Pennsylvanians Against Horse Slaughter

American's Told They Have No Right to Know What is Happening on Government Land

2010-10-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

(Click on title to go to the article)

BLM Declares Their Land “Non-Public Forums”

An Editorial by the Publisher

By ROBERT WINKLER
The Desert Independent

October 15, 2010

In a response to a lawsuit filed by Grass Roots Horse in a Nevada court on October 14^, the Bureau Of Land Management (BLM) revealed that “herd management areas” and perhaps other areas of public lands at their unilateral choosing can, be considered by the government “non-public forums.”

This is interesting news to the rest of us who have considered these lands public, open and freely accessible. It would seem, according to Ken Salazar, Bob Abbey and those they lead at the Department of Interior and BLM, the we, the press, and by extension, you the public have no have no right to know how the government manages your public resources.

The government is controlling the content of the information that reaches you, the public, by prohibiting journalists who may portray them in an unflattering light.

Our interest at this moment is wild horses on public lands. Next year it might be gas pipelines, uranium mining, or nuclear waste storage. The public has a right to know. The government behaves when citizens are watching.

They know that. They know that. They know that.

That is why Ken Salazar and Bob Abbey are fighting in court to prevent public access.

Shame on Ken Salazar.

Shame on Bob Abbey.

Horse Slaughterer - Elected Legislator - Lobbyist?

2010-09-20T06:11:00.000-07:00

Good Work if You Can Get It…..

September 17, 2010By Nell Walton Who is Sue Wallis and Why Should I Care? Part III in a Series

http://www.allpetspost.org/allhorsespost/?p=3990

Rep. Sue Wallis at the Tennessee State Legislature In a membership communication distributed on January 30, the United Organizations of the Horse (a Wyoming based lobbying group whose mission is to open a horse slaughter facility in Wyoming – referred to as the UOH) applauded the financial support of various organizations and spoke of the attendance of Rep. Sue Wallis and David Duquette at the Simon Bucking Stock Sale in Oklahoma City, OK. Rep. Wallis is an elected state legislator from Wyoming, as well as Executive Director of the UOH, and Mr. Duquette is the President of the nonprofit 501 (c)(3) affiliate of the UOH, the United Horseman’s Front. The Simon Bucking Stock Sale is operated by Joe Simon Enterprises of Lakeville, MN.

In August of 2009, this same Joe Simon (aka Roy Joseph Simon) was found to have committed multiple violations of the Commercial Transportation of Equines for Slaughter Act (CTESA). The Act, part of the 1996 Farm Bill, is intended to assure that equines being transported for slaughter are not subjected to unsafe and inhumane conditions during shipment. Any owner/shipper that commercially transports more than 20 equines a year to a slaughter facility must comply with this law. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is charged with overseeing CTESA compliance. Among other things these regulations dictate that:

stallions and other aggressive horses must be separated from the rest of the shipment
adequate food, water, and rest should be provided to slaughter-bound horses six hours prior to being loaded onto a vehicle

horses should not be confined in a vehicle longer than 24 hours without food and water

An owner/shipper certificate must accompany the shipment (this contains details about the shipper and receiver as well as statement verifying that the horse is fit to travel. Horses must also be supplied with a “backtag” – a tag supplied by the USDA that sticks to the back of the horse)

adequate floor space must be provided for the horses during shipment

In the decision issued by the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) that heard Simon’s case, it was recorded that Simon said he had been in business for over 30 years and estimated that he or his business transported approximately 3600 horses a year for slaughter. Mr. Simon was charged with numerous violations of the Act, ranging from minor paperwork irregularities, to more serious violations; including findings that during transport a horse severed an artery so severely that that blood was visibly running from the trailer (no vet was called, as required by regulations) and another horse sustained multiple fractures of a hind leg and no veterinarian was called, even though the driver attested to the horses “acting up” in the trailer (the horse was so seriously injured it was was euthanized immediately at the slaughterhouse upon arrival.)

In the course of the decision the ALJ commented:

“… I am somewhat puzzled why Complainant (the USDA) let such a large number of violations accumulate before issuing a complaint against Respondent (Simon). Given the importance of the regulations, strongly emphasized by the testimony of Dr. Cordes (Dr. Timothy Cordes, veterinarian and witness for the USDA) and by Complainant’s briefs, it is surprising that years (emphasis added) elapsed between the commission of some violations and the issuance of the complaint. The earliest violations were alleged to have occurred in August 2003, with the first serious violation occurring in November 2004, yet the complaint was not issued until May 2007. Respondent testified, without dispute, that he has not been cited for any further violations since the issuance of the complaint in this case, indicating that waiting for the accumulation of 42 alleged violations before the issuance of a complaint rather than prosecuting promptly is not fully consistent with either the remedial or deterrent aims of the Agency. Thus, Dr. Cordes statement that Respondent had far more violations than any other owner/shipper who had gone to hearing, is necessarily weighed against the fact that it is highly likely that there would have been far fewer violations if APHIS (USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) had taken action when the first violations were discovered.”

When reviewing multiple cases that were adjudicated by the ALJs having jurisdiction over CTESA prosecutions, it was found that this delay in bringing action against violators of the CTESA HAS BEEN THE RULE, rather than the exception for many years. In ruling after ruling, various ALJs expressed their frustration and incredulity that years passed before any formal complaints were filed against horse slaughter shippers, even those with the most serious and heinous of violations. And, the judges were especially frustrated because as these cases were presented as first offenses, they were limited in the amount of penalties they could assign in their decisions.

IT IS ALSO OF INTEREST TO NOTE THAT CURRENT DECISIONS SHOW THAT MOST OF THE VIOLATIONS OCCURRED WHEN HORSE SLAUGHTER WAS LEGAL IN THE UNITED STATES.

On April 30, 2010, an editorial was run in www.trib.com, which criticized the UOH’s plans to build a horse slaughter plant in Wyoming. That same day, the UOH released a press release in response. In this release Rep. Wallis said:

“Under the current situation, the only horses that have any value whatsoever are those that are big enough, healthy enough, and close enough to a border to be worth the trucking to Canada and Mexico where they are slaughtered under systems and circumstances we cannot control or regulate. We feel it is far better to do this under US regulation and in situations where we can monitor it…”

Clearly, according to the USDA’s own enforcement action documentation, there IS very little enforcement or monitoring of conditions of horses shipped for slaughter, and severe violations are allowed to continue for years before any actions are taken to enforce the regulations, and, when enforcement is attempted the damages issued are hardly in line with the number and severity of violations. One cannot help but wonder if the USDA does such a poor job of overseeing something as basic as transport, what are its capabilities and priorities as far as overseeing a equine slaughter facility? Plus, the USDA has a difficult time just keeping up with basic safety of the current food supply (as is evident by the nearly monthly news reports of various food-born illnesses affecting large numbers of Americans).

Rep. Wallis went on to say:

“…We cannot let this (or any public expression of misinformation, outright lies, and exaggerations) go unanswered.….You all understand that if we lose this battle over the hearts and minds of the pet owning public, that our entire animal agriculture and horse based livelihoods are lost….If you want to drive change, you have to get out of the back of the truck. That is what we are trying to do. Animal rights organizations like HSUS/PETA create problems, inflame problems, and make money off of problems…we solve problems, and create value out of good solutions. ….”

Rep. Wallis goes onto urge UOH membership to “become an advocate for animal agriculture and for the rightful place of horses within that framework. … Don’t let misinformation go unchecked. .. most of these people are true horse lovers who consider their horses as pets, and who are being emotionally manipulated by animal rights ideologues who have a much darker agenda…..”

In some of her “talking points” Rep. Wallis makes the following assertions:

Without the option of slaughter, and using the meat to feed hungry animals or hungry people, those who can no longer afford to keep a horse, and cannot sell it, have literally no option…you can’t bury a 1,000 lb horse in the back yard like a cat or a dog…..Contrast that viewpoint with the total waste of at least 200,000 horse carcasses per year which, if euthanized with lethal drugs, become no more than a colossal disposal problem with toxic carcasses that cannot even be buried because of fear that it will leach into groundwater.
Actually, in most states it is perfectly legal to bury a horse on an owner’s property, and this method is what most horse-owners utilize when they lose an animal. There is no research or studies to indicate that there is groundwater contamination from the burying of chemically euthanized horses. The American Veterinary Medical Association does say that any chemically euthanized horse carcasses that are left unburied could be toxic to birds and predatory species.

Some Americans always have and always will eat horse meat. It is what filled the bellies of our soldiers who won World War II, and kept the families here at home fed throughout the 1940s when there was a shortage of all other meat…
Multiple polls indicate differently. In a variety of polls conducted since 1993, anywhere from 57-89% of Americans have stated that they feel horse slaughter is cruel and inhumane, and the eating of horse meat abhorrent.

One billion people on the planet today rarely get enough to eat, and another billion do not get enough protein and nutrients for health. Ten million children a year die of starvation. From a moral standpoint, can we afford to put any viable protein source off limits?
Currently, as horse meat cannot be transported state to state (the USDA has no operating budget for meat inspectors at horse slaughter facilities) it is hard to understand the even basic feasibility of Rep. Wallis’ argument; unless, of course, there are 10 million children dying of starvation in Wyoming.

Because of the closure of the US slaughter plants in the US in 2007 by state action in Illinois and Texas, the entire horse industry from top to bottom has been deeply affected. What was a 1.2 Billion dollar industry supporting 460,000 full-time direct jobs, and another 1.6 million indirect jobs has been cut in half. There has been a loss of a minimum of 500,000 direct and indirect jobs, and horses that were worth $1,000 are now worthless, horses once worth $2,500 are lucky to bring $750, horses that would have sold for $85,000 to $100,000 are now being liquidated for $10,000 each.

