6/18/12

Crash Shines Light On Horse Slaughter Issue



NASHVILLE, Tenn.- After a trailer carrying dozens of horses collapsed on the interstate, many residents were outraged to find out that the horses were headed for a slaughter house.

The crash happened Tuesday, just after 12:45 p.m. at the split from I-24, near mile marker 7. Traffic was backed up for hours while crews worked to clear the scene.

The trailer from Three Angels Farms was carrying 37 horses, headed to a town in Texas. Thirty-six of the horses inside had to be moved to another trailer after the crash while one had to be euthanized when it couldn't stand up.

Investigators said the trailer seems to have buckled on its own. Leann McCollum from the US Humane Society believes the accident happened because of greed.

"They are cramming as many horses as they can onto unsafe trailers, in order to squeeze as much profit as they can from every trip to the slaughterhouse. And by doing that they are putting horses in danger, they are putting motorists in danger, and they are putting rescue workers in danger," said McCollum.

McCollum believes those horses were headed to the Mexico border to die. From their own investigation: the US Humane Society estimates every year more than a hundred thousand suffer the same fate. It can be a profitable business: each horse can be sold for thousands of dollars, just to become someone's dinner.

"They're going to Belgium, France, Japan, sometimes Italy and they are actually eaten as a high-priced delicacy," McCollum explained.

It's believed this happens every day in Tennessee and it's all legal.

The Humane Society is working to change that, they're behind a bill that would stop the transport of horses for slaughter, and keep people from buying and selling horses for slaughter as well.

"Americans do not want to see horses slaughtered, poll after poll has shown that 85 percent of Americans disagree with the slaughter of horses for human consumption," she said.

Crash Shines Light On Horse Slaughter Issue - NewsChannel5.com | Nashville News, Weather & Sports - www.newschannel5.com http://www.newschannel5.com/story/18781624/crash-shines-light-on-horse-slaughter-issue
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6/13/12

The Art of Deception

EDITORIAL | The Art of Deception
by Vicki Tobin 2012.06.10

Sue Wallis [or whoever pens her ramblings] has mastered the art of writing fictitious statements and making them sound feasible.

In a cover letter to the release of her latest piece of fiction, she states her paper is a representation of the horse industry. Where is the data to back that statement? She is well known for making baseless statements and then when challenged, she cuts and runs.

She wants to kill horses. Period. How is that going to help the beleaguered horse industry that makes its billions from live horses? The answer is obvious. It won't.

Wallis speaks for a foreign meat industry. When did the horse industry ever produce meat? They produce athletes and performance horses, not horse meat.

The first section is nothing more than an attempt to build a market that doesn't exist and never will exist in America. If Americans ate horses and there was a buck to be made, horse meat would be in our grocery stores. There was nothing stopping the selling of horse meat in the U.S. during all the years slaughtered existed on our soil and never a mention of wanting to sell horse meat.

She babbles on and on about the foreign countries consuming meat. Really, now. Who cares? Every country has its own culture and is free to eat and do what they please. In our country, in our culture, we do not eat our horses. She claims she'll feed the hungry. Do we really want the U.S. to be known for wiping out world hunger by feeding the hungry toxic meat?

We agree with her comment that journalists don't always fact check but this is a positive for
Wallis, not a negative. If journalists did check facts, none of her nonsense would be published.

She claims horse slaughter is humane but hasn't provided any evidence. There are mounds of evidence to the contrary. Continually citing Humane Methods of Slaughter, she fails to state that having regulations and enforcing them are not the same. There aren't enough inspectors and yet, she wants to expand their workload to horse slaughter plants that will further compromise our food supply. Government authenticated undercover footage has proved over and over again just how inhumane horse slaughter really is. Not being able to explain away the cruelty, she simply states they are all fabricated. If she pulled FOIAs from the former U.S. plants, she would realize just how baseless her statements really are.

All we hear is humane and regulated horse slaughter plants. This is coming from someone who thought it was good clean fun to crawl around in the bloodied carcass of a horse. Someone that defends a livestock plant owner wanting to open a horse slaughter plant that was shut down by the USDA for inhumane treatment of slaughter animals and someone that defends a feedlot owner that has been cited over and over again for violations. Listen to her carefully. She defends the cruelty and attacks the individuals that expose it.

