VOTE for our Senate Bill S. 311 and House Bill H.R. 503

Animal Fairy Charities

The Animal Fairy National Fundraising Campaign
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Please help us spread the word! $5.00 from every purchase from my blog will go to Dreamchaser PMU Rescue, Horse Rescue of North Scottsdale, Arizona Equine Rescue or Tierra Madre Horse Sanctuary. Click the link to animalfairycharities.org to order and please mention Campaigning For Barbaro AZ blogspot. Holiday Ornament $19.95 Desk Piece Ornament $24.95.

U.S. House of Representatives Votes to Stop Horse Slaughter, Again

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
U.S. House of Representatives Votes to Stop
Horse Slaughter, Again

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 2, 2007) – Once again, Congress has voiced its opposition to horse slaughter. The U.S. House of Representatives today approved an amendment to the 2008 Agriculture Appropriations bill that will temporarily bring horse slaughter to a halt by stripping funds from the federally required inspection of slaughter-bound horses. Without the inspections, the slaughter cannot proceed.

Introduced by U.S. Representatives John Spratt (D-SC), Ed Whitfield (R-KY), Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Ben Chandler (D-KY), the amendment ensures that horse slaughter stops while Congress considers the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA), a permanent ban on this abhorrent trade. The measure must now go to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

The amendment is almost identical to one that passed overwhelmingly in the U.S. Congress two years ago, with the addition of language to prevent the U.S. Department of Agriculture from circumventing the will of Congress – as it did in 2005 when the slaughter continued.

More than 100,000 horses were brutally slaughtered in the United States last year at three foreign-owned slaughterhouses for human consumption in Europe and Asia. Tens of thousands more were exported for slaughter in Canada and Mexico. Currently, Cavel International (DeKalb, IL) is the last remaining horse slaughter plant in operation in the country. The only other plants, both in Texas, were effectively closed down earlier this year under state law.

A hearing on Aug. 16 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit will determine whether Cavel International will remain open or be forced to shut its doors, following last April’s passage of a similar law that was signed by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

“Once again, when the entire House has the chance to vote on ending slaughter, support for a ban is overwhelming. Sadly, a few politicians and misguided business associations continue to thwart the Democratic process by stalling enactment of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act,” said Chris Heyde, deputy legislative director of the Animal Welfare Institute. “I implore these individuals to stand with the majority of Americans who support a ban on horse slaughter and allow this measure to move forward.”

The American public, over 500 animal protective organizations, horse industry organizations and veterinarians all support the effort to end the slaughter of America’s horses. Congress must now pass the AHSPA (H.R. 503/S.311) to end the slaughter of American horses nationwide and ensure that they are not exported elsewhere to be killed for those who wish to eat them.

The Animal Welfare Institute applauds the continued leadership of the sponsors of legislation to end horse slaughter. The organization also commends Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) for supporting efforts to protect America’s horses from this cruel industry and those who want to exploit their suffering.

The Animal Welfare Institute, founded in 1951, is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. Our legislative division is leading the national campaign to end horse slaughter and advocating passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act. For more information, please visit www.awionline.org and www.saplonline.org.

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CONTACT:
Chris Heyde, (703) 836-4300

http://www.awionline.org/legislation/news/2007/house_ag_08.htm

Section 123 of Farm Bill No Longer an Issue

Humane Society Applauds House Agriculture Committee for Removing “Great Federal Power Grab” from Farm Bill, and Eliminating Earmark for Veal


July 7, 2007


WASHINGTON (July 7, 2007)—Late last night, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture released its latest mark-up of the 2007 Farm Bill, and The Humane Society of the United States thanked the committee for removing a little-known but far-reaching provision that had threatened to nullify dozens of animal welfare and food safety laws enacted through democratic decision-making at the state and local level, as well as removing a $12 million subsidy for the veal industry.

Section 123 of Title I of the Farm Bill – included in an earlier draft by the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry but removed from the version released last night – had specified that "no State or locality shall make any law prohibiting the use in commerce of an article that the Secretary of Agriculture has (1) inspected and passed; or (2) determined to be of non-regulated status."

The HSUS had advocated for the removal of this provision, and was joined by a wide array of consumer groups and environmental and farming organizations, including the National Association of Counties, National Conference of State Legislatures, Consumers Union, Environmental Defense, Rice Growers of California, and American Corn Growers Association.

"We are grateful to Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and Livestock Subcommittee Chairman Leonard Boswell for removing Section 123 from the Farm Bill," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. "This provision was an overreach and we are glad the committee pulled the provision. We look forward to working with the committee on other provisions to construct a Farm Bill that includes animal welfare provisions supported by the American people."

If passed, Section 123 could have stricken numerous state and local laws—ranging from prohibitions against horse slaughter to bans on the cruel treatment of farm animals. Because the wording of the section would have prohibited state laws on any article that the Secretary of Agriculture has "inspected and passed," The HSUS feared it was so broad that it could have been used to threaten animal welfare laws that do not even relate to food production, such as restricting abusive puppy mills and the ownership of dangerous exotic pets.

In addition to Section 123, another provision removed from the new version of the Farm Bill was a $12 million subsidy for the U.S. veal industry. This earmark had been previously offered as an amendment by Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wisc.) and approved by a subcommittee vote of 8 to 6. Veal consumption has been on the decline primarily because Americans view the practice of keeping young calves in small crates as inhumane, and last year Arizona became the first state to ban veal crates. The HSUS had advocated for the removal of this earmark and expressed its thanks to the committee for declining to reimburse this industry for previous losses.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization—backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty—on the web at humanesociety.org.