None of these figures could be independently verified and Rep. Wallis did not quote her source. In fact, according to a detailed study done by the Animal Law Coalition, horse slaughter numbers began declining in 1993 and the number of horses slaughtered has been relatively flat and stable (approximately 100,000 per year) since 1997, so the only accurate correlation in regards to economic impact is the number of direct jobs lost when the two slaughter plant facilities in Illinois and Texas closed in 2007.

…The ultimate goal of animal rightists, which is a very, very radical and idealogic agenda, is to end all human use of animals and to eliminate all domestic animals which is to many of us a gross perversion of the moral and ethical underpinnings of our society, not to mention a dangerous, unhealthy, and unnatural way of being.

As no sources or facts were associated with this statement, it must be assumed that this is Rep. Wallis’ own personal opinion.

In a recent article by Chelsea Good, published in Kansas Stockman, Ms. Good attempts to make the case that horse abandonment and neglect has increased dramatically in the United States since the closure of the slaughter plants in 2007:

The American Quarter Horse Association, American Veterinary Medical Association and many animal agriculture groups opposed the forced (horse slaughter) plant closings, claiming there would be an increase in horse abandonment. Since 2007, horse prices have plummeted to the point where many cannot even be given away. The web site wwww.amillionhorses.com tracks print, television and radio news reports about horse neglect and abandonment. Prior to 2007, stories numbered less than 35 a year. In 2008, the group tracked 310 stories. Reports increased 400% from 2008 to 2009, when 1,241 stories detailing neglect and abandonment of horses were published online.

However, again, the argument that slaughterhouse plant closings have increased the incidence of horse abandonment and neglect, does not even pass a basic common sense test, as the numbers of horses slaughtered has remained essentially the same since 1997. It is highly more likely that since 2007, basic market economics have come into play, i.e. the supply has exceeded the demand for horses, due to the world-wide recession and (perhaps) overbreeding of horses. Additionally, the information Ms. Good cites from the website www.amillionhorses.com could not be verified or even located.

So, as one steps through the various position statements and information being distributed by the UOH and Rep. Wallis, it is clear that very little of it is fact-based – most is just hyperbole and rhetoric designed to inflame the UOH membership and people who make their living from livestock and poultry, and manipulate them into helping the UOH push forth its own agenda. And, upon close examination that agenda becomes painfully clear.

One obvious clue can be found in the UOH’s old website under FAQs. On this web page, Rep. Wallis responds to an email she has received from “Sandra I” (location unknown):

“Dear Ms Wallis–maybe I am being naive, but wonder how it is that an elected Federal member of the House, can also be a lobbyist at the same time… I hope to hear from you, as I am curious re this issue. Sandra I.”

Rep. Wallis response included the following statement:

“First of all, I am a State Representative, not a Federal one. I represent a very rural area, and one small town, in Campbell County. In my state, serving in the Legislature is a small, small part of my livelihood. The most we are ever in session in any one year is 40 days. I make my living as a rancher……….” (emphasis added)

In this response, Rep. Wallis fails to address this most pertinent question in regards to the ethics of a legislator also being a lobbyist, and sponsoring legislative bills that promote her own enterprises.

In fact, an analysis of the UOH supporters shows that only a small percentage of the UOH membership is actually from Wyoming (one supporter being Jim Schwartz, the Director of the Wyoming Livestock Board). Most are from other parts of the country, and, Dave Duquette, president of the UOH’s nonprofit affiliate resides and runs a business in Oregon.

It is hard to fathom how the people of Wyoming, nor the powers-that-be that oversee Wyoming legislative ethics stand for this.

As an exercise in impartiality let’s remove horse slaughter issue from the scenario, and replace it with a hypothetical casino project in a hypothetical state. State Rep. Jane Doe decides she wants a casino. There had been a similar situation in neighboring Nevada, where a state legislator had sponsored a successful bill to have a casino built on state property (he was the President of corporation that owned the casino, and profited from it, along with his out-of-state backers). The casino had operated for a number of years. However, it had recently been closed, due to public outcry over corruption in the state legislature.

Despite the controversy surrounding the Nevada casino, Rep. Doe sponsors a bill for her casino, clearly stating her casino will be different than the Nevada casino, hers will be a “fair, family friendly” casino, which will be much better for the gamblers and their families. Rep. Doe says the casino will provide thousands of jobs, and ancillary income to her state, although no facts or studies are used to illustrate how this will work exactly. She finds an individual from another state that is willing to become president of a tax-exempt nonprofit “affiliate” of her casino project. Plans are made for him to operate a “nature park and dude ranch” on the casino grounds, that will be solely dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused and neglected children. She uses this as a selling feature to the State Legislature (never mind the fact that the president of this nonprofit has absolutely no experience in rescuing and rehabilitating abused and neglected children, he has had several chilren though, so therefore he is an expert). She also forms a tax-exempt nonprofit lobbying group mainly consisting of out-of-state backers to not only invest in the casino and give Rep. Doe’s activities financial support, but they also work out deals to ship in gamblers from their various states, so that they will have the opportunity to gamble at a “fair, family friendly” casino. Rep. Doe and her out-of-state backers form a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) to handle the income of their “fair, family friendly” casino; exact details on how much of this income will actually make it into Rep. Doe State’s coffers remains undiscussed. Nevertheless, the Governor of Rep. Doe’s state and the State Legislature nod wisely in agreement that Rep. Doe has an excellent plan to help the people of her state and said casino project is approved lickety-split with little to no input from these same people.

Well, as they say, its good work if you can get it.

For more information:

http://www.dm.usda.gov/oaljdecisions/090805_AQ-07-0103_DO.pdf

http://trib.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_6f8e45b8-547e-11df-b87e-001cc4c002e0.html

http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001IP2wby2XJMKBMVUHbqzukqrjXcmU0TfEHUIpI9LFJrkJDRzzUXDD3wz3Le6FEK28IdarG475IPCuNVeN-gL9sJC6FCH2jq2CbthtivEhuQfXBvWDEgn_WHz0uw7YDJOAkxvAlEPV7mx0pRjxUELVR4wq0DczA3zKIeQBqEzFYJacGfrIzxMwSw9zY86Gbev3QuI7J1YgWZkPmP54F_eJyP8D52npDI5rbQw-NPyjXnc-DuSlmUGxoAId6Qt0_Riwl-d90Q8TWcWhNZcUDXCVNAe1ZVtOThy8BNmvMHIgI90qEmM4CTlIUihR3RYMIFaG

http://www.kla.org/stockman/sept_processing.pdf

http://www.amillionhorses.com/

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/541

http://www.unitedorgsofthehorse.org/old_site/index_files/banopposition.htm

http://www.unitedorgsofthehorse.org/old_site/index_files/faqs.htm

Shipshewana Auction Guilty of Animal Cruelty - AGAIN

2010-09-17T10:35:00.000-07:00

I am once again sickened by this report by Animals' Angels. Please click on the link to the full report. There are no graphic pictures. At the end of the report there are email addresses where we can write to the folks in Shipshewana - a big tourist area - indicating our outrage. There is no excuse for the things that are happening at that auction and for vets and local authorities to be looking the other way. Please make your voice heard - they ran a horse with a broken leg through HELL there last month.

I'm nauseous.

Investigation Updates
September 15, 2010
Animals' Angels
PO Box 1056 Westminster, MD 21158

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=whxo74bab&v=001VK-ta8v4JpW1W03trItnCrX5lfyV4NL8ldOLJ0L_GOkEBeohGe7b-vYTFi7oydiLsCclI37fnq90BhzsbU9JORzsdgW0vL8mAbcOv2up720%3D

Shipshewana Auction Follow-up Investigation

Last month Animal's Angels returned to the Shipshewana Auction in Indiana, a follow-up to our September 2009 visit. Many of you will remember our documentation of inadequate & cruel treatment of animals by auction employees, and especially the video footage of "Richard" kicking and beating an animal martial-arts style for several minutes. In addition to "Richard" we found the pens dangerously overcrowded with horses in sustained episodes of loud fighting, water and food troughs empty, and handling of the animals unreasonably brutal with many in very poor condition.

In a word, conditions last year were miserable.

Read the investigative report...

Watch the video...

After that investigation, Animals' Angels filed complaints with auction owners, local law enforcement, the State Veterinarian, the Livestock Marketing Association and the House Agricultural Committee. The employee "Richard" was fired. All other employees were trained in humane handling practices.

Keith Lambright, an owner of Shipshewana Auction Inc. apologized publicly for the actions of his employee saying, "Shipshewana Auction supports the proper and ethical treatment of animals and in no way tolerates the mistreatment of any animal that enters our facility. Once again, we apologize..." AA Investigators returned last month to see if conditions had improved and if the auction owners had been true to their word.

The Livestock Auction

The morning of the Livestock Auction was already 83 degrees, hot and humid as investigators arrived. The pens were very overcrowded with approximately 300 head of cattle to be sold, mostly Holstein dairy cows. Hopes of improved conditions began to evaporate as investigators also observed that none of the pens contained water or food. Investigators noticed one pen appeared to be designated a "slow pen," a possible improvement if done properly, holding 32 cows that had arrived limping, emaciated or otherwise compromised. A "slow pen" would more likely keep these animals from being trampled than if they were in the regular pens. Several regular pens were extremely overcrowded and as the day went on many of the cows showed signs of heat stress with panting and foaming at the mouth. From one pen a Black Angus bull with a broken left front leg was brought into the alley. Auction employees struggled with the unwilling bull, running him up and around the alleys on three legs to a distant pen. It was soon apparent that Shipshewana's use of the "slow pen" was a way of concentrating the sickest and lowest priced cows in one area, and not a way of protecting or providing care. No water was ever provided here or in any of the pens. Several cows were down and groaning, one with shallow breathing and another panting heavily. Workers walked past these noticeably suffering animals many times without stopping or providing water, though Indiana law clearly states that withholding care is neglect and illegal. Some were emaciated, some stood holding one leg up, trying to move on the remaining three - a condition which should have made them unfit for transport since they were likely to become downers and trampled.