Next, we move on to food safety. She makes the statement that horse meat is safe. Horse meat from horses in other countries may be safe but it certainly isn't from horses raised in America. U.S. horses are not raised or regulated as food animals. We race horses; we raise horses to perform, to work, for law enforcement, as therapy animals, for sport, for pleasure and as companions. The foreign countries that consume horse meat raise horses as food animals. They do not raise their horses for other purposes and then send them to the butcher. They have passport systems requiring a veterinarian record every medication given to the horse from birth. They do not allow a horse to obtain a passport over 6 months of age. The passport systems are national systems to ensure food safety, not a home grown system devised by those who will profit from horse slaughter.

Once again, she reaches out to equine scientists and veterinarians to give her ammo to get around food safety regulations. Medical doctors determine the levels of medications that are safe for human consumption and what medications are banned in food animals. Food safety is to protect humans, not animals. Equine scientists and veterinarians are not medical doctors.

Stating that horse meat is nutritious and including pictures of plates of horse meat does not portray meat from American horses. Add a little Phenylbutazone (Bute) to the meat and the nutrition is outweighed by the risk of developing cancer. Included in her paper is a letter from [again] non medial doctors that unsuccessfully attempted to refute a paper published on Bute in the Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal. In typical Wallis fashion, she failed to print the response to the letter that was published in the same journal that validated the original study.¹ A comprehensive study was also published by a group of veterinarians in Ireland on the effects of Bute in humans and the consequences for violating the passport system.²

One constant with Wallis is that you can always count on her rabidly trying to find a way around food safety laws-in particular, with Bute. The reason she is so irrational on food safety is that if food safety regulations were enforced with U.S. horses, there would be no horses to slaughter. So she does what she does best; explains it away with irrelevant documents and statements from individuals [or herself] that have no training or qualifications to speak to food safety.

One of her favorite tricks is to include a link to prove something, counting on the reader never actually reading the document. As one example, she cites a 2008 European Union (E.U.) report as proof that drug residues have never been found in U.S. horses. The report she cites has nothing to do with results - it was about establishing protocols concerning drug residues.

In December of 2010, the E.U. released a report on how well the slaughter plants were implementing the recommendations of the 2008 audit and this one did include drug residues in U.S. horses. Not only did they find several banned substances but also discovered that the accompanying paperwork was falsified.³ Of course, she ignores the report because it blows her argument out of the water.
She disregards the documents that disprove her statements and when challenged, there is never a response other than to start name calling. How dare those tree hugging, vegan, radical animal activists provide facts.

In another example, Wallis talks about the rate at which Phenylbutazone disappears from the blood stream, implying that it simply goes away in a few days. In fact, the drug does two things Wallis doesn't mention. First, it metabolizes into Oxyphenylbutazone, a compound with a much longer rate of decay and the same toxic properties. Secondly, it takes up in injured tissue. This accounts for its extreme effectiveness, but it also makes it reappear in the blood later. The bottom line is that Bute is banned in all meat animals for very good scientific reasons.


Bute is known as the aspirin of horse world. It is as common as the bottle of aspirin in your medicine cabinet. Walk into any barn in the U.S. and you will find a form of Bute or Bute compounds. Bute is banned in all food producing animals and is banned by the FDA and the E.U. that consumes the meat from U.S. horses.

The GAO report that Wallis frequently quotes is primarily anecdotal comments and she validates this with the comments in her paper. Comments and interviews are not data.4 As one example, veterinarians from the meat industry were interviewed regarding abandoned horses instead of the state agencies that receive and record the reports. When EWA requested the underlying data that formulated the assumptions, our request was denied; a further indication that data did not exist. Wallis completely ignores the GAO recommendation that horse slaughter be banned permanently.

Wallis blames the closure of the U.S. horse slaughter plants for the decrease in horse values and all the woes of the horse industry. Not only did horse slaughter not end but it increased. Nothing changed other than where they were being butchered. Anyone possessing even a rudimentary knowledge of cause and effect would understand what a ridiculous conclusion that is. One year after the plants closed, our country experienced an economic crisis that has been compared to the Great Depression. Every industry in this country experienced declines. Does she honestly expect anyone to believe that if the plants had remained opened, that only the value of horses wouldn't have declined?

A recent poll by the prestigious pollsters, Lake Associates, revealed that 80% of Americans are against horse slaughter. Wallis can continue starting new organizations, changing the names and aligning with foreign meat businesses. She can continue making unsubstantiated statements and claims of support but in the end, she will be run out of town as she has been every time she tried to shove a slaughter plant down the throats of communities in America.

And that, my friends, speaks volumes of the opposition to horse slaughter in our country.