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Email or Fax info:

To email your Representative, please go to the
following site and enter your Zip Code.

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

If you get done with the calls, as there are only two a day, please follow with email and/or FAX.

When emailing, please include the following links.

http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles/2007/05/24/news/news01.txt

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-070524horsesmay24,1,4604685.story

They mention our rescue attempt at Cavel.

Also include ANY or all of the links at:

http://wwwcampaigningforbarbaroaz.blogspot.com/

Here are some, but not all of them:

http://www.saplonline.org/horses.htm

http://www.hsus.org/

http://www.saplonline.org/slaughtervhumaneeuth.htm

http://www.hsus.org/video_clips/stable_to_slaughter.html

The Veterinarians for equine welfare is a good argument for the AVMA being pro-slaughter. Many vets have broken away from the AVMA because of that and have formed the "VEW:"

http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/index.php

Here is a video (not graphic) about Cavel from Debra WI:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM4IGqAoOEI

ALSO, Please email this link to John Holland's study in Horsetalk:

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/features/horseslaughter-123.shtml


Here is a tribute to the rescue efforts of the FOB ! ! !

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/jun/01/donations-are-pouring-in-to-help-rescued-horses/


Please remember to use the National Strategy points located here:

http://www.timwoolleyracing.com/wiki/index.php/Horse_slaughter#Current_Strategy


THANKS !

Illinois governor OKs banning slaughter of horses for food

The Associated Press


SPRINGFIELD, Ill. --Horse lovers got a gift Thursday from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich: a law making it illegal to slaughter horses for human consumption.

Blagojevich said he was proud to sign the law, calling it "past time to stop slaughtering horses in Illinois."

A slaughterhouse in DeKalb has been shipping horse meat overseas, where it is sold for people to eat. The practice has outraged people who feel horses are more like pets than livestock.

Animal rights advocates say the Cavel International plant is the only remaining facility in the United States that slaughters horses for human consumption.

A phone call to Cavel's plant went unanswered Thursday evening.

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, called on the federal government to ban the practice nationwide and to ban exporting horses for slaughter.

"Thousands of horses face grueling trips to slaughter facilities in Canada and Mexico unless Congress acts now to protect them," Pacelle said in a statement.

He said federal statistics show that 100,800 horses were slaughtered in the United States in 2006. Another 30,000 were sent to Mexico or Canada for slaughter.

Illinois lawmakers passed the ban after an appeal from actress Bo Derek. In a statement today, she applauded the end of the "cruel, bloody trade in horsemeat."

Opponents of the new law say there's no reason to treat horses differently from cattle or other farm animals. They say the horses are killed humanely and the slaughterhouse creates jobs.

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The bill is HB1711.

We Win in the Senate Committee!

S 311, the Senate Bill to BAN horse slaughter was marked up today in the Senate Committee on Science, Commerce and Transportation by a vote of 15 to 7. For individual votes, go to the Tim Woolley Forum:

http://forums.prospero.com/timwoolley/messages?msg=8055.230

This is a HUGE victory! Thanks to all of you who have called, faxed, and emailed! We will keep you posted as to further strategy.

SLAUGHTER IS OVER!

For Immediate Release

COURT DECLARES HORSE SLAUGHTER TO BE ILLEGAL

Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2007) - In a 51-page opinion issued just hours ago, United States District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly held that the slaughter of horses in America violates federal law. In her opinion, issued in response to a lawsuit filed in February 2006 by the Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL) and other humane organizations and individuals, Judge Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct an environmental impact review of its decision to allow the continuation of horse slaughter.

“Tonight, after years of legislation and litigation, America’s three horse slaughterhouses can no longer kill horses for human consumption,” states Chris Heyde, deputy legislative director for the Society for Animal Protective Legislation. “We call on Illinois-based Cavel International to work with the humane and rescue communities to find permanent safe homes for the hundreds of horses who were slated for slaughter, to give them a second chance at life.”

The rule that was vacated by the court, was promulgated by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to create a fee-for-service inspection process for horses slaughtered for human consumption. The rule circumvented a Congressionally approved amendment to the FY 2006 Agricultural Appropriations Act that cut federal funding for the required inspections. Because of continuing resolutions approved by Congress to fund the government, today's ruling is effective immediately.

There are three horse slaughterhouses in America, one in Illinois and two in Texas. Though the Texas plants were recently forced to stop slaughtering horses for human consumption when an appellate court upheld a Texas law making it illegal to sell, possess and transport horsemeat for sale for human consumption, the Illinois plant has been killing approximately 1,000 horses per week.

“The American public has overwhelmingly opposed the slaughter of America’s horses for human consumption and now the courts have declared horse slaughter to be illegal,” adds Heyde. “While horses will no longer be butchered in the U.S. they can be hauled under appalling conditions to a similarly brutal death in plants across the U.S. border. Congress must pass federal legislation to extend the protections to all horses and to send a clear message to those few who profit from this barbaric trade."

Currently pending in Congress are H.R. 503 and its Senate companion measure, S. 311, which would ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption and prohibit the transport of horses outside of the United States for slaughter.

The Society for Animal Protective Legislation, the Animal Welfare Institute's legislative arm, is the unsurpassed leader in obtaining laws to benefit animals in need, including the protection of domestic and wild horses. More information is available at www.saplonline.org/horses.htm.

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For More Information Contact:
Chris Heyde (703) 836-4300