| Commercial Transportation of Horses To Slaughter Act | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Law That Will Legalize the Inhumane Transport of Horses To Slaughter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
June 1998 The AHC has participated in two meetings with interested parties, including USDA representatives, to discuss the regulation of the commercial transportation of horses to slaughter facilities. USDA will be developing proposed regulations shortly. These meetings brought together almost all of the organizations and industries that have an interest in the regulations. A list of the attendees at the two meetings is attached. The first meeting was held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina , on April 21-22 and the second meeting was held in Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas on June 1-3. As a result of these two meetings the group has developed some recomendations for the USDA to consider as the regulations are developed. The only issue the group was not able to reach consensus on was the eventual banning of double decked trailers to ship horses to slaughter facilities. Some supported a ban of double deck trailers with a grandfather clause taking effect after enactment for trailers already being used; some did not support any type of ban of double deck trailers. The group was able to reach consensus on several other issues such as the length of time horses should be allowed to travel before being stopped for food, water and rest, what type of horse is phsically fit enough to withstand the stress of travel, and what type of certificate should be used to ensure that only horses fit enough to travel are commercially transported to slaughter facilities. The recommendation of the group regarding the length of time a horse should travel before being stopped for food, water and rest is: Horses should be rested, fed and watered for not less than 5 hours prior to loading for slaughter. During transport, horses should not be without food and water for longer than 24 hours after loading. The time should only be exceeded if they will reach their final destination without being confined longer than 28 hours. The group recommended that the following horses should not be commercially transported to slaughter: * Horses unable to bear weight on all four limbs. * Horses unable to walk unassisted. * Foals under 6 months of age * Horses blind in both eyes. *Pregnant mares that are likely to give birth during transport. It was also recommended that the USDA develop an Owner/Shipper statement that would be signed by the individual in charge of the horses going to slaughter. This statement would be signed by the individual in charge of the horses going to slaughter. This statement would be signed prior to transport and would act as an affidavit providing the following information: * Identification of the horses being transported (i.e. color, sex, permanent brand/markings, backtag number, etc ) * That the horses being transported are physically fit to travel, using the guidelines provided above, and * That special care and handling methods will be used to deal with stallions being transported or other aggressive horses. Finally the group recommended that a representative of the USDA be at the slaughter plants to meet every shipment and review the owner/shipper statement and inspect the horses as they unload. This representative would be present for every shipment for at least the first 6 months the regulations are in effect. Depending on the number of violations found during the first 6 months the number of inspections may be decreased. USDA is expected to begin developing regulations very soon. The Department has stated they would like to print draft regulations in the Federal Register before September 1. These draft regulations would then be available for public comment before USDA issues final regulations. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| INCREDIBLE- The List of Attendees is Below: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
USDA Dr Joan M. Arnoldi Dr Timothy Cordes Horse Industry Steve Ralls American Horse Council AHC Terri Greer Animal Welfare COuncil Auction Industry Dr Warren Piersal New Holland Sales, Inc Humane Industry Robin Lohnes American Horse Protection Association AHPA Adele Douglass American Humane Association Marc Paulhus Humane Society of the United States, HSUS Veterinary Community Dr Venaye P. Reece Clemson Livestock Lab Dr Fred McCashin American Association of Equine Practioners, AAEP Dr David Granstrom American Veterinary Medical Assn, AVMA Slaughter Industry Brent Heberlein US Horsemeat Association Jack Bond Central Nebraska Packing Oliver Kemseke Dallas Crown, Inc State Regulators Dr Ernie Zirkle New Jersey Department of Ag. Researchers Dr Carolyn L. Stull University of CA at Davis Dr Ted H. Friend Texas A & M University | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| The $400,000 alloted to draft regulations for this law, paid for water deprivation studies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
Favourite links
|
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||
|
This page has been visited
|