The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues-free 501c4, umbrella organization with over 245 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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5/29/12

Happy Birthday To Indy and Ami!


Happy Birthday, Indy and Ami!



VS Golden Desperado aka Indy
Foaled May 28, 1998
 Chocolate Palomino Morgan Gelding
With me since coming four years old
 

Petite Ami
Foaled May, 1991
Bay Quarter Horse/Pony Mare
With me since she was a yearling

I absolutely cannot believe Indy is 14 and Ami is 20! How is this possible? It was only yesterday that Ami was just a yearling and Indy was a few weeks short of his 4th bday (actual foaling date)

Ami and Indy hit it off from the moment he stepped off his breeder's trailer in our pasture. She was watching intently from the paddock. Then, when we brought Indy up to meet her, there was some sniffing but none of the usual squealing and pawing. They seemed to become bosom buddies from the first moment.


Hello there!

After ten wonderful years together, we are all looking forward to many, many more! 


Happy Birthday!


Love, Mom
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5/22/12

Congress is Watching This Petition ~ Please Sign!



Congress is Watching This Petition ~ Please Sign
 Posted on

After conversations with several congressional aides, they informed us that Congress is really paying attention to Change.org petitions. They stated we needed to focus on just ONE petition, not create 100 petitions but focus on 1. Therefore we are asking everyone to share this ONE petition everywhere, it already has “34,282″ signatures. This is our time and the time is now!!!!!
CLICK HERE to Sign Petition.  Overturn the Legalization of Horse Slaughter For Human Consumption.


Horses are NOT for consumption. They have been a part of our evolution for THOUSANDS of years, carrying us on horseback, pulling our carriages and plows for crops. We would not be where we are as a civilization without them – that alone should be enough cause for us to respect them enough not to eat them. Honor our history. Now, horses are a part of another form of transportation. They are our partners in personal and leadership development, they take us to the depths of our psyche and gracefully show us how to be better humans. Read the work of Dr. Allan Hamilton, a neurosurgeon who eloquently describes the science between the horse and human interaction, and how merely being around them – in their presence increases our brain function. They are also used in therapy for the mentally and physically handicapped. Have you ever seen an autistic child get on the back of a horse? Their faces light up with joy and their expression defines the very connection they have with that sentient being at that moment. People suffering from muscular dystrophy go through physical therapy on the back of the horse, because of the way they move simulates the way our hips move when we walk. The millions of reasons why this law should be overturned are details, a story. The true reason is in your heart. Could you really eat a horse? Sign this petition if you disagree with horses becoming a part of the drive through menu at your local fast food chain.

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5/15/12

WSJ Serves Up Tainted Journalism On Horse Slaughter Plate






First the News Corp. phone-hacking scandal...now this?
Vickery Eckhoff Contributor
 
Wall Street Journal reporters Douglas Belkin and Nathan Koppel are in good company. On May 4, they published an article on horse slaughter so eerily similar to articles appearing in a variety of unrelated publications, even ol’ Rupert Murdoch himself might be left wondering.
How did they all end up using the same specific phrases and anecdotes? Twist so many of the same key facts? Quote the same people and ultimately, critically, leave out so much available data on the issue? Were journalists cribbing off a PR script prepared by the horse-slaughter lobby? Has anyone called Scotland Yard?
Origins of a Disinformation Campaign: Rebranding Slaughter

The horse-slaughter lobby represents a handful of powerful industries looking to bring horse slaughter back to the U.S.: meat packers and slaughter operators, for one thing. Cattle ranchers and the Farm Bureau. Then there’s the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and pharmaceutical companies (like the makers of  Read Premarin). Finally, there are the horse breeders and breed registries like the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and American Paint Horse Association (APHA).
Naturally, they don’t like being identified as the “horse-slaughter lobby.” That sounds too mean. Instead, they call themselves “the horse industry.” This may sound like a generic classification for horse-related businesses and professionals, but it’s not.
You can own a racing stable, breed or show horses or run a veterinary practice, but if you’re among the 80% of Americans opposed to slaughtering horses, you’re not official “horse industry” according to “horse industry” people. They’ve appropriated that term to make their views seem mainstream, all while painting public opposition to slaughter as emotional and dangerous animal-rights driven extremism.
This is all a clever bit of disinformation, since 80% of the public is a very large group of Americans. It includes a long, bipartisan list of the members of Congress, business leaders and professionals both in and out of the horse world, entertainers and regular old Americans—all of them opposed to slaughtering horses in the U.S. or exporting them to slaughter.
Currently, horses are being exported to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico. This has been going on for years, even when U.S. slaughterhouses were open. What has changed is the provision for federal horse slaughter inspections ready to lunge forward thanks to a closed-door session that took place in November, 2011.
Essentially, three pro-slaughter U.S. Congressmen removed language banning inspections of horse-slaughter operations in an agricultural appropriations bill that was signed by Congress and President Obama.
The “horse industry” is doing all it can to seize the opportunity and push horse slaughter down the American public’s throat—with the right PR and the media’s help.
The distinctions—between the pro-and anti-slaughter sides and between foreign and domestic slaughter—are important for the public to know because key legislation is being pushed at the local, state and federal level.

