3/28/12

Experts Calling for Slaughter Ban In Wake of United Horsemen Summit Cancellation


March 27, 2012
CHATHAM, N.Y., (Equine Advocates) — Horse experts from across the country will converge on Equine Advocates Rescue & Sanctuary http://www.equineadvocates.org/ in Chatham, NY for the 2012 American Equine Summit on Saturday, March 31st and Sunday, April 1st with one objective — to reverse the damage done by Congress in Nov. 2011 by mobilizing an effective grassroots movement to end the slaughter of America’s horses in the US and abroad. The attendees will be comprised of press, lawmakers and those involved with equine welfare and the horse industry. Interested parties are encouraged to “like” Equine Advocates on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @EquineAdvocates, and for live updates during the Summit, use the following hash tag: #AES2012.

“It’s just plain wrong when lobbies for the Agriculture and Quarter Horse industries can influence members of Congress to supersede the will of the more than 80% of Americans who want a federal ban on horse slaughter,” said Susan Wagner, President of Equine Advocates. “The ‘eighty percenters’ deserve to be heard. Instead, lawmakers controlled by special interests prevailed and gave horse slaughter proponents exactly what they wanted. It’s not only egregious, it’s downright un-American.”

The Summit will be opened by legendary concert promoter and horse lover, Ron Delsener. Two new speakers have been added – Dr. Caroline Betts, who will discuss the discrepancies in the 2011 GAO report on the closings of horse slaughterhouses in the US, and former US Congressman John Sweeney (R-NY), who was the primary sponsor for the successful passage of H.R. 503, the House version of the 2006 American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

Other speakers include Cathleen Doyle, former head of the California Equine Council and Save the Horses, John Holland, President Equine Welfare Alliance, Dr. Kraig J. Kulikowski, D.V.M., Katia Louise, director of the film, “Saving America’s Horses,” Victoria McCullough who helped pass Florida’s “Equine Protection Act of 2010,” Jo Anne Normile of Saving Baby Equine Charity and founder of CANTER and Paula Bacon, former Mayor of Kaufman, Texas who led the fight to close Dallas Crown, a horse slaughterhouse operating in Kaufman.

Said Bacon, “I believe a horse slaughter plant is among the very least desirable things a community would want.  It ranks with a lead smelter plant and strip clubs, the dead opposite of economic development. A horse slaughter plant creates big, expensive environmental problems for taxpayers and stigmatizes the community as ‘that place where they slaughter horses’ — and good development goes elsewhere.”

States currently trying to revive and reopen horse slaughter plants include Oregon, Missouri and Tennessee.

Founded in 1996, Equine Advocates is a non-profit equine protection organization and Horse Sanctuary based in Chatham, NY.  Its mission is to rescue, protect and prevent the abuse of equines, especially through banning the slaughter of American horses, through education, investigation, rescue operations and public education. Email info@equineadvocates.org or call 518-245-1599 for more information.
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3/15/12

Letter From Cynthia MacPherson To Attorney Dan Erdel

Mountain Grove, Missouri is indeed fortunate to have an attorney like Cynthia MacPherson to represent their best interests. Especially when the question at hand is whether or not to allow Wyoming State Representative and the President of Unified Equine, Sue Wallis and her associates to construct a HSHC (Horse Slaughter for Human Consumption) plant in their town.

After an excellent presentation of the non-existent pros and the many cons, the town decided that there was no way Wallis was going to construct something like that in their town. A great decision, for more reasons than were clear at the time - as the following letter makes crystal clear.


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3/11/12

Sue Wallis Alleges Death Threats to YMCA Director


This is the latest from the Equine Welfare Alliance on Sue Wallis and her ill-fated attempt to force a horse slaughter plant down the throats of the people of Mountain Grove, Missouri. Folks, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.            


March 10, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

John Holland
540-268-5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin                         
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org


Horse slaughter promoter alleges death threats to YMCA director

Mountain Grove, MO (EWA) – A bizarre chain of events has followed the contentious meeting of the
Mountain Grove City Council on March 6th concerning the Unified Equine proposal to build a horse
slaughter plant near the town.

Unified Equine CEO Sue Wallis claimed that the project would be a 50% partnership with Belgian
company Chevideco, and that they would invest $6 to $7 million in a plant that would be designed
by Dr. Temple Grandin.

But during the meeting city residents became inflamed by a presentation given by attorney Cynthia
MacPherson, cataloging the pollution and crime that Chevideco’s Dallas Crown facility had brought to
the town of Kaufman Texas.

When banker Roger Lindsey rose to defend the project he was shouted down and left the meeting.
The unanticipated public anger touched off a series of events. First, the director of the Mountain
Grove YMCA announced that he would no longer permit Sue Wallis to hold a planned meeting there
on the following Monday.

On her facebook page, Wallis explained this apparent snub by saying “We have not spoken to him
directly, but it is my understanding that the YMCA director received death threats to his family, and
to sponsors of his organization, We have heard directly from other community members that they
have received threatening letters just for publicly expressing their support for the project.”

EWA contacted the Missouri State Police, the Mountain Grove police department and the YMCA
director, Chad Watson. State police captain Duane Isringhausen, told EWA’s John Holland that he
had received no such reports. The Mountain Grove police said they had heard the report and
investigated but that they could find no evidence of threats being made to anyone. YMCA director
Chad Watson said he had received no threats and had moved the meeting when he learned of its
subject. “This place is for the children”, said Watson.

Wallis announced that the meeting had been moved to the Wright County Livestock Auction, and
that while the public was welcome, anyone being “disrespectful” would be evicted. On March 10th
the auction owner, Nathan Kelly, said the meeting would be closed to the press. Kelly said he had
been “lambasted” by people opposed to the project.

MacPherson told EWA that she is encouraging people to stay away from the Wallis meeting; however
postings on the popular Topix blog show some residents plan a peaceful protest outside the auction.

The media ban was not the end of this bizarre episode. In subsequent interviews, Wallis was quoted
contradicting her earlier claims of backing from Chevideco saying that she did not have an
agreement, and that she would likely depend on local investors. This revelation follows the earlier
statement by Grandin that she knew nothing of the project.

EWA’s John Holland summed up the situation saying “It now appears that Wallis, rather than
bringing millions of investment dollars into the area, intends instead to borrow millions from the
people of Missouri to have someone who had not been told of the project build them a horse
slaughter plant that they don’t want! What could go wrong with that?

#

The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues-free 501c4, umbrella organization with over 220 member
organizations and hundreds of individual members worldwide in 18 countries. The organization
focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org
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"From my earliest memories, I have loved horses with a longing beyond words." ~ Robert Vavra