Congressman Jim Moran's commitment to stop horse slaughter is amazing! We have worked with him and his office a lot on the issue of horse slaughter, including my speaking at a press conference with him in Washington DC last year. I can tell you he really cares about horses and values my opinion, even though I am a kid - he is AWESOME! We love you Congressman Jim Moran, thanks sooo much for fighting for our horses!!! ~Declan
As Posted on Congressman Moran's Website
Moran Statement on Reports of Horse Slaughter Plants Reopening
Mar 8, 2013 Issues: Animal Protection
Washington, DC – Congressman Jim Moran, Northern Virginia Democrat and co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, today reaffirmed his commitment to banning horse slaughter in the U.S. His statement follows recent actions by the Oklahoma Legislature to repeal the state ban on horse slaughter and media reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) may soon approve the opening of a horse slaughter plant in New Mexico.
Moran has spearheaded the fight in Congress to reinstate the ban on horse slaughter for human consumption, citing safety, cost, and public opposition to the practice.
“Recent news reports of horse slaughter plants reopening are deeply troubling. As one of the nearly 80 percent of Americans who oppose the slaughter of horses for human consumption, we must fight to prevent the resumption of this inhumane, unsafe, and unnecessary practice,”Moran said. "At a time when USDA’s meat inspection budget is being slashed by sequestration, it would be irresponsible to divert dwindling food inspection resources to the horsemeat industry.”
“Secretary Vilsack has already indicated that federal meat inspectors will be furloughed, impacting the operations of over 6,000 food processing businesses,” Moran continued. “Requiring USDA inspections of horse slaughter plants would even further decrease funding available for beef, chicken, and pork inspections - meat actually consumed by Americans.”
A Colorado State University report concluded that 90 percent of horses going to slaughter "are healthy, sound horses with no behavior problems." Horses are not raised as food animals and are routinely given substances, including the anti-inflammatory drug phenylbutazone, that are banned by the FDA from administration to animals destined for human consumption.
The expanding scandal in the EU involving beef adulterated with horsemeat demonstrates the risks involved in reinstating horse slaughter in the U.S. According to a London-based consumer research firm, U.K. frozen burger sales dropped by 43 percent during the month of February.
Moran continued: “I am pleased that the Obama Administration supports the reinstatement of the amendment I have offered to ban USDA inspections at horse slaughter plants, and will being working with my colleagues in the coming weeks to include that language in the final FY13 appropriations bill.”
The Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill ended a five-year funding ban on USDA horse slaughter inspections, allowing horse slaughter facilities to legally reopen. A Moran amendment banning horse slaughter inspections was approved in the House Appropriations Committee, but the language was stripped during closed-door conference committee negotiations. This amendment was again added to the fiscal year 2013 Agriculture Appropriations Bill last year, but the federal government is still operating on a continuing resolution based upon the 2012 bill.
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Go Jim!!!!! WE ARE BEHIND YOU ALL the WAy! We know you can defeat this! You ARE knowledgable, compassionate, and caring, which is what horses need in their corner. Horsepeople are tired of the sad, often ridiculous ways slaughter is excused as right. It's heinous, irresponsible, and a extortion of the industries richest resources, money, lives, and relationships. As horse owners we have elvolved with natural horsemanship and learning the best management and healthcare and we love our animals. What caused this incredible situation is greed, greed to overproduce to kill them for more finacial gain without responsibilty. We need the industry to own up and take care of what they consider the unwanted. I havent seen huge numbers of horse abandoned but I have heard tall tales at auction barns and killer buyers started them. They work on the innocent people who they know will fall for they propaganda and they manipulate the system. We do not need slaughter in US. As well in trying to prove there is surplus these deceptive people turned horses free to push their cause. They were horses killer buyers already were going to kill, it was a make believe profile of the what America had come to. Then they pushed tons of horse meat into foreign countries trying to convince us there was a demand for it there. Proving no real demand their governments are working overtime, costly tests are being done in every country to see who was deceived. That means they had to hide the meats in other products unknown to the consumer to make the US Federal and State Governments believe their is a demand. I dont think we as Americans should take part in this fraud. I am saddened that other countries would try to sneak in here, not pay their share in taxes, steal our countries pride, and the wild horses just to market it disguised as something else. Congressman Moran saw through this scam from the start. He is not blinded by the stories of makebelieve abandonement, and in the horse world he also knows horses are valuable and they do sell, but the undertakers of the industry have pulled the wool over everyones eyes with false information. I support you with my whole heart! I am proud to say you are a Congressman who is working for the people, and those who cannot talk. Please sign the Petition on change.org Petition to Overturn the Slaughter of Horses for Human Consumption in the US-just go to change.org and then select animals go about 4 pages then you will find it. We have over 53,000 signatures lets give him some more! God speed to you Congressman Moran our horses whinny in salute to you! I am proud you are in our Government!
ReplyDeleteThank You so very much from the bottom of my heart and the horse's!!! This slaughter business is so disgusting honestly makes me ill and many of us I know!!! Horse's deserve better and I won't go into this long reason why you already know, but know this in how very much we appreciate all your hard work in getting this awful situation the horses's are in into them being save!!!! WE ALL NEH YOU Thank You
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