After the auction it took a long time and excessive force to get the completely weakened animals from the "slow pen" to the auction ring and later on the loading ramp and into the upper level of the trailer. One worker pulled the tail and a second pressed what looked like an electric stun gun to a sensitive rib area behind the front leg of a downed cow. This cow and 2 others had been down the entire day. Workers repeatedly pressed the stun gun into the cow's side. Each time the cow would wheel around violently as if hit with very high voltage. She finally rose to her feet very unsteadily and staggered along the alley. From the regular pens investigators noted Longhorns with typically long pointed horns and Holsteins loaded without separating dividers. At this time auction employees began taking notice of investigators. Even though auction activities and loading were not finished, AA decided to leave the premises so as not to compromise their investigation of the horse sale 2 days later. Returning inconspicuously early the next morning investigators found a thin but very much alive horse penned with 2 dead cows. One of the cows was from the "slow pen," and was not a downer, but had stood all day in one place without moving. The letter "S" (for slaughter) had been painted in red on her hips (most likely before she was brought to auction).

Another cow that appeared to have been dead for some time was also in the pen. The horse did not appear to be sick or injured. No water was in the pen. Many empty pens containing no dead animals were available.

The Horse Auction

Investigators arrived early to observe horses being unloaded. No water was in any of the pens as with the livestock auction. Another very bad day for the animals at Shipshewana soon started when a trailer with Michigan plates backed up to the loading dock. The horse inside the trailer was completely down. After several minutes of activity not visible to investigators, the horse hobbled out of the trailer. Her right front leg appeared to be broken and she was in poor physical condition, though alert and compliant. Despite her condition, an auction employee tagged her for sale and took her to an empty pen.

She collapsed within minutes, lying flat out on her side for the next hour. Someone who auction employees identified as the veterinarian arrived, briefly looked at the horse and shocked investigators as they heard him tell a worker to get the horse up. Her leg dangled oddly. Investigators had fully expected the vet would euthanize her where she lay. After an agonizing struggle, she was standing, and investigators were further shocked to see the veterinarian and the auction worker begin pushing the horse down a long aisle, all the way to an exit pen. The horse was
in obvious acute distress. An auction visitor watching from nearby said, "Oh, no! What are they doing to her? Can't they see how much the horse is hurting!" Enormous effort by both men was required to push and drag her because she was not moving on her own. Mr. Lambright, an owner of the auction, came, looked at the horse and seemed upset that his employees had unloaded the horse at his facility. A few minutes later, the trailer with Michigan plates pulled up. To the utter horror and anger of investigators, Mr. Lambright and the vet then forced the suffering horse out of the pen and pushed her into the trailer.

One of AA's investigators confronted Mr. Lambright but he denied all responsibility for the horse and responded by saying, "Ain't my problem. You take it up with the owner!" The investigator did not mince words in speaking to the owner who agreed to have the horse euthanized immediately.

Shortly thereafter the "loose" horse sale started. Shipshewana does not take horses that are designated as slaughter horses to the arena. Instead, the kill buyers gather in the pen area in the back and the horses are sold within minutes. The vet joined the kill buyers here, making fun of horses in poor condition and joking about one horse that was blind in both eyes. Eventually he also joined in the bidding with the kill buyers. Jeron Gold, owner of "Roping J Ranch" and one of the nations main slaughter buyers, purchased many of the horses going through the sale.

Read the full investigative report...

What can you do?

AA is left with multiple concerns about the Shipshewana Auction. While we noted that the overall auction employees' handling of animals had improved (Long pointed wooden sticks were not used to poke animals; the use of paddles and whistling was done well, and no animals were observed being carried by tails or ears;no beating & hitting of animals), it does not 'make up for' or lessen the concerns raised by this investigation.

Despite Mr. Keith Lambright's talk about the "proper and ethical treatment of animals," the improper and unethical treatment of animals was rampant. The issues are grave, involving neglect, abuse and violations of animal cruelty laws and AVMA policy. Animals' Angels is exploring several avenues by which we can respond most effectively. Tourism is Big Business in Shipshewana - Shipshewana's economic engine and the most important industry in the region. In our December 2009 Newsletter, AA noted the area's attraction to half a million tourists annually, "visitors seeking a bucolic step back into the 'good old days'....[and that] tourism industry would likely suffer if visitors discovered their gentle refuge is in fact rife with brutalities that continue at the Shipshewana auction."

Shipshewana offers antique malls, specialty shops, furniture making by one of the largest Amish communities in the country, a water park, hotels, and much more. Shipshewana draws visitors from a 150-mile radius, including Chicago.

Of special interest - the same people who own the Shipshewana auction, the Lambright brothers, also own the "largest flea market in the Midwest," a restaurant, a 154-room hotel, a conference center, an RV park and a $3/day, 500+ car parking lot

(www.tradingplaceamerica.com) It seems the Lambrights, and Shipshewana, risk a great deal in hosting an auction where the ethical and proper treatment of animals is NOT standard practice but is severely lacking. The Lambrights' auction income is likely a fraction of what they make from their other holdings, with the RV park and parking lots alone generating loads of cash - though mere adjuncts to the $35 to $70 per stall 1,000 stall-flea market income (!).

AA plans to meet with the auction owners about last month's investigation. It would help make the meeting more productive if Shipshewana merchants and officials have heard from you, the concerned public. We feel that any of the following message content, conveyed with complete courtesy, would be effective in helping to gain the cooperation of auction owners:
I and my family have come to enjoy our many visits to Shipshewana (if this is something you can say) for business and for pleasure. Mayfest and the Fall Crafters Fair coming up next month are especially fun. We have had concerns about the treatment of animals at the auctions but we were relieved when we read that after one incident, Keith Lambright, an owner of Shipshewana Auction Inc. had all his people trained to handle animals humanely and said publicly he supports the proper and ethical treatment of animals. But, even though Mr. Lambright said the auction, "will not tolerate the mistreatment of any animal that enters the facility," bad things are still happening to animals at the Shipshewana Auction:

In August a horse with an apparent broken leg entered the facility. Accepted at the auction and instead of being properly euthanized on the spot, this mare was severely mistreated. She arrived laying in the bottom of a trailer.Extremely stressed and suffering, she was put into a pen and she laid out flat on the ground. Later they forced her to rise again and moved her from pen to pen. Then Mr. Lambright himself assisted in loading her into a trailer that took her away.

Downer cows were not given care or even water- water was not provided in any of the pens at either the livestock or the horse auction! A bull with an apparent broken leg was at the auction-Failure to provide care, including water and food, is neglect and illegal in Indiana (Indiana Code 35-46-3-7) Also, employees used a stun gun repeatedly on downer cows to get them loaded onto a truck going to the slaughter plant- we worry what this says about the safety of our food supply, as well as the humane treatment of animals.

Under the circumstances, with the way animals are treated at the Shipshewana Horse & Livestock Auction, we no longer wish to make Shipshewana a
destination, nor can we recommend that our friends do. Other places with offerings similar to Shipshewana, but without the animal cruelty issues are much more attractive.
We are contacting you hoping that the local community will do whatever is necessary to make things right so that we are able to return to your otherwise family-friendly community.

Contact Information

Northeast Indiana Fund (economic development)

Mark Becker, Executive Director

260.469.3479

mark@northeastindiana.org

Shipshewana Town Manager

Mike Purophone: 260-768-4743

http://www.shipshewana.org/managerEmailForm.php

Shipshewana Retail Merchants Association Phone/Fax (260) 768-7589 director@shipshewana.com

Indiana Office of Tourism Development

http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/contactUs.aspx

phone: 1-800-677-9800fax: 317-233-6887

LaGrange County Economic DevelopmentKeith Gillenwaterphone: 260-499-4994 kgillenwater@lagrangecountyedc.com

LaGrange County Convention & Visitors Bureau Beth Thornburg: Executive Directorbeth@LaGrangeCountyCVB.org

JoDee Hooley: Group Marketing jodee@LaGrangeCountyCVB.org
(800) 254-8090 Shipshewana Fall Crafters Fair
UPCOMING Oct 7-9phone 260/768-4008

sales@riegsecker.com

bgate@riegsecker.com

Please contact some or all of the above organizations. By raising their concerns, you will help animals receive humane treatment. Forwarding to friends and family, especially to anyone living within a 150 mile radius of Shipshewana, Indiana, will add a firm boost to these efforts.
As always, thank you for helping us be there with the animals !

United Organizations of the Horse Illegally Posing as a 501 C 3 Charitable Institution

2010-09-15T05:59:00.000-07:00

Sue Wallis article number 2 by Nell Walton

The United Horseman's Front is listed at as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit charitable corporation under category "Animal related / (Animal Protection and Welfare (includes Humane Societies and SPCAs))" established in 2009. Dave Duquette, owner of Duquette Quarter Horses in Hermiston, OR, is the president. The United Horsemen's Front was registered as a nonprofit corporation in Oregon in November of 2008.

The US Internal Revenue Service defines a 501(c)(3) charitable organization as follows:
To be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, an organization must be organized and operated exclusively for exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3), and none of its earnings may inure to any private shareholder or individual. In addition, it may not be an action organization, i.e., it may not attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate in any campaign activity for or against political candidates....The organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, and no part of a section 501(c)(3) organization's net earnings may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. ...