Please read more about this great disinformation campaign here.

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5/4/12

An HSUS Report: Food Safety Risks Associated With U.S. Horse Slaughter



An HSUS Report: Food Safety Risks Associated With U.S. Horse Slaughter
April 2012
Abstract

Meat originating from U.S. horses may contain residues from substances banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union for use in animals intended for consumption. Phenylbutazone, for example, is commonly administered to U.S. horses and has been associated with life- threatening reactions in humans. Requiring a thorough drug history for each U.S. horse intended for human consumption may help circumvent human health risks.

In t r o d u c t i o n

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of United States, an estimated 9.5 million horses reside in the United States.1 The American Veterinary Medical Association defines the horse as a "companion animal," along with dogs and cats.2 Horses are utilized for service, recreation, and competition in the United States.3 Despite their multi-faceted views of the horse, the U.S. population largely considers the consumption of horse meat taboo.4 In the state of California, for instance, eating horse meat is restricted under the state's Criminal Code5 and horse slaughter is illegal in Florida6 and Illinois.7 Given the attitude towards equids and the lack of demand for horse meat in the United States, they are defined as non-food producing animals by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).8

Despite the U.S. population's disinterest in horse meat, it remains a part of the diet of some consumers in other countries, such as France, Japan, and Italy.9 In 2007, a combination of state laws prohibiting horse slaughter and a simultaneous de-funding of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspections by Congress10 lead to the closure of the few, mainly foreign-owned, horse slaughter plants that operated within the United States.11,12,13 In November 2011, this defunding of USDA horse slaughter inspections was omitted from a spending bill signed into law. While new funds are not being provided for the USDA's resumption of horse meat inspections, the ban on domestic horse slaughter has been lifted.14

The 2007 provisions did not end the slaughter of U.S. horses for human consumption. Rather, the closing of U.S. slaughterhouses almost doubled the production of horse meat in Canada in 2007, with approximately 40% of the horses being slaughtered imported from the U.S.15 In 2012, the European
Commission released their findings of a 2011 audit which noted that 85% of the horses slaughtered in a Canadian processing plant originated from the United States.16 The United States also exports its horses to plants in Mexico for local and foreign consumption.17

Since U.S. horses are primarily used for companionship and competition rather than consumption, drugs may be administered without taking food safety implications into account. This is especially pertinent in regards to the administration of the substance phenylbutazone (PBZ). The presence of PBZ - as well as many other FDA-banned substances - in U.S. horses destined for slaughter results in the high likelihood of contaminated horse meat, which poses a potentially serious risk to the health of human consumers.18,19

Phenylbutazone

In 1949 the potent non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) PBZ became available as a treatment in the United States for people suffering from both rheumatoid arthritis and gout. However, within three years of its availability, PBZ was linked to serious adverse reactions, including aplastic anemia, bone marrow depression, renal failure, and even death. After examining several case studies of PBZ use, the FDA banned PBZ for human use in the United States.20 According to the FDA:

“Phenylbutazone is known for its ulcerogenic, nephrotoxic, and hemotoxic effects in horses, dogs, rats, and humans. It is known to induce blood dyscrasias, including aplastic anemia, leucopenia, agranulocytosis, thrombocytopenia, and deaths. The reported adverse reactions were associated with the human clinical use of 200 to 800 milligrams phenylbutazone per day€¦.[I]t is unclear what level of exposure would be required to trigger such reactions in sensitive people. Moreover, phenylbutazone is a carcinogen, as determined by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) based on positive results in genotoxicity tests and some evidence of carcinogenicity seen in the rat and mouse in carcinogenicity bioassays NTP conducted.”21

For animals, the only FDA-approved phenylbutazone use is as an oral or injectable dose in dogs and horses.22,23 As it stands, PBZ use in humans and food-producing animals alike remains unapproved.24

