Bill seeks ban on killing horses for food
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| Posted
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Tue, 05 Sep 2006 11:32:00 GMT |
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Alan Cross |
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WASHINGTON: The U.S. House of Representatives will vote Thursday on a bill that would ban slaughtering horses for food in the country.
The bill is the culmination of an emotional campaign by the Humane Society of the United States and several animal welfare groups against three Dutch and Belgian-owned companies in the country that slaughter the animals and process meat before exporting it.
According to industry experts, horsemeat processing is a $40 billion industry in the country and is fully export-oriented. One of the plants, Cavel International Inc., is located in DeKalb, Illinois, while the other two are Texas-based.
Political observers feel the House is divided on the issue. While nearly half the representatives have co-sponsored the bill, the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, the agriculture committee had voted against it and had sought several amendments including allowing the existing plants to operate. Some of the bill's opponents contend that slaughtering horses is just like slaughtering other livestock.
The groups that lobby in favor of passing the bill have brought out advertisements in The New York Times and USA Today and celebrities like Paul McCartney, Clint Eastwood, Billy Bob Thornton and Willie Nelson are involved in the campaign.
Those opposing the bill say horses are just another species of livestock and without the three slaughter and process plants, there would be thousands of unwanted horses and the cost to retire them and take care of them will be prohibitive. Though Americans used to consume horsemeat during the depression period and during World War II and even in the 1970s, it is no longer used in the country. The three plants are said to be supplying the meat to European countries, especially France.
Even when the House passes the bill, the Senate has a different version of the bill, which it will consider. If it is passed there, it will go to a conference committee to iron out the differences if any before a final legislation is made for the White House to sign.
Meanwhile, according to a national poll released last week, 68 per cent of Americans oppose "the slaughtering of horses for people to eat."
Copyright,
respective author or news agency
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the horse slaughter
By:
ashlea ,
Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:33:56 GMT
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i think it is disgusting that we kill horses for food. They are incrediably loyal and lovign animals and all they want is love in return. The way they are killed is horrible and needs to stop.
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Killing animals is like. . .
By:
Marisa ,
Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:05:43 GMT
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Killing animals is just like killing people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so why do it ??you wouldn't want someone to kill and eat you .
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slaughter
By:
Marisa ,
Tue, 03 Apr 2007 21:00:16 GMT
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Killing is bad. It's cruel and shouldn't be done . How would you feel if someone cut you up into pieces or skinned you alive or hung you upside down until they killed you or kept you in crates until they kill you ? ??? cuz thats what lots of slaughter houses do to animals.
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Slaughtering Horses is Dead Wrong
By:
Misty ,
Wed, 13 Dec 2006 09:16:04 GMT
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The manner in which all animals are slaughtered for food is disgusting and extremely cruel and unncessary suffering. Many of the animals, whether cows or pigs or chickens or horses, are being cut up while still alive!! Check it out for yourselves and it will make you sick. I don't eat meat or jello or wear leather, etc. I am not into making some poor animal suffer for food. I hope we stop the slaughter.
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The slaughter of poor defenceless horses
By:
Michele Muhammad ,
Thu, 12 Oct 2006 20:54:41 GMT
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I used to go riding every week on a lovely intellegent horse called cloud, which yes by the way was a grey mare, she was so cute and obedient, i prefer horses to people, at least they are more gentle and don't answer back and are not cruel to other living things. People should be disgusted with themselves they think they are so superior well watch this space....
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horse slaughtering for meat
By:
sandy ,
Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:44:48 GMT
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My family owns several hundred horses, cattle, and buffalo, not to mention the dogs, cats, birds, deer, varmits, elk, snakes, rats, etc that are part of life on a ranch. Anyone who wears makeup, takes hormones ((Premerian), has leather car seats, wears nice shoes, eats jello (yes, jello has animal parts), as well as hundreds of thousands of products that are used and consumed daily by humans, should know that most of these products contain some form of animal parts. Eating a horse rump shouldn't be anymore nasty than eating a hog rump. Do you know what bacon really is and what part of the body it comes from. And you can take this for what ever it is worth but believe me when I say that a chicken is probably the most nasty animal you can eat. If people in France fancy horse meat then let 'em. We Americans like baby steers(they were bulls before their man-hood was cut off or had a rubber band placed around it), baby lambs, one year old chickens, goat kids, and I could go on. Unless you can live on water (which unless it is distilled contains microscopic animals) then you are a animal consumer.
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horses
By:
jesse ,
Mon, 11 Sep 2006 18:11:32 GMT
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the bill is asinine, even worse that it passed.
i am a professional horse trainer, i work for one of the largest horse auctions in the country, i also personally know some of the biggest killer buyers there are. and belive me, i care as much about horses as as anything in my life, i could make alot more money doing something else. but let me clear up a few things for the who obviously don't know very much about the subject, other than horses are \
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ridiculous law
By:
Grove ,
Sat, 09 Sep 2006 01:59:09 GMT
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What is the basis of this law? Isn't horse slaughtering covered under existing animal slaughtering regulations? Isn't horse stealing already illegal. Anyway, the solution for the existing companies is obvious. Just export the live horses to Mexico and slaughter them there. I'm sure the conditions will be much more humane south of the border...
