Friday, March 29, 2013

Oklahoma Governor Fallin Signs Horse Slaughter Bill - Will Become Law Nov.1st


IT'S A SAD SAD DAY FOR OKLAHOMA!!  PLEASE CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS AND ASK THEM TO COSPONSOR AND SUPPORT THE SAFE ACT H.R.1094/S.541.  WE HAVE GOT TO STOP THIS!!  

Find your Representatives and their contact information by using these links:


~DECLAN




Fallin signs horse slaughter bill, will become law Nov. 1

Oklahoma does not allow horsemeat processing

Published  4:18 PM CDT Mar 29, 2013  on KOCO.com




OKLAHOMA CITY —A controversial horse slaughter bill was signed by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin.


House Bill 1999, a bill ending the prohibition on horse meat processing for export in Oklahoma, was signed Friday. Forty-six states, not including Oklahoma, currently allow horsemeat processing.
Fallin released the following statement:
"In Oklahoma -- as in other states -- abuse is tragically common among horses that are reaching the end of their natural lives. Many horses are abandoned or left to starve to death. Others are shipped out of the country, many to Mexico, where they are processed in potentially inhumane conditions that are not regulated by the U.S. government.
"Unfortunately, the 2006 federal ban on horse processing plants has made this situation worse. After the implementation of that ban, the Government Accountability Office reported a 60 percent increase in abused, neglected and starved horses. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also noted that over 166,000 horses were sent to Canada and Mexico for processing just in 2012.  These animals traveled long distances, in potentially inhumane circumstances, only to meet their end in foreign processing plants that do not face the same level of regulation or scrutiny that American plants would.
"Those of us who care about the well being of horses – and we all should – cannot be satisfied with a status quo that encourages abuse and neglect, or that rewards the potentially inhumane slaughter of animals in foreign countries.
"For that reason, I have today signed HB 1999, which would allow the humane, regulated processing of horses. This bill strictly prohibits selling horse meat for human consumption in Oklahoma.
"My thanks go out to the many horse owners, farmers and ranchers, animal lovers and concerned citizens who have contacted me regarding this issue. I appreciate the willingness of so many individuals and groups to get involved and engage their elected officials.  My office diligently worked to ensure input from all sides of the issue was carefully considered during the consideration of this bill.  I appreciate and support the efforts of those who have expressed a desire to donate land, money and resources to provide for abandoned horses.  I believe the direction pursued by the Oklahoma Legislature, in a bill supported by both Democrats and Republicans and passed by large margins, is both practical and humane."
"There are currently no processing facilities in the state.  Should there ever be a processing facility planned, my administration will work with the Department of Agriculture to ensure it is run appropriately, follows all state and local laws, and is not a burden or hazard to the community.  It’s important to note cities, counties and municipalities still have the ability to express their opposition to processing facilities by blocking their construction and operation at the local level."
HB 1999 goes into effect on November 1. It was sponsored by Rep. Skye McNeil in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Sen. Eddie Fields in the Senate.  The bill passed 82-14 in the House and 32-14 in the Senate.

8 comments:

  1. There is no such thing as humane slaughter. The motivation here is greed. This simply creates a market and allows the big time breeders such as the AQHA to continue their irresponsible practices. If the legislature was truly concerned about the welfare of horses they would attack the "REAL" problems. Stiffen the animal abuse laws, get some regulations in order for the greed breeders and let us suggest incentives NOT to over breed. They are the ones "killing " the horse market. Castration clinics, rules for kill buyers at auction. They should be the last able to bid, because if someone bids on a horse, it is not unwanted then is it, and kill buyers outbid others regularly. Humane euthansia , or even shooting a horse in the head are better solutions that the horrific cruelty of slaughter. It is more corrupt politicians lining their own pockets and pushing personal agendas that have spawned this. Skye McNiel refers to horses as "products," yet convinces the apparently not too bright governor that this is for their welfare ? More likely Mary Fallin wants that cattlemen money for her next campaign.

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  2. you need to get thrown out of your job for killing our horse's you have NO HEART go watch a horse being killed the fear , pain they feel why ,why did you do this ??????????????????????????

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  3. 80% of Americans--nationwide oppose horse slaughter. Even a poll in her own state of Oklahoma, oppose horse slaughter! So why did she sign the bill anyway? "Special Interest" ofcourse. Horse slaughter is Not humane. Just watch a captive bolt to the horse head, then tell me horse slaughter is humane--its horrific! Also, its not the old, sick, abandoned horses that go to slaughter. Its our mares and foals, our off the track throughbreds and our beautiful wild mustangs. The Governor's got all her facts wrong--in fact, I doubt she even considered protecting our American horses.

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  4. What a real winner this CREATURE is... I HOPE FOR EVERY HORSE THAT IS SLAUGHTERED, YOU FEEL ITS PAIN....

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  5. I have a question for Blackfeatherfarm, Since when did the AQHA become a breeder? They are a breed registry that registers horses that others breed. If you had real knowledge on the subject or the horse industry you would know the difference. Also saying that shooting a horse in the head is better than slaughter? That is what would happen to horses at a U.S. slaughter plant versus being hauled in cramped conditions for days without water and then getting their throat slit or getting stabbed in the back of the head at a Mexican slaughter plant. How is that better? Why not keep the industry at home and let it stimulate our economy and deplete the abuse and neglect of horses?

