Wayne Pacelle: A Humane Nation | The Humane Society of the United States

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Wayne Pacelle: A Humane Nation | The Humane Society of the United States

Horse Slaughtergate

Posted: 22 Dec 2008 11:25 AM CST

Six-time Genesis Awards-winner Brad Woodard, an investigative reporter for the

CBS television affiliate in Houston, is on top of the horse slaughter industry

again. Last week, he aired an investigative story that reminded us of the

continuing problems of slaughter, exposing again the propaganda of the Belgian

companies and their allies at the center of the North American trade in horses

for human consumption.

We know of the tens of thousands of live American horses sent to slaughter in

Canada and Mexico, where The HSUS has documented inhumane slaughter and

treatment. From there, the meat is typically sent to Europe for human

consumption.

 

© Animals' Angels

 

Woodard reported on that, but also the efforts of Animals' Angels to obtain

federal records through the Freedom of Information Act that document the

treatment of American horses destined for the slaughter plants here in the

United States before they were closed in 2007 (two in Texas and one in

Illinois). The records and photos show battered and beaten-up horses, and the

pictures will turn your stomach, as writer Steven Long of Texas Horse Talk

magazine says in the Woodard piece.

For years, as The HSUS has pushed a ban on horse slaughter in the United

States and on the export of live horses for slaughter, we've heard the canard

from the American Veterinary Medical Association and groups associated with

agribusiness that all was well with slaughter here in the U.S.; in fact, there

are moves in several states to open horse slaughter plants here again, with the

proponents relying on the argument that slaughtering is humane here in the U.S.

But the Animals' Angels investigation shows something very different indeed,

and the photos and other materials supplement the disturbing investigative

footage The HSUS obtained some years ago about the cruelty of slaughter here.

The fact is, wherever one looks at horse slaughter—here or abroad—it's an

ugly industry. No animal should suffer this cruelty for any reason, and

certainly not for the profits of a handful of Belgian companies operating in

North America that supply a luxury meat market for a sliver of high-end Japanese

and European consumers.

When the new Congress convenes on Jan. 6, it will be a top priority for The

HSUS to pass legislation to ban horse slaughter in the United States and to ban

the export for slaughter of American horses to our neighbors to the north and

south. We'll need you in that fight to get the phone lines going, especially to

educate the dozens of new members of Congress who may be unfamiliar with the

issue.

Woodard is one of the nation’s best television journalists when it comes to

digging deep into issues that matter for animals—a fact recognized by his

collection of Genesis Awards, which are presented annually by The HSUS to honor

news and entertainment media that spotlight important animal issues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy life and smile.