From the Horse Lover’s Mouth
WeMakeItNews.com Speaks with Congressman Jim Moran about Ending the Slaughter of American Horses & Recent Move by White House to Defund Inspections of Horse Meat
By Debra Zimmerman Murphey
For the first time on the policy front, and
through the Obama White House, the United States Department of
Agriculture’s proposed upcoming budget supports an initiative to defund
horse meat inspections in the United States.
Previously, this kind of action had not been
initiated by the executive branch, according to U.S. Congressman Jim
Moran’s office. But as news of horse slaughter starting again in America
intensifies, a public backlash has triggered grassroots and national
attention. The announcement regarding the USDA’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget
request, which does not include future funding for horse meat
inspections, came last week.
“The USDA’s inclusion of language to defund
horse slaughter inspections in the Fiscal Year 2014 budget request is an
important step in the right direction. This decision reflects the
food-safety concerns inherent to horse meat and is consistent with the
80 percent of the American people who oppose this inhumane industry. It
is now up to Congress to do the right thing and vote to approve this
language in the Fiscal Year 2014 Agriculture Appropriations bill,” Moran
said.
But Moran also points out that Congress has
the “power of the purse” and there will be a battle regarding approving
the defunding policy. He acknowledges that the pro-slaughter lobby is
strong, but is hopeful that members of the public will let their elected
officials know that horse slaughter is inhumane and that they do not
want to financially support this kind of business sector.
Moran (D-Va.), a vocal opponent of horse
slaughter, had requested just weeks ago in a letter to USDA Secretary
Tom Vilsack that the USDA include defunding language in its upcoming
budget as a way of stopping horse slaughter in our country. In that
letter, Moran raised several concerns about horse slaughter resuming in America
and the meat from butchered horses being shipped abroad and sold for
human consumption. His reservations include public-health issues, such
as people eating potentially toxic horse meat, and pressing budget
matters.
2-minutes with the Congressman — LISTEN to an excerpt from the Moran interview
Word from the White House — LISTEN to Part 1 of the Moran interview
The Meat of the Issue — LISTEN to Part 2 of the Moran interview
Indeed, Moran’s push now is even more urgent as the horse slaughter landscape has drastically shifted in recent months:
- Oklahoma passed legislation that ends a 50-year ban on horse slaughter.
- There are pending applications with the USDA for horse meat inspections at proposed horse slaughter plants in Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee, and one for a facility in New Mexico which filed a lawsuit and whose owner is awaiting the go-ahead to open the first horse slaughter operation in the United States since 2007 (sources: Bloomberg, The New York Times and Front Range Equine Rescue).
- The horse slaughter debate takes on a new intensity in light of a mounting controversy in Europe over mislabeled meat products, including those containing trace amounts of horse meat, and what creeps into the global food-chain.
Horse Slaughter in Headlines
While the gritty dialogue about domestic horse
slaughter for human consumption in foreign countries gains momentum and
increasing exposure, the mainstream and business media often frame the
anti-slaughter faction’s responses as emotional and the perspectives
they provide in their news coverage and editorials are sometimes narrow.
However, in an exclusive audio interview with WeMakeItNews.com, Moran explains why banning the slaughter of American horses for human consumption is a logical and needed step.
In taking a position against ending the slaughter and transport of American horses for human consumption, Moran notes:
- American horses are routinely given products and medications, such as the anti-inflammatory phenylbutazone, that are banned by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in animals destined for human consumption;
- In our culture, horses (though categorized as livestock) are not commercially raised to be eaten by humans and both regional and national polling shows that a wide majority of Americans are against horse slaughter for human consumption; and
- Because Americans do not eat horse meat, reopening horse slaughter facilities in our country will result in taxpayers supporting an industry that does not benefit them during an era of fiscal constraints and dwindling federal funding.
Moran, who is serving his 12th term as a representative from Virginia’s 8th
District, has been a longtime advocate for animal protection and a
policy pioneer in helping pen and endorse legislation that will end the
“heinous practice” of slaughtering American horses for human
consumption. He is co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection
Caucus.
For several years, Moran drafted an
Agriculture Appropriations bill amendment, that was consistently
approved, which defunded USDA inspections for horse meat. However, in
2011 that language was pulled in a closed conference, thus setting in
motion the possibility for horse slaughter facilities to reopen in our
country.
Speak Up Against Horse Slaughter
It is paramount for those who want to stop
horse slaughter to take a few moments to reach out to their local
representatives and senators in the U.S. Congress and request that they
support a ban on the transport and slaughter of American horses for
human consumption, including the USDA/White House’s recent policy move
and the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act. The latter is
bipartisan legislation introduced this year that focuses on food safety
as a route to permanently stop the slaughter of American horses for
human consumption.
“Every dollar spent at horse slaughter plants
would divert necessary resources away from beef, chicken, and pork
inspections – meat actually consumed by Americans. … [Additionally],
contrary to the claims of slaughter proponents, these [slaughter] horses
are not old and unwanted, with USDA statistics showing that 92 percent
of all horses sent to slaughter are in good condition,” Moran wrote to
Vilsack.
“It is regrettable that Congress allowed the
prohibition on federal funding for horse slaughter inspections to lapse.
While I work to restore this ban, I strongly urge you to exercise all
available options to prevent the resumption of this industry. I also
stand ready and willing to work with you in developing a responsible
plan for handling unwanted horses,” Moran concluded.
You can call the White House [202-456-1111 or TTY/TTD 202-456-6213] to
help permanently stop horse slaughter, as well as ask for an end to
transporting American horses to slaughterhouses in other countries.
Below is contact information for senators and
congressmen/congresswomen in Maryland and Virginia or you can visit The
Humane Society of the United States’ website to locate and contact
elected officials in other states to share your opinion about horse
slaughter and to ensure that the American people are heard regarding
their stances against horse slaughter. Click here to access information from the Humane Society.
Please remember that horse slaughter is not
humane chemical euthanasia, will only exacerbate the suffering of
horses, and goes against American values. Slaughter ensures a horrific
fate for horses – including racehorses, ponies, former dressage and show
competitors, and pleasure, companion, working and wild horses – that
are sold into the slaughter pipeline at auctions where kill buyers lurk.