However, despite exhaustive research, there apparently has been no reported or recorded evidence that the United Horsemen's Front has participated in any equine rescues or rehabilitations to date.

During the course of the research, the activities of the group were in fact found to be exceedingly puzzling, especially when reviewed in light of the above mission statement.
In July 2009, during an interview with Michelle Brence of the Oregonian, Duquette said:
"... he (Duquette) used to average $300,000 in annual horse sales, with most fetching $10,000 to $15,000. "Now I'm lucky to sell two or three horses a year," he said. "A horse I could get $20,000 out of in the last few years, I probably couldn't get $5,000 out of now."

Ms. Brence also reported that:

"...the Duquettes and others have formed advocacy groups to push a proposal they're calling the H.O.R.S.E. Act of 2009 (short for Humane and Optimal Restoration and Sustainability of Equines) to reinstate USDA inspections. Horse meat could be exported to China, Mexico, France, Italy and other countries where it's consumed by people. ... But Dave Duquette, who lobbied for the proposal in Washington, D.C., last month, remains confident. "Everybody we talked to was very supportive of it," he said. "There are a lot of Republicans that will be on board, but there are a lot of Democrats that will be on board, too."

Absolutely no indication or discussion of how the United Horsemen's Front is fulfilling its nonprofit mission of animal protection, humane treatment and welfare.

It seems that much of the energy of both the United Horsemen's Front, and the United Organizations of the Horse is far more focused on other issues. In many press releases the United Horsemen's Front and the UOH make the following statement:

"The UOH seeks to unify all like-minded equine associations and individuals in support of its mission-to promote the humane care and management of horses, and the continued viability of the equine community in the United States of America."

As no clear definition is given of who and what exactly makes up "like-minded equine associations and individuals," one must attempt to make deductions as to who these groups and individuals might be from some of Mr. Duquette's (and Rep. Sue Wallis') public statements.
For example, in an exchange on the United Horsemen's Front Facebook fan page

(http://www.facebook.com/pages/United-Horsemens-Front/261616654545> who is on what side of which isle???? If you believe the dribble and rediculous rants of RT Fitch then maybe this page is not for you. There has been much posted and written about Sue(Wallis) and I that is simply A.R. bull that has no factual meaning. Instead of attacking this group maybe do the research on who these scammers are. Makes me wonder who your protecting, there is an obvious scam going on and doing the see no evil thing makes you look more suspicious than maybe you think. If you believe in climate change then great, Sue (Wallis) or anyone else that doesn't should not be chastized by you or RT. I believe it's a natural occurring change and Al Gore made alot of money SCAMMING the public."

(R.T. Fitch is a blogger at http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=omaglqdab&et=1103686005163&s=152&e=001vB_Jp7o2suWujbUMXozLaspboaryxkPtx0x8-odPSmOLys84eV7do8wZB8gBRK9CeWNaKZLEWoSl2eQAPUaorjXypDmhaYfuySmqiQ3rEqCgUbLDZElMew== who has been extremely critical of Mr. Duquette and Rep. Wallis. The A.R. abbreviation stands for animal rights.)
Mr. Duquette also spends much of his energies repeatedly criticizing Wayne Pacelle, CEO and President of the Human Society of the United States (HSUS), which seems odd, given Duquette himself is the president of a group dedicated to animal protection and welfare. However, the United Horsemen's Front and the UOH have their own particular interpretation of what the HSUS and other animal welfare groups' true mission is:

"The animal rights radical agenda (NOT to be confused with legitimate and responsible animal welfare proponents, which we all are) offers no solution except pushing for what is essentially a welfare entitlement program for animals-Medicaid and food stamps for horses so that every old, dangerous, unsound, unusable horse is maintained at public expense for the rest of their 25 to 30 year average life span. What they propose will create a mechanism to shovel taxpayer dollars directly into the pockets of animal rights organizations (HSUS/PETA) so they can continue to pay six figure salaries and put more of their budget into pension plans than to actually help any animals. Last year HSUS spent less than 1/2 of 1% of their almost $100 Million dollar budget on direct animal care http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=omaglqdab&et=1103686005163&s=152&e=001vB_Jp7o2suVZ_rnx5v-45-S_SHDrexeMhx5TK7ZWZ4X58HlTMyRoN_p-LE1lOag6Sshwulxlat3DulvW6aqYFa2NkfaOMSfLDLG0QjXtjpAXjDz7OebAqQ== ..." (from a UOH press release in April)
No sources are given as to how one can apply for Medicaid and food stamps for horses (unfortunately). And, the accusation in regards to the HSUS budget expenditures cannot be verified on any charity research website (Charity Navigator, Guidestar), nor the website listed in the press release.

So, in light of these statements, one can only gather that "like-minded equine associations and individuals" consist of those that do not challenge Mr. Duquette's or Rep. Wallis' "facts", plans or behavior in any fashion whatsoever.

Rep. Wallis is up for re-election on November 11, (after winning the Republican primary in her district by only 177 votes).

It is beyond disturbing that on August 30, of this year, Mr. Duquette, president of a 501(c)(3) charitable organization specifically forbidden under Federal law in participating in any campaign activity for or against political candidates, was listed by the Wyoming Elections Commission as the Chairman of the United Organizations of the Horse Political Action Fund

(http://soswy.state.wy.us/Elections/Docs/WY_PAC.pdf).

Rep. Wallis is, of course, the Executive Director of the UOH.

This series will conclude with a final article on the questionable relationship the UOH has with horse slaughter buyers and a recap and review of the facts.

More information:

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/groups_push_to_slaughter_horse.html

http://www.unitedorgsofthehorse.org/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/United-Horsemens-Front/261616654545

United Organizations of the Horse - Not for the HORSE At All

2010-09-14T06:25:00.000-07:00

"We will probably work up to the point where we're killing 20 horses a day."
September 13, 2010By Nell Walton

http://www.allpetspost.org/allhorsespost/?p=3838

Who is Sue Wallis and Why Should I Care?

The statement in the headline was made to a reporter from the Wyoming Tribune Eagle in late April of this year, by Wyoming State Representative Sue Wallis of Recluse, WY.

On March 9, Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal signed into law a bill that enables the Wyoming Livestock Board to send stray, unwanted or feral horses to slaughter. Prior to this legislation, the Board could only send such horses to public sale. This bill (http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2010/Enroll/HB0122.pdf), was introduced into the Wyoming House on February 11, 2010 by Rep. Sue Wallis, and was signed into law less than 30 days later.

Upon review, many parts of the bill are quite troublesome (even aside from the fact that horse slaughter is an extremely controversial issue in the US). In the section in regards to the due diligence required for a Board inspector to determine ownership of an "estray" horse, the horse "cannot be held for more than 10 days" before being sent to slaughter. Under this language, an inspector could make the decision in 1 hour that the horse was a stray or feral and make the arrangements to have the horse sent to the slaughter facility. Additionally, it states that "the board shall provide meat from estrays disposed of by slaughter....to Wyoming state institutions or to nonprofit organizations......" meaning among other things prisons, schools and state run health facilities.

Even more troublesome is the fact that Rep. Wallis is also the Executive Director of the United Organizations of the Horse (UOH), which is diligently working towards the development of a horse slaughter plant in Wyoming. The UOH website states that it is a "mutual benefit nonprofit organized primarily to work in the political arena and is registered in Wyoming" (i.e. a lobbying group). The Wyoming Secretary of State's records show that the UOH was incorporated in November of 2009. According to a press release on April 24, 2010, the UOH is also negotiating to take over ownership of the Cheyenne Stockyards facility which currently belongs to the Wyoming Livestock Board. Plans are to turn it into an "intake and rejuvenation" facility for stray, feral or otherwise unwanted horses, where they can be evaluated for usefulness, health, and other criteria (i.e. adherence to federal regulation in regards to slaughter). If a horse fails this triage, it will be sent to the UOH slaughter facility.

So, we have the following scenario:

Rep. Wallis is a Wyoming elected state representative

Rep. Wallis is also the executive director of a lobbying group, whose purpose is to promote horse slaughter in the State of Wyoming

Rep. Wallis was also the sponsor of a Wyoming HB 122, which enables the Wyoming

Livestock Board to send stray or feral horses to slaughter

Rep. Wallis' bill HB 122 was brought to session and signed into law in less than 30 days time, with little to no time for public comment, according to the recordU

Under Wyoming legislative ethics law (W.S. 9-13-106), very clear distinctions are made as to conflicts of interest for state legislators, and, states that any legislator "...shall not make an official decision...if the has a personal or private interest in the matter...." So how was it that Rep. Wallis was allowed to sponsor and lobby to get a bill passed within the Wyoming House in about 3 weeks, when there was such a clear conflict of interest?

Also, under "Organizational Structure," on the UOH's web page it lists two other affiliated corporations: 1) The United Horsemen's Front, which categorizes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational charitable organization and 2) Unified Equine LLC - "a Wyoming limited liability company under which all humane horse processing and related businesses are operated."
However, Unified Equine, LLC does not stand up to scrutiny. The Wyoming Secretary of State currently does not have a Unified Equine, LLC listed as either an active or inactive corporation in the State of Wyoming, and it would be of interest to see if such an organization has or will have Rep. Wallis as a paid employee. The United Horseman's Front is listed at www.guidestar.org as a nonprofit corporation under category "Animal related / (Animal Protection and Welfare (includes Humane Societies and SPCAs))" as a 501(c)(3) charitable group established in 2009. It's President is Dave Duquette, owner of Duquette Quarter Horses in Hermiston, OR.