Phenylbutazone in Thoroughbreds Bound for Slaughter: A Case Study

There can only be one winner at the end of each horse race, and many of the horses that do not place, show signs of injury, or are past their prime are sent to auction, and ultimately end up in slaughterhouses in Canada or Mexico.25 The European Union (EU) has found that horse meat originating from Mexican slaughterhouses contain harmful residues of several EU prohibited substances such as clenbuterol (bronchodilator), zilpaterol (used as a steroid substitute), and furanics (anabolic steroid).26,27 Due largely to over-breeding, the thoroughbred racing industry is one of the principal contributors to the estimated 133,241 U.S. horses slaughtered in 2011.28,29

Because of the intense training and racing endured by these horses, many develop musculoskeletal
injuries that trainers and owners treat with NSAIDs, of which PBZ is the common due to its legality in the racing industry. A study done by the Daily Racing Form found 99% of racehorses in California and 92% of horses at Suffolk Downs in Massachusetts are given PBZ on a regular basis.30 Certain racetracks allow only PBZ administration on race day, but all usage must be recorded on the horse's track record.31 This documentation requirement makes racing thoroughbreds convenient candidates for a case study of PBZ usage in U.S. horses bought for slaughter.

Nicholas Dodman of Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Nicolas Blondeau of the Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, and Ann Marini of Uniformed Services
University of the Health Sciences conducted a study to investigate whether thoroughbred race horses were given PBZ prior to being bought for human consumption, and to see how widely the FDA ban on PBZ usage in horses that end up on consumers' plates is ignored. The study identified 50 thoroughbreds rescued from slaughter and 18 thoroughbreds that were sent to slaughter. Each horse's Jockey Club lip tattoo allowed the researchers to find the registered name of all 68 horses, and each horse's drug record was obtained from their race track records.32

Upon review of the records, one of the horses sent to slaughter was not documented as receiving PBZ but the drug was identified in his blood test results, and another thoroughbred was administered PBZ by a veterinarian in the same month he was sent to slaughter. The remaining 16 of the 18 horses slaughtered and all 16 of the rescued horses were recorded as receiving PBZ within 24 hours of a race. Data collected by the researchers determined that the time interval between horse's last known dose of PBZ and the date they were bought for slaughter varied from a week to four years. However, it is important to note that the FDA, the EU, the United Kingdom, and Canada do not allow any use of PBZ in horses intended for human consumption regardless of withdrawal time.33

Another important aspect in understanding the risk of PBZ contamination in horse meat is the circulation of PBZ in the bloodstream. Horses possess 1.76 times the amount of blood per pound of body weight compared to cattle. With this much blood, it is possible that high-volume slaughterhouses€”one Canadian slaughterhouse processed 100 horses a days€”do not allow sufficient time for the horse's blood to be completely drained from the muscle, increasing the risk of meat contamination.34

The findings of Dodman, et al., indicate a serious discontinuity between food safety regulations and practice. Horses with a history of PBZ use are making their way to slaughter plants despite the United States' and other countries' ban of the use of the drug in food producing animals.

The European Union's Evaluation of Imported Horse Meat

In 2010, The European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) evaluated food safety standards of imported equine meat from third countries (non-members of the European Union).35 The FVO have found that many third countries - such as Mexico, Canada, and the United States - do not keep veterinary pharmaceutical treatment records for horses; and there are no systems in place to differentiate equines intended for human consumption from all other equines. The evaluations also reported that third countries tolerate the administration of substances that are prohibited or unauthorized in food-producing animals in the EU.36,37 The United States has no official controls in place to verify the authenticity or reliability of the medical records and equine documents now required for horses destined for slaughter, only records of physical identification are required.38 These discoveries prompted the European Commission to facilitate corrective measures to their own regulations regarding imported horse meat, and to require third countries to implement action plans addressing compliance with the EU's requirements regarding equine meat.39

Since 2000, the EU's regulations state that horse meat cannot contain residues of veterinary medicinal products exceeding previously set limits or residue from substances banned for use in food producing animals in the EU. These restrictions include phenylbutazone. If substances prohibited for use in food- producing animals are administered to equids, those animals must be excluded from the food chain.40 Finally, imported horse meat can only be authorized if equines are included in European Commission- approved residue control plans in third country slaughterhouses.41

Both Canada and Mexico have submitted action plans in order to comply with the EU's import requirements for equine meat, and both plans have been approved by the FVO.42