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Horse Slaughtering
By:
Horse Whisper ,
Fri, 08 Sep 2006 15:55:07 GMT
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All you horse lovers out there, what would be better? 90,000 horses starving, wasting away suffering, or ending their misery? I love animals, so much so, I do not want to see 90,000 some odd horses suffering! Send them to DeKalb, then France! The US makes money, and ends needless suffering of many animals, people eat. I don't see the negitive here.
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horse slaughtering
By:
Agnes ,
Fri, 08 Sep 2006 08:23:40 GMT
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All killing is wrong!
Please don,t kill such beautiful animal just for meat!!!!!!
They can teach us and help us- like they did to my.
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horse slaugther and legislation to prohibit it.
By:
cathy ,
Fri, 08 Sep 2006 03:13:55 GMT
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Horse slaughter is an industry we can do without. It is a barbaric practice justified by economics. It is cruel and demeaning.
Have you ever noticed what other "delicies" have been requested for consumpution? Try tiger testiciles,ground rhino horn,whale sperm,etc. Sadly enough these animals are killed and their remains are used as sexual enhancers. Has anyone ever heard of Viagra? When these animals are used as food,it is just as questionable as to why anyone would pay so much for such a "special dish" just for the sake of trying it or having it. How much status does anyone actually need. Why not do something constructive with the money to help preservation or conservation? Furthermore the exotics that purchase the skins of some these animals should really think about doing something more productive with own their lives and learn to live in their own skins instead of wearing a tiger or pony jacket.Please advise you senate representative to vote against horse slaughter and stop these absurd practices.
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horse slaughtering
By:
Lea Fletcher ,
Fri, 08 Sep 2006 02:43:05 GMT
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Finally this subject has come up. Slaughtering horses is like hunting whales in that not only are they not necessary but inhuman not to mention that both show the ignorant arrogance and greed of those who do so. Even today it's still a fact that humans put themselves above all other animals. Both of these animals are magnificent creatures and can teach us many things. We need to listen, learn, and act accordingly to become better people.
Please let there be enough votes for this ban to pass.
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please don't sell horses for food
By:
LL Fischer ,
Thu, 07 Sep 2006 23:57:46 GMT
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Please don't let these horses be slaughtered for food.
Do you know how many little girls would pay a dollar for a chance to win a foal in a lottery? And the horse population is reportedly reduced in Iraq; perhaps we could send them some horses in good faith.
But do not kill the horses.
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horse slaughtering
By:
Albert ,
Thu, 07 Sep 2006 23:55:53 GMT
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What s wrong with shipping to Europe? They told me that they like to eat horse... as much as we like to eat cows, chicken, and lambs... It does not make any sense to me. Send them to Europe. We don't mean our pet horses. We mean our wild horses.
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animal killing
By:
Selina Chan ,
Thu, 07 Sep 2006 23:17:18 GMT
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Why discriminate? All killing is wrong. Go vegetaranian.
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horse slautering
By:
mckenna ,
Thu, 07 Sep 2006 22:38:07 GMT
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i ride horses and that is a terrible thing to do to poor animals.. just for the meat?????????
in my eyes, that is a horrible, horrible thing to do.
why would people kill such a beautiful animal just for the meat???
we have plants to eat, no need to kill animals..
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the slaughtering of horses for people to eat
By:
Krystle ,
Thu, 07 Sep 2006 22:32:44 GMT
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i dont think any one should eat a horse and it dosent matter on how poor u are that is very cruel
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Horse slaughtering
By:
Johnny ,
Thu, 07 Sep 2006 17:32:40 GMT
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For people who don't see the point of trying to prevent the slaughter of horses -- afterall if it is safe to eat, why not. Cats and dogs are safe to eat and are delicacies in Asian countries -- would you advocate killing cats and dogs and sending their carcasses to Asia, probably not. People in the horse industry generally feel the same way about horses--the idea is repulsive. Presently in the US we don't render cats and dogs for human consumption, but one time we did -- this has been outlawed so one doesn't have to worry about their dog being stolen and stunned with a bolt to its head, then being gripped by its hind legs and its throat cut. People who own horses want to feel their friends are similarly protected.
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Ever think...
By:
Defrost ,
Thu, 07 Sep 2006 02:22:21 GMT
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Horses are not raised to be part of the food chain; if nothing else, you have no idea what sort of painkillers, wormers, antibiotics, hormones, sprays etc. are in/on their bodies. Not only that, the presence of the industry encourages the theft of healthy riding horses by people who are out to turn over a quick buck.
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?????
By:
Candy ,
Wed, 06 Sep 2006 19:21:33 GMT
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I don't really see a point in this. I've never eaten horse meat, but if its safe to eat then why not eat them. Horses are cute animals, but so are lambs and cows.
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horse slaughtering
By:
Martin and Faye Aycock ,
Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:42:02 GMT
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I cannot believe anyone that owns a horse would let anyone, for any reason, slaughter their horse. I know I could not do it, it is like killing your beautiful pet.
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the slaughtering of horses for people to eat
By:
Evelyn Hodges ,
Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:00:11 GMT
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Please vote against the slaughtering of Horses for any reason. They are beautiful animals and we need to take care of them.
Evelyn
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