......... Mr. Duquette and his organization will be further addressed in tomorrow's edition.

More information:

http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2010/04/28/news/19local_04-28-10.txt

http://www.unitedorgsofthehorse.org./

2010-08-26T06:14:00.000-07:00

Bad Economy Bad Times For NW Pa. Cats

GERRY WEISS, Erie Times-News ERIE, Pa. (AP) ¯ There is reverence in this room.For the difficult task performed. For each cat or dog, treated with calming compassion until the very end.

The euthanasia room, tucked away inside the Humane Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania, has little in it. The walls are bare and painted light purple. An examination table is placed near the middle.

A staff member, wearing long rubber gloves, removes the animal from one of the clinic's cages and carries it into this room.Another worker often apologizes to the cat or dog, and then injects it with a dose of Sodium pentathol.

The animal is dead within three or four seconds.But on Thursday at the Humane Society, one animal was followed by another, and another, and another.

Officials said 20 cats were euthanized that day, 15 of which were healthy and at the shelter for less than two weeks.

Euthanasia, predominantly of cats, is soaring at area animal shelters — a crisis, officials say, brought on by a drop in adoptions and a sharp rise in drop-offs of stray and abandoned cats that local clinics are calling an epidemic.

For more, please click on this link:

http://cbs3.com/wireapnewspa/In.NW.Pa.2.1876791.html

Please spay and neuter your cats..

The Real Fix for Retired Racehorses

2010-08-10T06:23:00.000-07:00

The Real Fix For Racehorses - It should start on the front end...before racing begins. This is an excellent article written by a central PA riding instructor for the Pennsylvania Equestrian.

The Real Fix for Retired Racehorses

by Bob Wood, Special to Pennsylvania Equestrian - August 2010

“Racehorse Retirees Face Happier Futures” was a recent headline in the Pennsylvania Equestrian. The report of 200 racehorses saved yearly by this recent effort is a positive rescue direction. The sad truth is that the vast number of raced Thoroughbreds have no future. As great as 200 saved a year sounds, it's a drop in the bucket of abandoned Thoroughbred racehorses. Furthermore, this kind of positive news often takes the focus off the true scale of the problem.

Having retrained many TB racehorses over many years, I feel the rescue/adoption solution has never and will never address the vast number of horses raced and discarded. The practical answer to this problem is to deal with the challenge of a second career before their racing days begin, not afterward. The focus must be on the underlying first causes of their unadoptability, because there will never be enough rescue stalls to provide more than a token post-career solution. We therefore must increase their adoptability to the average person wanting to own a horse by making them easier to retrain after racing.

An inventory of the racehorse skills set reveals a horse that knows how to run fast, turn left, and stop within a half mile or so. They scare the average potential horse owner to death. Their fundamental lack of early basic training makes them unusable as riding horses later in their lives. They do not know how to stand still when mounted, they are unfamiliar with the full weight of a rider in the saddle, or the feel of a rider's leg against their barrel. Most are, as a result, ticklish when they are first mounted with a riding saddle, if you can mount them at all in any conventional sense. They end up in a second career job market with no real marketable skills, and often with the additional handicap of a minor injury, a mental scar like cribbing or weaving, or manners that few average riders can endure. All this could be made easier after race retirement, if time were taken at the beginning of their training to build the foundation of a second career skill set when they are most open to learning.

Please click here to read the rest of this article:

http://www.pennsylvaniaequestrian.com/news2010/0810_Real-Fix-for-Retired-Racehorses.php

Will the US Congress Fund the Export of Poisoned Horse Meat?

2010-08-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

NCSL passes resolution to lobby for reinstatement of funding for USDA horse inspections

The following press release was issued in response to the resolution passed by NCSL. A copy of the release from Sue Wallis is posted below this release.

July 31, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
mailto:vickitobin@earthlink.net

Valerie James-Patton
530-474-1128
valerie@equinewelfarealliance.org

Lobby Group Will Urge Congress to Fund Export of Tainted Horse Meat

CHICAGO, (EWA) - The National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) has passed a resolution calling for the reinstatement of USDA inspectors for horse meat.

The NCSL is a non-governmental lobbyist organization which serves the nation's 50 states legislators to advocate and lobby for the interests of states before Congress and federal agencies. The resolutions NCSL passes are not binding and merely allow them to lobby on behalf of the states.

Representative Sue Wallis (WY) who is vice chair of the NCSL's Agriculture and Energy Committee, went on record asking that she be allowed to slaughter horses to feed Wyoming children, the poor and prison inmates without having the meat federally inspected for consumer safety. The Wyoming livestock board responded quickly by stating in no uncertain terms that "horse slaughter is not an option."

The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) strongly opposes the misuse of tax payer dollars to fund inspections for an industry that is not needed or wanted by the overwhelming majority of Americans.

US horses are not raised as food animals and as such, receive numerous substances on a routine basis that are prohibited for use in food animals. Our country does not track horses and has no mechanism to remove horses from the food chain that have received prohibited substances.

Horse owners were vehemently opposed last year at an attempt to implement NAIS, a national tracking system. Considering that less than two percent of the horse population ends up on slaughter trucks and represents only three cents on every $100 earned by the horse industry, the cost of implementing a national tracking system to accommodate an insignificant percentage of horses makes absolutely no fiscal sense.

In the NCSL release, as with most pro horse slaughter communications, there is no mention of the known drug issue in American horses. "It is a travesty that legislators would even consider reinstating inspections knowing that there is no way to guarantee consumer food safety" said EWA's Valerie James-Patton.

A recent survey of horse owners by the publication, The Horse, revealed that 96% of horse owners give their horses at least one of the banned substances on a regular basis. A peer reviewed scientific study by Drs. Marini, Dodman and Blondeau that was published in the scientific journal, Food and Chemical Toxicology, revealed 100% of the slaughtered Thoroughbreds traced in the study had received the carcinogen phenylbutazone. It should be noted that these tainted horses were shipped to the European Union for human consumption while the USDA was supposedly inspecting the horse meat. Another study in CA of Thoroughbreds revealed a 99% usage.

"Instead of wasting valuable legislator's time on this nonsense," commented EWA's Vicki Tobin, "a better use of time and donations by these pro horse slaughter groups would be to address why excess horses continue to be produced every year and start working on solutions. Continuing to slaughter the victims of irresponsible breeders and owners, is only going to perpetuate the problem, not correct it."

##

Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 120 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.

http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/

##

NCSL Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2010

Contact:
Sue Wallis
307 680 8515 cell
307 685 8248 ranch
sue.wallis@unitedorgsofthehorse.org

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) adopts new policy resolution calling for USDA inspection of horse meat.

The policy resolution was passed at the annual Legislative Summit held in Louisville, Kentucky on July 25-28, 2010. The policy was first reviewed and passed by the Agriculture and Energy Committee, and then passed at the Business Meeting of the 45 states in attendance. Policies which receive a super majority vote of more than 3/4 of the states attending give NCSL staff in Washington, D.C. the authority to lobby Congress on behalf of the position of the states.
USDA ante-and post mortem inspections are mandatory if an animal is to be sold as meat, and the animal must be slaughtered in a USDA-inspected facility. Federal appropriations law contains a prohibition on allowing federal dollars to be spent on salaries for inspectors who inspect horses before or after slaughter, making it impossible for operations that want to process horse meat within their borders to market this meat. Inspectors also cannot respond to a voluntary, fee-based inspection request to inspect horse meat. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) believes that these provisions unduly restrict states' action regarding horse slaughtering facilities within their borders. Therefore, NCSL calls upon Congress to remove these restrictions in existing law, and not insert similar provisions in subsequent appropriations bills or other legislative vehicles.

The closing of horse slaughter facilities in America has decimated the equine industry, and has curtailed the ability of states and tribes to control the numbers of excess and abandoned horses on their lands. Documented reports indicate an increase of 400% in the number of starved, abandoned, and neglected horses between 2008 and 2009 alone. This has resulted in unprecedented state budget increases and taxpayer costs at a time when states cannot afford unnecessary expense. It has severely impacted the livestock industry as a whole, and by eliminating the salvage value of horses has significantly reduced the market value of all horses. The loss of markets for horse meat for pet food, for the maintenance of zoo animals, and for byproducts has greatly impacted these sectors. The loss of horse products for export has eliminated more than $42 million dollars of direct income for an already struggling sector of the livestock industry, not to mention millions of dollars in indirect costs because of the loss of value of individual animals. Given the current state of the horse processing industry, it is particularly important that the federal government not restrict access to inspection.

-End-

Dairy Cows Abused Routinely - And Unnecessarily

2010-07-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

Animals Angels has done another investigation – this time into the fate of dairy cows. I have to say the article really hit home with me. Every week at New Holland Livestock Auction you can see dairy cows on their way to the slaughterhouse. The very painful part of seeing them is that they are carrying huge, milk laden udders and no one offers them a bit of relief. They obviously suffer horribly on their way to slaughter. Isn’t there a better – a humane – way?

http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=0015rqrTrc4Ajs2xn6QK7oJgbSKBuWuNwXcXsuFfmkdwE0PA1pkuQ8zB2DUl_iUkhs_YlcCiS9k7rPPP4iYMdHqTWnIlCoYeRE22yrGU-8K_dqE9L4fobTg-XqcUwOjubf1eb4KRai-Ch0%3D

(From the above line)

A few personal words

I remember quite clearly my first encounter with a so called "spent" Dairy Cow. I looked twice to see, was she really a cow? She was bony, and yet an absurdly huge udder mounded up from where she lay. It was July 2006 and she was panting heavily, unsheltered in the hot 98 degree sun in a far corner of the auction property.