In Mexico, horses imported for slaughter are to be microchipped and border controls have been strengthened. A sworn statement on veterinary medical treatments is requested for all slaughter horses, no matter what their country of origin. United States providers of imported horses (holding facilities) have been targeted in samplings of the Mexican National Residue Monitoring Programme (NRMP). According to the NRMP nineteen samples of horse meat in 2008, nine in 2009, and six in 2010 tested positive for residues of banned substances. All of the horses who tested positive were covered by a declaration stating that no treatments were given to the horses, and all of these horses came from U.S. providers. 43

In Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has implemented the Equine Information Document (EID). The EID contains a physical description of the animal, record of the animal's medical treatment for the previous six months, and requires the signature of the animal's owner at the time of ownership transfer to verify that all information is accurate. Horses bought for intended slaughter must have their EIDs also signed by the transient agent responsible for the care of the equine from time of purchase for slaughter until arrival at the meat processing establishment. Each CFIA inspected facility engaged in equine slaughter must present an EID for all domestic and imported equines presented for slaughter. If the EID indicates a horse has been given a substance not permitted for use in equine slaughtered for food, such as phenylbutazone, the horse will not be eligible for slaughter.44 However, the 2011 FVO audit noted "for those horses imported from the United States of America for direct slaughter, the equine identification documents received were not reliable..." The audit further noted that 85% of the horses slaughtered in this Canadian processing plant originated from the U.S. and all of these horses were imported for direct slaughter.45 Considering cases such as the one above, as long as there is no identification system in place, U.S. horses will not meet the European Commission's new food safety regulations, which will become effective in July 2013.

The European Commission mandated a transitional period of three years in which third countries have to provide guarantees regarding medical and drug history for horses during their last six months before slaughter. After the three-year transition period - which ends in 2013 - guarantees must be provided for the lifetime of the horses.46 This policy would complement the EU's "horse passport" legislation, which requires records to be kept of certain medicinal products.47 This required lifetime guarantee that a horse be cleared of all EU prohibited substances for use in food-producing animals could eliminate virtually all U.S. horses from the food chain. The substances banned for use in food-producing animals routinely administered by U.S. horse owners render most American horses ineligible for foreign slaughter. 48

Conclusion

The slaughter of U.S. horses poses a potentially serious health risk to human consumers, yet thousands are still slaughtered and sold to consumers. New measures put in place in the European Union to address the human health risk associated with horse slaughter are vital steps to insure U.S. horses, who are regularly given phenylbutazone along with other EU-banned substances, are kept out of the slaughter pipeline.

Prevention needs to start within U.S. borders. The United States should look to the European Union's horse passport and Canada's Equine Identification Document (EID) benchmarks. Requiring accurate medical records and identification documents, regardless of the horse's intended use, would draw clear lines regarding each individual horse's eligibility for human consumption. Until such a system is in place, meat from American horses may pose a public health threat.
________________________________________________________________________

