dates of stolen horses that were recovered at either Beltex or Dallas Crown, the name of the owner of the stolen horse, the breed and color of each stolen horse recovered, the name of the TSCRA brand inspector who recovered the stolen horse, as well as a copy of the "stolen horse inspection form" from the brand inspector who is required to fill out the form issued by TSCRA for each stolen horse recovered.

 

As you can see, my request of these documents is for review of the results achieved by the TSCRA, as well as the Texas A&M program funded under the Ag. Code § 148.029 and § 148.003.

 

Because I have several questions regarding the new HIP program, I am going to keep this request for information separate from my questions about HIP, and will follow this with a separate email.

 

I hope you will be able to provide me with this information, and that it will be easy for you to obtain. If for some reason you are unable to provide this information, would you please tell me who I may contact that will be able to get this information to me. It wil be greatly appreciated.

I will anxiously await your response regarding this information. Following this, will be another email with my questions about the new HIP program.

Thank you so much,

Valerie James-Patton

 

Below is Ag Code §148.029.

§ 148.029. Fee for Horses Sold to Slaughterer

(a) A slaughterer shall pay the following fees for each horse purchased for slaughter:

(1) $2 to the Texas Agricultural Extension Service; and

(2) $3 to the department, agency, or association authorized and designated by the secretary of agriculture of the United States to inspect livestock in Texas under 7 U.S.C. Section 217a.

(b) The slaughterer shall remit the fees required by Subsection (a) on a weekly basis.

Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 780, § 9, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.