She looked like nothing was left of her yet she was alive, her eyes expressive. Her bones poked up from her skin like tent poles. She was foaming from the mouth, her knees were bleeding, and milk dripped from her enormous udder.

She suffered quietly, like all "Dairy" Cows do. The auction workers joked about her appearance and referred to her as "Cheeseburger." One worker said to me, "These are all going to -----," naming a national fast food chain. I gave her water. Later that night, she was relentlessly shocked with an electric prod to make her rise and struggle horribly to get to the sale ring where she sold for $50.

Hours later, as sick as she was, she was loaded onto a double deck truck to be, I am sure now, injured further as she was shipped for immediate slaughter. It is exactly 4 years later. She was not unique but the first of hundreds to be encountered at auctions nationwide. But she was the first and in my mind she stands out unforgettably.

Since July 2006 Animals' Angels has worked to alleviate the suffering of "Dairy" Cows. We can achieve much better treatment and conditions for all of these animals. Much of the investigating, documenting, filing of complaints, first & second rounds of meetings, is already done or in full swing. We have the ability, a good body of work and certainly the will. The time to dedicate a High Priority Campaign to "Dairy" Cows is now.

This month's newsletter focuses on the "Dairy" Cow, her life as it is and how we can bring about the widespread and enduring change needed to make right conditions for these animals.

Yours truly,

Sonja Meadows

Refuting The Crazy Arguments Supporting Horse Slaughter

2010-05-18T04:59:00.000-07:00

Sue Wallis and her ill-advised group the United Organizations of the Horse (UOH) are again spreading their manure across the public press trying to make us believe that they are doing horses a real favor by slaughtering them. Here is a recent press release where Sue offers talking points to her horse slaughter supporters. My italicized words here refute the craziness she is spreading. I own horses. I volunteer at a rescue and have for three years. I fail to see how sending our companion animals to slaughter can ever be construed as a “good solution.” This is a purely profit driven group, with no sense of ethics or humanity. Please read on…note the words that are not italicized come directly from the UOH’s cited press release found here:

http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=001BVV8sZmFHDQyrwcj_2IVrJRtVHieLr4NCNlxTJbcVKIsg2moKW7CK2QQMTYHCiFboekBAAexsqF1LgW1rlUkMONxZW6wcJRgmOS2vx9F_TGPLFbyh_ZTrJf-2CR2ZNNdW3vXdqpqOIUeuQXHBFDLjjHL7ca1NIEKIgZ7UIwqrHOxgBsTgVn35jj2KKEQjeQsuHHbIsWXaHerwKqq7nXrojW1N8tjUGvAv2k-vCf1Q-sTHhfyRhtxSo-431A1tWkfzzY-o-ZZl40%3D

Yet another blast from the press. No matter where you live you are probably seeing this kind of thing every day. We are seeing a real upsurge right now in Wyoming because of our press releases about the Unified Equine Programs, but if you live in Missouri, or Tennesse, or Montana, or anywhere else where horse people are trying to find a good solution...you are no doubt seeing far too much. The press loves a controversy, and we are an easy, dramatic story. We need every one of you to stand up, speak out, and counter these attacks.
http://trib.com/news/opinion/editorial/

Seeking a “good solution?” For whom, the horse or the irresponsible owners/breeders?

We cannot let this (or any public expression of misinformation, outright lies, and exaggerations) go unanswered. We must speak with many voices. I have become too much of an easy target, and while I'm happy to share talking points, etc., it will be much better and more effective if it comes from other voices. We really need mainstream agriculture and horse people who understand to tell your story. You all understand that if we lose this battle over the hearts and minds of the pet owning public, that our entire animal agriculture and horse based livelihoods are lost.

Horse based livelihoods are generally based on live horses, not dead ones. And as a “mainstream horse person”, I don’t want there to be any chance my horse ends up in a slaughterhouse. There is nothing humane about slaughter. The horses are terrified. They smell the blood and as they wait their turn to be slaughtered they hear other horses being killed screaming. The slaughterhouses are not designed to properly restrain a horse’s head. They are designed for cattle. With their long and agile necks and their instinct to avoid the killer, they dodge the captive bolt hammer being swung at their heads. It often takes repeated blows to stun the horses and then they are frequently cut apart alive. It’s heinous beyond words.

Humane euthanasia is a fatal injection kindly administered by a veterinarian. The horse dies peacefully and painlessly. The owner can attend the death and have peace with their choice. Euthanasia and body removal costs on average the same as one month’s care does for a horse. If you can’t afford that you couldn’t afford the horse in the first place.

Sue Wallis and her cronies at the United Organizations of the Horse often claim to love their horses and often say they personally wouldn’t have their horses slaughtered. Isn’t that speaking out of both sides as your mouth?

And anyway, since when does anyone deserve “salvage value” on a companion animal? I own two horses and two cats. I couldn’t sleep at night if I even contemplated sending one of them to slaughter so I could get $200 bucks in meat money and save the $300 it would cost me to have them humanely euthanized.

If you want to drive change, you have to get out of the back of the truck. That is what we are trying to do. Animal rights organizations like HSUS/PETA create problems, inflame problems, and make money off of problems...we solve problems, and create value out of good solutions.

The key sentence there is “create value out of good solutions.” How is slaughter a good solution for the horse? Slaughter rewards irresponsible breeders – it allows them to breed and breed, and those horses that aren’t up to snuff (be it thoroughbreds, paints, quarter horses, etc) can be “culled” and sent off to slaughter. Not only do they get rid of the inferior horses they’ve deliberately chosen to put on the ground, they can get a few bucks for their refuse. Slaughter also rewards horse thieves, and even in this day and age they still exist. It terrifies me that my horses could be stolen and sold for slaughter. The thief pulls up, loads horses out of a field and bingo, he’s just made a couple of hundred bucks on my beloved companions. Check out www.netposse.com . Sadly, it happens every day. And it can happen so fast…But the UOH wants to create “value” out of someone’s refuse or the theft of someone’s companion animals…

Here are some points:

1. We, the horse owners and people who make all or part of our living with horses, are the people who care. We are the people who clean the stalls, pay the feed bills every day, are responsible for the care of our animals, and make the hard decisions when necessary.

I am a horse owner, and I assure you I care very much! I pay the bills to have the stalls cleaned, the horses fed, the vet and farrier visits and believe me, when the hard decision needs to be made my vet and I will be there and I will not be looking for salvage value. As a horse owner making the hard decision, I will grieve their loss but I will never send them to a cruel fate so that I can make a few meat dollars. Never. They’ll leave this earth painlessly and knowing they were loved and very much valued.

2. There are fates far, far worse than slaughter. A quick, painless death in a slaughter plant is far preferable to a slow and agonizing death of starvation. Nature is cruel. Death in the wild is often brutal, prolonged, and horrific. Imagine being eaten while still alive as is the fate of many horses turned out to fend for themselves.

We’ve been over the slaughter plant death, and quick and painless it is not. Check out this website: http://www.animals-angels.com/index.php?pageID=563. Animal Angels has done repeated investigations into horse slaughter houses and humane it is not. Additionally, turning out horses to fend for themselves is abandonment and it is against the law. Anyone abandoning any animal should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Once again, UOH is advocating for the criminals. Sue wants to help ‘em out and pay them for the animals they would abandon and neglect. Why would we reward criminal behavior? Isn’t that creating value out of crime?

As far as the wild horses go, which Sue now elects to term “feral” horses (and compares to pigs!), nature will run its course as it does with all species. Horses are prey animals to mountain lions, bears, wolves, coyotes, and worst of all, humans. Wild horses age and on occasion fall sick or get seriously injured…the predators do their job and thin the herds and make use of the body. It may seem cruel, but this is the way of the animal world. How is it better to remove the wild horses from their land and send them off to the slaughterhouse? I guess it’s better in the UOH world, because one again we are creating value. How sad that America’s wild horses have become a target for the profiteering horse slaughterer’s dressed in sheep’s clothing. I think it could be reasonably argued that removing wild horses from the wild is taking the food out of the predator’s mouths. Isn’t Sue real concerned about the “hungry?”

3. Without the option of slaughter, and using the meat to feed hungry animals or hungry people, those who can no longer afford to keep a horse, and cannot sell it, have literally no option...you can't bury a 1,000 lb horse in the back yard like a cat or a dog.

Slaughter is still very much an option. It may not be happening here in the US, but go to any horse auction and you’ll see meat men buying up the cheap horses to fill their trucks to Mexico and Canada. The meat does not go to hungry animals or hungry people and Sue knows that good and damn well. Horsemeat is sold in Europe and Asia for anywhere from $20 to $40 a pound. I don’t know too many hungry folks who can afford that. The reality is that horse meat is viewed as a delicacy, but even the elite European diners are becoming enlightened and appalled about horse meat and demand is falling.

Since the cost of a month’s care costs the same as a humane euthanasia, if you couldn’t afford to kill it humanely, you couldn’t afford to feed it, and you never should have had the animal in the first place, or else you made really bad decisions and didn’t have it humanely euthanized when your funds to feed it were apparently drying up!

4. Some Americans always have and always will eat horse meat. It is what filled the bellies of our soldiers who won World War II, and kept the families here at home fed throughout the 1940s when there was a shortage of all other meat. You could find it on the menu at the dining room at Harvard until the late 1980s, you can still find horse sausage in Scandinavian butcher shops in the upper mid-West. We have been contacted by gourmet chefs, and local food aficionados who want access to a high quality meat, that is very nutritious (50% higher in protein, 40% lower in fat than beef), from well cared for animals that have no disease concerns like mad cow. You can find horse meat on the menus of our closest neighbors in French Canada, and Mexico, and many people have taken the opportunity to enjoy it while traveling abroad. 72% of world cultures consider it just another protein source. China consumes the most, followed by Mexico, then Italy, Belgium, France, all the Scandinavian countries, Russia, Japan, Korea, Tonga, Mongolia, Canada-and since the U.S. is full of people from the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Africa, there are quite a few people who would welcome the availability of a good wholesome meat at an affordable price. While considered a gourmet dish in some parts of Europe where the best cuts are expensive, in by far the majority of markets around the world, with Iceland being a perfect example, horse meat is affordable and about half the price of beef.

