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Horse Slaughter Victory Threatened by Petition to USDA

A petition filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) by owners of three slaughterhouses would undermine the recent victory for horses bound for slaughter in the U.S. for export to foreign meat markets.

A funding provision in the Department of Agriculture’s 2006 budget prohibits the USDA from spending money for inspections of slaughterhouses that kill and process horse meat to be sent overseas for human consumption. This measure would put a temporary halt to the operation of three plants because the companies cannot export meat that has not been approved by the USDA.

Animal advocates hailed this action as a victory for horses and a stop gap measure until federal legislation can be passed banning the practice altogether. The legislation, H.R. 503 and S. 1915, were introduced in 2005 and are still alive in both chambers.

In an effort to side step this ban on funding inspections, which takes effect in March, the companies that operate these slaughterhouses have requested the USDA to approve of a fee-for-services arrangement for inspections that would allow USDA inspections to take place without using money from the USDA’s budget. Instead, the slaughterhouses would pay directly for their inspection services, continuing operations despite the efforts to stop the killing of horses for their meat.

The petition requests that the USDA issue an emergency interim rule, which would not require any period for public comments. Before the USDA issues rules that adopt new regulations or change existing ones, they are required to issue a proposed rule with a minimum 30-day comment period. This petition would bypass that process. We must let our voices be heard NOW, before any action is taken by the USDA.

Please write today to the Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns. Let him know that you strongly oppose granting this petition to allow for the establishment of a fee-for-services inspection process at plants slaughtering horses for human consumption. Granting this petition would ignore the will of Congress in stopping the funding of these inspections. Allowing the further slaughter of horses is against the will of the American people.

Please add your voice to thousands of others who believe that horses should not be a commodity slaughtered and eaten for a foreign market.

Write your U.S. Senators and Representative to support a permanent ban on the slaughter of horses for food! Let’s stop this unconscionable practice for good. Go to the NAVS Advocacy Center to send these letters now.