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  6. You are a embarassment to communities you represent. Your words are twisted and your knowledge of the carnage that will insue for the equines that have the bad luck to end up at the slaughter plants is little or none.
    Read what horses and the people around these plants had to endure.
    The cruelty of horse slaughter is not limited to the act of killing the animals. Horses bound for slaughter are shipped, frequently for long distances, and are not rested, fed, or watered during travel. Economics, not humane considerations, dictate the conditions, including crowding as many horses into trucks as possible.

    Often, terrified horses and ponies are crammed together and transported to slaughter in double-deck trucks designed for cattle and pigs. The truck ceilings are so low that the horses are not able to hold their heads in a normal, balanced position. Inappropriate floor surfaces lead to slips and falls, and sometimes even trampling. Some horses arrive at the slaughterhouse seriously injured or dead. Although transportation accidents have largely escaped public scrutiny, several tragic ones involving collapsed upper floors and overturned double-deckers have caused human fatalities as well as suffering and death for the horses.


    Frightened horses are dragged off the trucks.
    pic:Viva


    This horse's hoof and leg is caught in the slats of the truck.
    pic:Animals Angels


    Too weak to stand, these horses have collapsed.
    Some of their legs are stuck in the slats.
    pic:ILPH



    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Below is an excerpt from "The Texas Massacres - Horse Slaughter In America" By Laura A. Moretti

    In a sworn statement before Cook County, State of Illinois, a former employee [name withheld] of Cavel International, a horse slaughtering plant, testified the following:


    In July 1991, they were unloading one of the double-decker trucks. A horse got his leg caught in the side of the truck so the driver pulled the rig up and the horse's leg popped off. The horse was still living, and it was shaking. [Another employee] popped it on the head and we hung it up and split it open. .... Sometimes we would kill near 390, 370 a day. Each double-decker might have up to 100 on it. We would pull off the dead ones with chains. Ones that were down on the truck, we would drag them off with chains and maybe put them in a pen or we might drag them with an automatic chain to the kockbox. Sometimes we would use an electric shocker to try to make them stand. To get them into the knockbox, you have to shock them ... sometimes run them up the [anus] with the shocker. ... When we killed a pregnant mare, we would take the guts out and I would take the bag out and open it and cut the cord and put it in the trash and sometimes the baby would still be living, and its heart would be beating, but we would put it in the trashcan.
    This where horse slaughter wil go back to in 2013 due to you and your constituents have signing the horse slaughter bill,the blood will be on your hands.

    May god have mercy on your soul.

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  7. Please read some of the facts below prior to the closing of slaughter plants in 2007.For those who voted for reenactment of Horse Slaughter Plants. Remember you will reap what you have sown.
    1: Environmental ImpactNoxious drugs are not only present in the meat intended for human consumption overseas but also in the waste water and sludge produced during processing.
    NUMEROUS VIOLATIONS PLAGUE COMMUNITIES
    All three horse slaughter plants amassed numerous environmental violations and overwhelmed the waste water infrastructures due to dumping of blood, entrails, urine, feces, heads and hooves.The Dallas Crown horse slaughter facility had been in operation in Kaufman since the late 70's and from the beginning had caused problems both economically and environmentally. "The slaughterhouse constantly flooded the town’s drinking water with blood and tissue – literally coming out of the taps – and had never complied with city water standards, or paid fines."[2]In fact, in an open letter to state legislators considering pro-horse slaughter resolutions, the town’s mayor at the time, Paula Bacon, referenced Public Works reports regarding effluent and waste water violations "decaying meat [which] provides a foul odor and is an attraction for vermin and carrion," containers conveyed "uncovered and leaking liquids," there are "significant foul odors during the daily monitoring of the area," and "Dallas Crown elects to perform within the standards required of them."[4]
    These noxious drugs are not only present in the meat intended for human consumption overseas but also in the waste water and sludge produced during processing. This runoff has the potential to contaminate down-stream water intakes, including groundwater used for human consumption, and can enter the food chain via sludge distribution on crops.
    Additionally, Cavel International had special Industrial Waste Permits that allowed much higher (8 times higher) contamination levels for waste water leaving the slaughter house. But Cavel was still out of compliance, and not just a few times. This facility was in significant non-compliance hundreds of times. In one report, a Cavel employee tells of "chunks" from slaughtered horses were oozing out of tanks. This does not include the numerous safety violations documented by the FSIS.[7]As a final point, these practices and findings are not limited to the US.

    In Canada, Natural Valley Farms in Neudorf, Saskatchewan, was shut down by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in 2009 for food safety concerns.NVF went into receivership on September 22, 2008, yet horses continued to be slaughtered at the facility by Velda Group, an international Belgian-based company. Velda was infamous in Illinois for numerous environmental charges and convictions at their Cavel International horse slaughter plant that closed business in September 2007.[8]



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  8. Oklahomans - PLEASE look into putting up banning horse slaughter as a referendum on the next ballot. When the governor of Michigan went back on her campaign promise to not allow mourning dove hunting, people collected signatures to get a mourning dove shoot ban on the next ballot - they collected the required 200,000 signatures, got it listed on the ballot and the dove hunting law was overturned!
    Either get a referendum to ban horse slaughter - or impeach this pitiful excuse for governor.

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