Ban on horse slaughter survives Republican effort to kill it

[Judi Lynn]

October 27, 2005

Ban on horse slaughter survives Republican effort to kill it

WASHINGTON A ban on slaughtering horses that won overwhelming approval in the House and Senate survived Republican attempts to strip it from an agriculture spending bill today.

Both houses of Congress approved identical provisions this year that would bar the Agriculture Department from inspecting horse meat. That effectively bans the sale of such meat for human consumption.

Representative Henry Bonilla -- a Republican from Texas -- wanted the prohibition removed from this year's final spending bill for agriculture programs. That's according to aides to other members of Congress. The aides, who are members of both parties, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to discuss the work of negotiators working on the measure.

Negotiators hammered out a compromise bill today that included the ban on horse slaughter, but delayed when it takes effect. The initial measure would have made the ban effective immediately. The compromise delays it for 120 days.
(snip/...)

http://www.team4news.com/Global/story.asp?S=4034068&nav=0w0v

[Yellow Horse]

1. That's MY Fitzmas present!

:-)

[aquart]

2. Those boys just gotta be killing something.

[Ken Burch]

3. I'm damn sure not goin' to Bonilla's place for steak night! nt

[pinniped]

6. Oh, the monsters got that covered.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/26/BAG62FE5IB1.DTL&hw=marbled&sn=001&sc=1000

CALIFORNIA
Suit could follow any delisting of marbled murrelet
New count method may remove seabird from U.S. protection

Environmental groups have vowed to stop a plan by the Bush administration that would eliminate federal Endangered Species Act protections for a secretive seabird that nests in California redwoods.
----

They hate the bird because it lives in those nice trees that loggers desire.

They hate wild salmon because they impede new dams being built.

I hate those evil monsters.

[wakeme2008]

4. I do not know how safe Bonilla district is

But it does not take a Karl Rove to already see the ads in the 2006 against him. :evilgrin:

[acmavm]

5. You know, this part struck me as real interesting...

<snip>The aides, who are members of both parties, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not supposed to discuss the work of negotiators working on the measure.
<snip>

I think these sneaky bastards need to start talking publically about what they're up to and what schemes they're trying to pull because somehow they got it into their heads that the people don't have a right to know what's going on, that they should just be able to attach any sneaky measure to a bill or piece of legislation that has absolutely NOTHING to do with what they're up to, and that we don't not only have no right to know about it we don't have the right to object.

These people get sent to Washington D.C. and they begin to think that they have become aristocrats and royalty. They need to be brought back to reality. I don't want any sob or sob-ette in Washington who doesn't have enough of a grasp on the meaning and intent of the Constitution to pass a civics or American Government class.

[truthisfreedom]

7. what is up with the republican fascination with slaughtering horses?

seems like they'd like the image of the old West preserved...

[texpatriot2004]

8. Rep Henry Bonilla (R) from TX wanted prohibition removed

It's always some evil yahoo in TX, where I am at.

[Divernan]

9. NOTE: Ban not effective for 120 days. Lots of horses can be killed by then

This was considered a "compromise". That means each side got something. Now what do you think the horse slaughterers were negotiating for, other than the opportunity to slaughter horses? God, if only we had investigative journalists around to report on what happens during the 120 days.

[sybylla]

10. IIRC, It has not been legal to sell horse meat in this country

since the big push at the turn of the last century to reform the food industry.

At best, this would have been an attempt at making it possible for states to make it legal - if it can be inspected it can be consumed.

Trust me, I have friends from Belgium where horse meat is a regular part of the diet and they have not been able to find it in this country in the 14 years they've been here.

The only reason the ban was put in place was because dishonest butchers were selling horse meat as beef. The only reason it's still in place is because of our romanticized notion of horses, good or bad.

I doubt voting for a bill that would allow the change to take place would be a career killer, but who really wants to go there?

And I doubt, if such a ban were lifted, there would be a huge market for horse meat. Not likely something you'd see on the market. Too much bad press. IMHO, more than likely the processing of horse meat would only happen on demand.

[Yellow Horse]

15. Horses are not raised the same way as beef, nor for the same...

...purposes.

Beef are raised in feedlots, and for the most part no one treats them as "companion animals". I know because my family raises both beef and horses.

There is something inherently wrong about using an animal as a companion, riding it and maybe competing with it or working together with it, even for decades, and then when it is old and no longer "wanted" you just dump it off at the nearest auction to go for slaughter. Would you do that to your dog? Your cat? Your elderly mother? I think not, and if that is "romanticizing" horses, so be it.

The second thing to consider (and tell this to your friends in Belgium) is that American horses, being "companion" and "sport" animals, are subjected to being treated with all sorts of drugs, cosmetics (yes), and chemicals that are labeled NOT to be used on animals intended for food. There's really no way of checking whether that old horse that went to the slaughter auction was loaded up with Ventipulmin for his Heaves (clenbuterol, a drug that renders meat basically unfit to eat.) And frankly I don't want all the USDA "food producer" regulation held over MY horses, which will never be sold for meat, and I don't want my equines to be denied medicine, fly spray, or anything else so your friends in Belgium can get the kind of meat they like from somebody else.

And, BTW, for your information I myself have eaten horse meat in Europe. Not bad, but certainly not worth changing our whole USA equine industry to accommodate the regulation we would suffer if we all were declared full-scale "meat" producers.

[lonestarnot]

11. OMG More gooood news! What is this world coming to?

[doodadem]

12. Bastards!

What is it with these people and killing horses?!
My question would be, if slaughter is banned in this country, will live horses just be shipped to other countries to be slaughtered?
We're not just talking mustangs here people--a huge herd of these are failed race horses straight off the tracks, stolen horses, and various versions of a nightmare.

[Debau2005]

13. There is a law

that states that animals can not be shipped to other countries to be slaughtered. They have to be shipped for another purpose. Of course, this law is easily broken. I'll post it when I find it.


http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:h.857:


edited to add link to law.

[Straight Shooter]

14. Socrates said a society is judged by how it treats its animals.

I judge Republicans, therefore, and I damn them for their cruelty to one of God's most miraculous and beautiful creatures.

[Guaranteed]

16. This is where we beat them legislatively, eh?

We can't put up as good of, or a better, fight elsewhere, huh?