It's Time to End Horse Slaughter, For Good

Thank you for your supporting the Safeguard American Food Exports Act (H.R. 113), which would ban horse slaughter in the United States and the transportation of American horses out of the country for slaughter.

Polls consistently show that about 80 percent of Americans strongly oppose horse slaughter -- and for good reason:

The SAFE Act would protect human health by keeping unsafe meat off American grocery shelves and out of foreign exports. Because Americans do not raise horses to be eaten, they are often given any of 379 common animal medications banned for human consumption by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- including some that can be lethal if ingested by humans. No regulations require the sharing of information about substances previously ingested by a horse up for auction. There, kill buyers purchase more than 100,000 horses annually and truck them to slaughter in Mexico, Canada and beyond.

More than 92 percent of these exported horses are in “good” condition, according to the USDA. Until a federal ban on horse slaughter and the sale and transport of equines for the purpose of slaughter is passed once and for all, America’s wild and domestic equines are vulnerable to irresponsible breeding, abusive management, suffering, and often terrifying deaths in substandard conditions.

I'm writing to urge you to support the Safeguard American Food Exports Act (S. 1706), which would ban horse slaughter in the United States and the transportation of American horses out of the country for slaughter.

The SAFE Act would protect human health by keeping unsafe meat off American grocery shelves and out of foreign exports. Because Americans do not raise horses to be eaten, they are often given any of 379 common animal medications banned for human consumption by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- including some that can be lethal if ingested by humans. No regulations require the sharing of information about substances previously ingested by a horse up for auction. There, kill buyers purchase more than 100,000 horses annually and truck them to slaughter in Mexico, Canada and beyond.

More than 92 percent of these exported horses are in "good" condition, according to the USDA. Until a federal ban on horse slaughter and the sale and transport of equines for the purpose of slaughter is passed once and for all, America's wild and domestic equines are vulnerable to irresponsible breeding, abusive management, suffering, and often terrifying deaths in substandard conditions.

Polls consistently show that about 80 percent of Americans strongly oppose horse slaughter. A similar percentage believe that America's wild horses should be protected on our shared public lands. Having invested millions in tax dollars in the well-being of wild horses and burros only to see them shot by the government would be the ultimate betrayal.

I hope that you will show the same leadership in opposing any provisions that would allow the Bureau of Land Management to euthanize - shoot - healthy wild horses and burros, that would promote dangerous field sterilization surgeries or that would reduce sale restrictions, making it easier for BLM to sell to kill buyers.

Proven, humane alternatives to the mass killing of these icons of the American West are available, including the use of fertility control for wild horses, water and range restoration projects, and and creating incentives for ranchers to reduce grazing on public lands.

Unfortunately, BLM has never invested more than 4% of its annual budget on fertility control -- even as the amount that agency spends on capturing, removing and warehousing wild horses continues to grow.

I’m writing to urge you to support the bipartisan Safeguard American Food Exports Act (H.R. 113), which would ban horse slaughter in the United States and the transportation of American horses out of the country for slaughter.

Polls consistently show that about 80 percent of Americans strongly oppose horse slaughter -- and for good reason:

The SAFE Act would protect human health by keeping unsafe meat off American grocery shelves and out of foreign exports. Because Americans do not raise horses to be eaten, they are often given any of 379 common animal medications banned for human consumption by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- including some that can be lethal if ingested by humans. No regulations require the sharing of information about substances previously ingested by a horse up for auction. There, kill buyers purchase more than 100,000 horses annually and truck them to slaughter in Mexico, Canada and beyond.

More than 92 percent of these exported horses are in “good” condition, according to the USDA. Until a federal ban on horse slaughter and the sale and transport of equines for the purpose of slaughter is passed once and for all, America’s wild and domestic equines are vulnerable to irresponsible breeding, abusive management, suffering, and often terrifying deaths in substandard conditions.

Thank you for your supporting the Safeguard American Food Exports Act (S. 1706), which would ban horse slaughter in the United States and the transportation of American horses out of the country for slaughter.

The SAFE Act would protect human health by keeping unsafe meat off American grocery shelves and out of foreign exports. Because Americans do not raise horses to be eaten, they are often given any of 379 common animal medications banned for human consumption by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- including some that can be lethal if ingested by humans. No regulations require the sharing of information about substances previously ingested by a horse up for auction. There, kill buyers purchase more than 100,000 horses annually and truck them to slaughter in Mexico, Canada and beyond.

More than 92 percent of these exported horses are in "good" condition, according to the USDA. Until a federal ban on horse slaughter and the sale and transport of equines for the purpose of slaughter is passed once and for all, America's wild and domestic equines are vulnerable to irresponsible breeding, abusive management, suffering, and often terrifying deaths in substandard conditions.

Polls consistently show that about 80 percent of Americans strongly oppose horse slaughter. A similar percentage believe that America's wild horses should be protected on our shared public lands. Having invested millions in tax dollars in the well-being of wild horses and burros only to see them shot by the government would be the ultimate betrayal.

I hope that you will show the same leadership in opposing any provisions that would allow the Bureau of Land Management to euthanize - shoot - healthy wild horses and burros, that would promote dangerous field sterilization surgeries or that would reduce sale restrictions, making it easier for BLM to sell to kill buyers.

Proven, humane alternatives to the mass killing of these icons of the American West are available, including the use of fertility control for wild horses, water and range restoration projects, and creating incentives for ranchers to reduce grazing on public lands. Unfortunately, BLM has never invested more than 4% of its annual budget on fertility control -- even as the amount that agency spends on capturing, removing and warehousing wild horses continues to grow.