I’m skeptical about cheap horse meat Sue…perhaps because of all the crap you’ve already distributed? And do you realize how long ago the 1940s were? But let’s discuss horse meat for just a few moments, at any price. American horses are medicated regularly. They are given Bute (horse aspirin, essentially), dewormer, and a host of other drugs and vaccinations. Bute is a well know carcinogen and it, along with many other horse medications, is clearly labeled NOT for use in food source animals. Unless a horse has been raised solely for meat purposes, the vast percentage of them have been administered drugs that are highly toxic to humans. This is one of the reasons the European Union is now becoming very concerned about the horse meat entering their food system. Read more here:

http://tuesdayshorse.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/canadian-food-inspection-agency-sidesteps-eu-quarantine-mandate/.

Sue may term horse meat “nutritious” but I call it toxic poison.

5. All animals, including horses, take nature that we cannot use and turn it into nature that we can use. Try drinking the water that a pig drinks, or surviving on the food that a cow or horse eats.

Not sure the point here…I’m trying, but I don’t see it…

6. It is our core belief that people have a right to use animals, and a responsibility to do so humanely. We subscribe to the same moral and ethical foundation as our Native American friends, that all animals are sacred and must be harvested with dignity and gratitude, but that the most horrific crime is to waste their sacrifice. Contrast that viewpoint with the total waste of at least 200,000 horse carcasses per year which, if euthanized with lethal drugs, become no more than a colossal disposal problem with toxic carcasses that cannot even be buried because of fear that it will leach into groundwater.

The UOH believes “people have the right to use animals.” I take exception to that, and don’t try to sugarcoat slaughter by calling it harvesting. We harvest crops, not horses. Call it what it is…slaughter. I believe all animals deserve to be treated humanely, including food source animals. Horse slaughter is not death with dignity and gratitude. As far as the comment about the total waste of 200,000 horse carcasses per year, it sounds to me like Sue is suggesting that none of us should be allowed to humanely euthanize our horses. That, is going to far!

7. One billion people on the planet today rarely get enough to eat, and another billion do not get enough protein and nutrients for health. Ten million children a year die of starvation. From a moral standpoint, can we afford to put any viable protein source off limits?

So toxic horse meat is a viable protein source? Perhaps Sue means a profitable protein source? Of course viable is defined as “capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are.” And that’s exactly what slaughter does. It doesn’t consider the safety of the consumer. It’s killing them toxic as they are and shipping them off to those Europeans diners without a second thought. Out of sight, out of mind. Cha-ching!

8. The system being proposed in Wyoming will guarantee every horse a good life, and where appropriate, guarantee them a decent and humane death. Once dead, what happens to the carcass is no longer an issue of animal welfare.

Tell me again how this is decent and humane? Tell me again how that toxic carcass is no longer an issue?

9. Under the current situation, the only horses that have any value whatsoever are those that are big enough, healthy enough, and close enough to a border to be worth the trucking to Canada and Mexico where they are slaughtered under systems and circumstances we cannot control or regulate. We feel it is far better to do this under US regulation, and in situations where we can monitor it.

We’re back to creating value and ignoring humane behavior. Let’s reward those over breeding their horses. Let’s reward those stealing horses. Value and again, cha-ching!

10. The system being proposed in Wyoming is being designed by world renowned scientist, Dr. Temple Grandin, who has transformed the beef and pork slaughter industry from a humane standpoint. We will do it right, under regulated and inspected circumstances, and it will be continuously monitored by a third-party video audit system to ensure that no horse is abused and that all guidelines for the correct and proper handling of horses are always complied with. This will be an open and transparent process that anyone who chooses to do so, can see exactly what we are doing.

Yeah, I bet it will be an open and transparent system, Sue. That’s going to cost some serious money and you guys don’t want to spend it, you want to profit from the killing of horses. Have you done any research at all on the criminal element that comes to town with the slaughter house? Have you done any research at all on the environmental impact to the towns where horses have been slaughtered? Perhaps you should read what about the environmental hell visited on Kaufman, Texas by its former Mayor, Paula Bacon, found here:

http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/686

And after reading that, you would do this to your state, your community?

11. Because of the closure of the US slaughter plants in the US in 2007 by state action in Illinois and Texas, the entire horse industry from top to bottom has been deeply affected. What was a 1.2 Billion dollar industry supporting 460,000 full-time direct jobs, and another 1.6 million indirect jobs has been cut in half. There has been a loss of a minimum of 500,000 direct and indirect jobs, and horses that were worth $1,000 are now worthless, horses once worth $2,500 are lucky to bring $750, horses that would have sold for $85,000 to $100,000 are now being liquidated for $10,000 each. These hard, cold facts all have a very human face in livelihoods lost, in families no longer able to raise their children in a horseback culture, in diminished tax bases for communities.

The poor economy, plain and simple, has driven the horse market down drastically just as it has affected most segments of the economy. This compounded by the fact that horses are actually a luxury – not in the least cheap to own and care for let me tell you – and luxuries are one of the first things people give up in a bad economy. Add the excess breeding by many of the industrialized Quarter horse and Paint horse farms and you end up with horses of no value. A clear mind can see this easily.

12. The animal rights radical agenda (NOT to be confused with legitimate and responsible animal welfare proponents, which we all are) offers no solution except pushing for what is essentially a welfare entitlement program for animals-Medicaid and food stamps for horses so that every old, dangerous, unsound, unusable horse is maintained at public expense for the rest of their 25 to 30 year average life span. What they propose will create a mechanism to shovel taxpayer dollars directly into the pockets of animal rights organizations (HSUS/PETA) so they can continue to pay six figure salaries and put more of their budget into pension plans than to actually help any animals. Last year HSUS spent less than 1/2 of 1% of their almost $100 Million dollar budget on direct animal care. See http://humanewatch.org.

I’ll offer a solution or two. Stop rewarding people for breeding out the wazoo. Stop rewarding thieves. I volunteer at a horse rescue weekly and see the types of horses going to slaughter. Both of my horses were rescued from slaughter and they are wonderful, sane, young horses. The USDA says that 92% of horses going to slaughter are just like my horses. So give up on the old argument about aged, unsound and dangerous horses. Let’s face it, the butchers and diners don’t want old meat. They want it young and healthy!

13. Remember, animal consumption is socially legitimate. Only 2% of the population are true vegetarians, another maybe 5% think they ought to be but don't manage to do it...that is only 7% of the population at most. If we allow the animal rights argument to prevail, than there really is no difference between the heinous and awful crime of killing a horse to use for animal food, (as will be the main use of horses harvested in Wyoming), or human food...and the heinous crime of killing a cow, a pig, or a chicken. The ultimate goal of animal rightists, which is a very, very radical and idealogic agenda, is to end all human use of animals and to eliminate all domestic animals which is to many of us a gross perversion of the moral and ethical underpinnings of our society, not to mention a dangerous, unhealthy, and unnatural way of being.

Okay, Sue, let’s follow your logic. If 7% of the population doesn’t feel good about eating meat, then how do you rationalize that even conservative estimates show that 80% of the American public is opposed to slaughtering horses? It’s very simply because we don’t view horses as food source animals. I am very much a meat eater. I consume meat daily. Beef, pork, chicken, fish – I eat it all. I don’t and never will eat a companion animal. Call me weird if you will, but I simply don’t eat pets. And obviously a majority of Americans feel the same way I do.

14. Those who oppose the eating of horses have never been hungry. Hungry people don't care where their meat comes from, they just want to survive.

They won’t survive long on horse meat…

15. Claims that horse meat is full of drugs that cannot be detected is nothing more than a red herring. The same kind of controls, safe guards, and testing protocols used to ensure that our beef, pork, and chicken is safe and residue free can be applied to horse meat...if it is produced and processed here in the U.S. where we have the ability to regulate and inspect it.

Oh Sue, you are so in denial. How can you sleep at night advocating to sell poisoned meat to unknowing consumers? You love horses…sure you do. You love the cha-ching, cha-ching! You say ” The same kind of controls, safe guards, and testing protocols used to ensure that our beef, pork, and chicken is safe and residue free can be applied to horse meat. It sounds very much like you are actually working to create an new industry in America – breeding horses for meat? I don’t think it’s going to work, because people like myself, the people who own and truly care about horses don’t want them to be food source animals. They are no different from our cats and dogs, but perhaps if you think really hard, you can figure out how to make a few bucks off all the shelter animals we euthanize each and every year. Put on your thinking cap, Sue. Many third world countries love to eat dog and cat. Seems like the path you are starting down with this drivel you are feeding to the American public.

The United Organizations of the Horse is a group of legislators and their cronies who believe they know better than the American public. It’s time for the real horse owners and true horse enthusiasts to stand up and say no more! Americans do not want companion animals slaughtered for human consumption! The UOH is a small number of Americans looking to exploit American horses. They do not know better than you and I. As a horse lover and owner, I very much resent these holier-than-thou know it alls who think they are better informed than I am and are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the non-horse owning public.

Please contact your Representatives and Senators and ask them to co-sponsor and support the Senate Bill 727 and House Bill 503 which will end the killing of our American horses and their transport out of the country for the same. Horses are not food source animals!!!