1 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States. 2010. FAOSTAT Live Animals. faostat.fao.org/site/573/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=573#ancor. Accessed April 12, 2012.
2 American Veterinary Medical Association citing U.S. pet ownership & demographics sourcebook. 2007. www.avma.org/reference/marketstats/ownership.asp. Accessed April 12, 2012.
3 National Economic Impact of the US Horse Industry. 2005. Deloitte Consulting, LLP.
www.horsecouncil.org/national-economic-impact-us-horse-industry. Accessed April 12, 2012.
4 Whiting, T.L. 2007. The United States' prohibition of horse meat for human consumption: Is this a good law? Can Vet Journal 48(11):1173-1180, citing: Grudzen C.R., Kerndt P.R. 2007. The Adult Film Industry: Time to Regulate? PLoS Med 4(6): e126. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0040126
5 California Penal Code. Sec.598d. leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate?WAISdocID=7456524612+8+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve Accessed April 12, 2012.
6 Regulation of Trade, Commerce, Investments, and Solicitations. Florida Statutes. 500.451.
www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2011/500.451 Accessed April 12, 2012.
7 Illinois Horse Meat Act. Illinois Compiled Statutes 225 ILCS 635/1.5 www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1381&ChapterID=24 Accessed April 12, 2012.
8 Food and Drug Administration. 2005. ANADA 200-334 Equizone 100 (phenylbutazone) Powder
Horses: For oral use in horses for the relief of inflammatory conditions associated with the musculoskeletal system. www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVeterinary/Products/ApprovedAnimalDrugProducts/FOIADrugSummaries/ucm061800.pdf. Accessed April 12, 2012.
9 Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Animal Health Division. 2009. Horse Meat Exports 2008.
www.agr.gc.ca/redmeat/rpt/08tbl39_eng.htm. Accessed April 12, 2012.
10 Federal Meat Inspection Act. 21 United States Code. §Â§ 601 et seq. uscodebeta.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=21+USC+601&fq=true&num=0&hl=true. Accessed April 9, 2012.
11 Empacadora De Carnes De Fresnillo De v. Curry. (United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit) (No. 05-11499). January 19, 2007. http://asci.uvm.edu/equine/law/cases/cruel/slaughterhouse.htm. Accessed April 12, 2012.
12 Illinois General Assembly. 2007. HB1711, May 24. www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=095-0002. Accessed April 12, 2012.
13 Dodman, N.; Blondeau, N. & Marini, A.M. 2010. Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: a public health risk. Food Chem Toxicol 48(5):1270-1274.
14 Juozapavicius J. 2011. Horse Meat Inspection Ban Lifted in the U.S. Huffington Post, November 30. www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/30/horse-meat-consumption-us_n_1120623.html. Accessed April 10, 2012.
15 Alberta Farm Animal Care. 2008. The Alberta Horse Welfare Report: A report on horses as food producing animals aimed at addressing horse welfare and improving communication with the livestock industry and the public. http://equineenews.osu.edu/documents/HorseWelfareReport1-AFAC.pdf. Accessed April 11, 2012.
16 European Commission, 2011. Health and Consumers Directorate-General. Final Report of an Audit Carried Out in Canada from 13 to 23 September 2011 in Order to Evaluate the Monitoring of Residues and Contaminants in Live Animals and Animal Products, Including Controls on Veterinary Medicinal Products. ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/act_getPDF.cfm?PDF_ID=9456. Accessed April 12, 2012.
17 Wermund, B. 2011. Government study says more horses headed to Mexico for slaughter. Big Bend
Now July 14, 2011. www.bigbendnow.com/2011/07/government-study-says-more-horses-headed-to- mexico-for-slaughter. Accessed April 12, 2012.
18 Letter correspondance between Ann M. Marini, Department of Neurology and Program in
Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethseda, MD and Senator Jolie Justus, Missouri, May 3, 2010.
19 Dodman, N.; Blondeau, N. & Marini, A.M. 2010. Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: a public health risk. Food Chem Toxicol 48(5):1270-1274.
20 National Library of Medicine. 2010. Phenylbutazone. www.toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-
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22 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 2003. New Animal Drugs; Phenylbutazone; Extralabel Animal Drug Use; Order of Prohibition. Docket No. 03N-0024. www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/03-4741.htm. Accessed April 12, 2012.
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25 Rhoden, W.C. 2011. Racing Should Care for Its Own. The New York Times, May 20, p. D5. www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/sports/racing-industry-should-care-for-its-own.html?_r=1. Accessed April 12, 2012.
26 European Commission Health & Consumers Directorate-General. 2011. Final Report of a Mission Carried Out in Mexico From 22 November to 03 December 2010 in Order to Evaluate the Operation of Controls Over the Production of Fresh Horse Meat and Meat Products Intended for Export to the European Union as Well as Certification Procedures. ec.europa.eu/foodfvorep_details_en.cfm?rep_id=2639. Accessed April 12, 2012.
27 European Commission Health and Consumers Directorate-General. 2011. Imports of animals and their products from third countries. Sec 5.3.1.1. ec.europa.eu/food/food/chemicalsafety/residues/third_countries_en.htm#5.3.1.1. Accessed April 10, 2012.
