Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Sale and Slaughter

Floor Speech

WILD FREE-ROAMING HORSES AND BURROS SALE AND SLAUGHTER PROHIBITION

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Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 249, a bill to restore the prohibition on the sale for slaughter of wild horses and burros.

Behind closed doors, language was added to the fiscal year 2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill that overturned the 33-year-old ban on the slaughter of wild horses and burros. Immediately, Congress rejected this ploy by voting to amend the fiscal year 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill to reinstate the ban. That amendment, introduced by Congressman Nick Rahall, passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 249-159 in the House and the same amendment was included in the fiscal year 2007 bill. We must restore a permanent ban on the slaughter of wild horses and burros to ensure that they remain protected.

Legislators are working to put an end to horse slaughter in this country because horses are some of the most beautiful and beloved domesticated animals on earth. Americans have long appreciated horses--for transport, on ranches, as police mounts, and as cherished companions. America's wild horses are especially prized. The approximately 28,500 horses and burros that roam public land--our prairies, ranges, and the open plains--are cherished symbols of American freedom.

The American Horse Council reports that 1.9 million Americans currently own horses. Another 7.1 million Americans are involved in the industry as horse owners, service providers, employees and volunteers, while tens of millions participate in horse events as spectators. These millions of Americans know that horses should be treated with dignity and respect in life and death. They are disgusted, as I am, that in 2006 over 100,000 horses were slaughtered at three American-based, foreign-owned plants so that the meat could be shipped to Europe and Asia for consumption as a delicacy. And they are saddened that wild horses were sentenced to the same fate, despite the Bureau of Land Management's access to humane options, including adoption, sterilization, relocation, and placement with qualified organizations and individuals.

Not surprisingly, a recent poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies found that 65 percent of Americans do not support horse slaughter. And 64 percent of Americans believe that horses are a companion animal, like dogs and cats, and killing a horse to eat is not different than killing a cat or dog to eat.

I think it's time to listen to the American public and finally end the barbaric practice of horse slaughter, for wild horses, and for all horses. This legislation demonstrates that we are willing to heed the call of the American people, and take the necessary steps to protect horses from an inhumane and unjust fate.

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