WASHINGTON, DC – Federal lawmakers reintroduced legislation to permanently ban horse slaughter in the United States and end the current export of American horses for slaughter abroad.
Sponsored by U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act is supported by leading animal welfare groups, including the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), the Humane Society of the United States, the Humane Society Legislative Fund, and Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation.
“For centuries, horses have embodied the spirit of American freedom and pride. They are our companions, work partners, entertainers, and athletes. With such a special place in our nation’s history it’s beyond time that we end the brutal practice of slaughtering these majestic creatures as food for humans. I am proud to reintroduce the SAFE Act with Congressman Buchanan and offer legislation that will finally close a loophole to end the slaughter of American horses for human consumption, both domestically and abroad,” said the bill’s co-sponsor U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).
The bills other sponsor, Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) said, “The slaughter of horses for human consumption is a barbaric practice that has no place in America. I look forward to continuing to lead the effort with Congresswoman Schakowsky to ban domestic horse slaughter and end the export of horses abroad for the same purpose.”
“The ASPCA is working resolutely to solve equine welfare issues on the ground, but we cannot fully succeed while the slaughter pipeline remains open,” said Nancy Perry, senior vice president of Government Relations for the ASPCA. “An overwhelming majority of Americans oppose horse slaughter for human consumption and with May being Adopt a Horse Month, there is no better time than now to support at-risk horses by prohibiting this unnecessary and cruel practice. ”
The president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, Sara Amundson pointes out that, “Only nine years ago, 160,000 American horses were exported abroad for slaughter. Due to awareness of this inhumane and predatory industry, that number has dropped dramatically with just over 35,000 shipped to slaughter in 2020. But one horse is still too many.”
The SAFE Act would also protect the public from dangerous American horse meat, which can be toxic to humans due to the common, unregulated administration of drugs given to horses, say the bill’s sponsors. “Horses are not raised for food and are routinely given hundreds of drugs and chemical treatments throughout their life that are banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in food items because of their toxicity to humans if consumed. Products routinely used to care for horses, such as fly repellent, pain medications, and wormers, contain banned, toxic ingredients that are dangerous to humans.”