28 Rhoden, W.C. 2011. Racing Should Care for Its Own. The New York Times, May 20, p. D5. www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/sports/racing-industry-should-care-for-its-own.html?_r=1. Accessed April 12, 2012.
29 U.S. Horses Slaughtered Yearly. USDA Statistics courtesy of Darrell Charlton, Jr. www.equinewelfarealliance.org/uploads/00-Slaughter_Statistics.pdf. Accessed April 12, 2012.
30 Brown, A. 2010. Keeping Bute Out of the Food Chain. The Paulick Report, February 28. www.paulickreport.com/news/ray-s-paddock/keeping-bute-out-of-the-food-chain. Accessed April 12,
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31 Dodman, N.; Blondeau, N. & Marini, A.M. 2010. Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: a public health risk. Food Chem Toxicol 48(5):1270-1274.
32 Dodman, N.; Blondeau, N. & Marini, A.M. 2010. Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: a public health risk. Food Chem Toxicol 48(5):1270-1274.
33 Canadian Food Inspection Agency. 2011. Ante and Post-mortem Procedures, Dispositions, Monitoring, and Controls-Red Meat Species, Ostriches, Rheas, and Emus. Meat Hygiene Manual of Procedures.
www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/meavia/man/ch17/annexee.shtml. Accessed April 10, 2012.
34 Dodman, N.; Blondeau, N. & Marini, A.M. 2010. Association of phenylbutazone usage with horses bought for slaughter: a public health risk. Food Chem Toxicol 48(5):1270-1274.
35 European Commission Health & Consumers Directorate-General. 2009. Imports of equine meat from third countries. www.defendhorsescanada.org/residues.pdf. Accessed April 12, 2012.
36 European Commission Health & Consumers Directorate-General. 2009. Imports of equine meat from third countries. www.defendhorsescanada.org/residues.pdf. Accessed April 12, 2012.
37 European Commission Health & Consumers Directorate-General. 2008. Final Report of a Mission Carried Out in Mexico from 04 September to 11 September 2008 In Order to Evaluate Public Health Control Systems and Certification Procedures Over Production of Horse Meat Intended for Export to the EU. DG(SANCO)/2008-7979.
38 United States Department of Agriculture. 2011. Animal Disease Traceability: A Guide to Identifying Horses and other Equines for Interstate Movement. www.aphis.usda.gov/traceability/downloads/2011/FStrachorse.VS.pdf. Accessed April 10, 2012.
39 European Commission Health and Consumers Directorate-General. 2011. Imports of animals and their products from third countries. Sec 5.3.1.1. ec.europa.eu/food/food/chemicalsafety/residues/third_countries_en.htm#5.3.1.1. Accessed April 10, 2012.
40 European Commission Health and Consumers Directorate-General. 2011. Imports of animals and their products from third countries. Sec 5.3.1.1.
ec.europa.eu/food/food/chemicalsafety/residues/third_countries_en.htm#5.3.1.1. Accessed April 10,
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41 Council Directive 96/23/EC On measures to monitor certain substances and residues thereof in live animals and animal products and repealing Directives 85/358/EEC and 86/469/EEC and Decisions
89/187/EEC and 91/664/EEC. European Parliament. April 1996. www.ec.europa.eu/food/food/chemicalsafety/residues/council_directive_96_23ec.pdf. Accessed April 12, 2012.
42 European Commission Health and Consumers Directorate-General. 2011. Imports of animals and their products from third countries. Sec 5.3.1.1.
ec.europa.eu/food/food/chemicalsafety/residues/third_countries_en.htm#5.3.1.1. Accessed April 10,
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43 European Commission. 2010. Final Report of a Mission Carried Out in Mexico From 22 November to 03 December 2010 In Order to Evaluate the Operation of Controls Over the Production of Fresh Horse Meat and Meat Products Intended for Export to the European Union as Well as Certification Procedures. December 2010. ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/rep_details_en.cfm?rep_id=2639. Accessed April 12, 2012.
44 Canadian Food Inspection Agency. 2011. Ante and Post-mortem Procedures, Dispositions, Monitoring, and Controls-Red Meat Species, Ostriches, Rheas, and Emus. Chapter 17, E.2. June 2011. www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/meavia/man/ch17/annexee.shtml#e2. Accessed April 12, 2012.
45 European Commission, 2011. Health and Consumers Directorate-General. Final Report of an Audit Carried Out in Canada from 13 to 23 September 2011 in Order to Evaluate the Monitoring of Residues and Contaminants in Live Animals and Animal Products, Including Controls on Veterinary Medicinal Products. www.ec.europa.eu/food/fvo/index_en.cfm?reptoshow=2. Accessed April 12, 2012.
46 Whitcomb R. 2010. EU standards could signal new challenges for veterinary records, horse transport, and slaughter. DVM Newsmagazine, August 1. veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Veterinary+Equine/EU-standards-could-signal-new-challenges-for- veter/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/682251. Accessed April 10, 2012.
47 European Commission. 2008. Commission adopts single passport and matching chip for horses and other equidae [Press release]. europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/905&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN Accessed April 12, 2012.
48 European Commission Health & Consumers Directorate-General. 2009. Imports of equine meat from third countries. www.defendhorsescanada.org/residues.pdf. Accessed April 12, 2012.

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization, backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty. On the Web at humanesociety.org. 
  
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