Bringing Horse Slaughterhouses to Your Town Will Likely Raise Crime and Violence Rates

2010-05-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

Tell me again, Sue Wallis, why would you do this to your state of Wyoming and it's communities? Rep Butcher in Montana...what do you have to say to this?

"Workers exposed to the killing of large numbers of animals on a regular basis become disturbed and appear to lose empathy." This can only increase exponentially when workers kill companion animals - horses - versus animals that are food source animals. Particularly when you consider that horses scream in pain and fear, and the slaughterhouses they are killed in are not designed to properly restrain a horse's long neck and innate fear that result in them trying to elude the very inefficient and inhumane captive bolt meant to stun them. The workers are undoubtedly appalled by being part of this cruelty, until such point that they lose their ability to empathize with a living being's fear and pain.

Then consider that many horses are cut apart while still alive...

Below article excerpted from this article:

Probing The Link Between Slaughterhouses and Violent Crime

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/809521--probing-the-link-between-slaughterhouses-and-violent-crime

University of Windsor Criminology professor Amy Fitzgerald says statistics show the link between slaughterhouses and brutal crime is empirical fact.

In a recent study, Fitzgerald crunched numbers from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report database, census data, and arrest and offense reports from 581 U.S. counties from 1994 to 2002.

“I have a graph that shows that as the number of slaughterhouse workers in a community increases, the crime rate also increases,” she says. Fitzgerald says she was inspired by The Jungle to study crime records in U.S. communities where slaughterhouses are located.

She became fascinated by studies of the environmental effects of slaughterhouses that mentioned crime rates, without explanation, seemed to go up when the factories opened in communities.

Fitzgerald carefully weighed the figures in order to see whether a link really existed. She found that an average-sized slaughterhouse with 175 employees would annually increase the number of arrests by 2.24 and the number of reports by 4.69. The larger the abattoir, the worse the local crime problem.

She controlled for factors such as the influx of new residents when slaughterhouses open, high numbers of young men — even the number of immigrants.

“Some residents started to recognize that the crime rates were going up and started complaining, and the slaughterhouse companies were quick to blame the immigrant labor pool they were relying on,” Fitzgerald says. She found that abattoirs still seemed to raise the crime numbers when she controlled for these factors.

Nor can the violence be blamed on factory work itself. Fitzgerald compared slaughterhouse communities to those with comparison industries — dangerous, repetitive work that did not involve killing animals. These were not associated with a rise in crime at all, she says. In some cases, they seemed to bring the crime rate down.

“The unique thing about (abattoirs) is that (workers are) not dealing with inanimate objects, but instead dealing with live animals coming in and then killing them, and processing what’s left of them.”

More studies are needed to determine if crimes were being committed by factory workers or by others in the community, she says, and how exactly that kind of work could cause crime to go up. But the numbers leave few other explanations other than the slaughterhouses being somehow to blame.

It’s a case of science catching up to what has been folk knowledge since industrialized slaughterhouses began to appear in the 19th century: workers exposed to the killing of large numbers of animals on a regular basis become disturbed and appear to lose empathy.

But the etiology of the problem remains something of a chicken-and-egg puzzle. Do slaughterhouses desensitize workers to killing? Or, could the work attract people who are less sensitive to begin with?

Fitzgerald suggests a similarity between slaughterhouse communities and military communities, which have been studied for higher incidence rates of partner abuse.

“One of (the explanations) is the violence they witness and sometimes have to participate in might result in some kind of desensitization,” she says.

“There is something unique about the slaughterhouses,” says Fitzgerald. “There’s definitely a need for further research to figure out exactly what that is.”

Montana Mayor Too Smart to Bring The Environmental Disaster of a Horse Slaughter Plant to His Town

2010-04-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hardin Montana Says No Thanks to Horse Slaughter Plant

CHICAGO, (EWA) - Montana Representative Ed Butcher's plan of building a horse slaughter plant in Hardin, MT has ended.

The city of Hardin unanimously passed Ordinance No. 2010-01 that amends the current zoning ordinance to prohibit the slaughter of more than 25 animals in a seven day period. The action effectively bars the building of a slaughter plant in Hardin.

Mayor Kimberly A. Hammond provided the following statement to Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA).

"I have no deluded thoughts or feelings about the need for proper disposal or care of unwanted horses.

As Mayor of a small city, it is my responsibility to make information available to our public, especially when it concerns public safety, health, and how their tax dollars are being spent.

The way our City Industrial Park is set up, a business is required to hook up to City Water and Sewer. A horse slaughter facility running at 200-400 kills a week would have brought our waste water treatment plant to a screaming halt.

Our City would have been forced to construct a new waste water treatment plant that would capacitate the slaughter facility, at the cost of our tax payers. The City most likely would not have been able to get aid with funding a 6-8 million dollar treatment plant.

I, as Mayor had our City Attorney draft an ordinance that prohibited slaughter houses within the city limits. Upon 1st reading, our city council did not like the verbiage that there would be NO slaughter facilities. They thought it was unfair to the small mom and pop operations that could be looking for a commercial plot. So we changed the language to only prohibit facilities that would kill more than twenty-five animals in a 7 day period.

Our decision was based purely on the adverse impact that a facility of this size and nature would have had on our City Waste Water Treatment Plant."

Mayor Hammond's concerns were well placed. Horse slaughter plants are notorious for their waste problems. Horses have almost twice as much blood per pound of body weight as cattle and it has proven very difficult to treat. In the three years Cavel International operated in DeKalb, Illinois, their discharge was in violation every month. The operation moved to Saskatchewan, Canada where it was caught discharging blood into the local river from a tanker truck. That operation was shut down last year because of health violations.

EWA applauds the city of Hardin, Montana for this proactive legislation to preserve the environment of their beautiful city.

The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 100 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Canada Horse Slaughter Plant Investigated for Cutting Horses Apart While Still Alive

2010-04-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hidden camera video also prompts food inspection agency investigation
By John Gibson

A slaughterhouse in Fort Macleod, Alta., owned by a Calgary company is under investigation by RCMP over allegations that it has been killing horses inhumanely at its facility.

Police opened the file after the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition made a complaint against Bouvry Horse Exports Ltd, which sells horse meat to international markets.

The animal rights group claims to have secretly recorded video showing horses at the Fort Macleod slaughterhouse being shot and then hoisted away by their legs while still fully conscious.

"It's currently under investigation. We're speaking with the SPCA as well," said Sgt. Brent Hawker, with the RCMP detachment in Fort Macleod.

"If there's a criminal offence that's been committed we'll lay charges."

A manager with Bouvry refused comment about the allegations.

According to the group that made the allegations, workers can be seen in the video repeatedly failing to kill horses with one rifle shot, and then leaving the animals in pain for a prolonged period.

"I feel that the footage from the Bouvry plant shows levels of suffering that are unacceptable," said Dr. Mary Richardson, a veterinarian with the coalition.

Another expert associated with the horse protection group said it appeared many horses were still showing voluntary movements and clearly breathing when they were suspended.

"This indicates these horses were likely conscious as they were being hoisted high into the air with one leg bearing their entire weight, and while their necks were cut down to the carotid arteries on both sides," said veterinarian Dr. Debi Zimmermann.

The coalition also complained to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which overseas the operations of slaughterhouses, alleging that the company has violated meat inspection laws.

The agency confirmed Thursday it has been investigating the company's killing practices at its Alberta plant, and another it owns in Massueville, Que., Viande Richelieu.

"The agency is validating and investigating the allegations presented in the video and actions will be taken to ensure vigilance and respect with regards to appropriate duty of care and humane treatment of animals," said CFIA media relations officer Guy Gravelle.

"The CFIA takes allegations of abuse very seriously and investigates all reports of abuse."

Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/04/22/calgary-horse-bouvry-slaughterhouse-rcmp-cruelty-inhumane.html#ixzz0lrxIttjh

BLM Wasting Taxpayers $30M...Why?...To Eradicate America's Wild Horses

2010-01-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

Media Contact:

Makendra Silverman

Makendra@TheCloudFoundation.org

Tel: 719-351-8187

For Immediate Release

Icon of Freedom—Wild Black Stallion Escapes BLM Capture

Winnemucca, NV (January 6, 2010)—Today the Cloud Foundation honors the Calico wild stallion, named “Freedom” —an inspiration to mustang roundup protestors worldwide. On January 2nd Freedom escaped Bureau of Land Management (BLM capture) by fighting his way out of the roundup corrals, jumping a six-foot fence, and smashing through a barbed wire fence to run fee again in the wild. A storm of protests is growing following on the heels of Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago and Ketchum Idaho last week with more planned in Los Angeles and Lexington today, Denver and Albany, NY on Thursday, Boston on Friday and Las Vegas on Sunday. Protests in New York City, London, Santa Barbara, Toronto and Rome are being planned.

Still photos and the corresponding report from Elyse Gardner, humane observer, with ecologist Craig Downer document Freedom’s capture as well as his escape and are available on line. Link here.

“This was an awe-inspiring, do-or-die effort demonstrating the wild horse’s loathing of captivity and his primal need for freedom,” said Craig Downer, Nevada Wildlife Ecologist.
"This wild stallion's defiance calls us to back him up by telling Congress we refuse to have such actions done in our names,” says Terri Farley, celebrated children’s author of the Phantom Stallion series. "Congress must attach strings to BLM's budget so that the Bureau is forced to cowboy up and admit our remaining mustangs are not responsible for the damage to the range."
The Cloud Foundation with 190 other organizations, celebrities and scientists joined by thousands of members of the public from coast-to-coast have called on the President to stop this high-jacking of our American mustangs by a rogue government agency.

“Freedom’s escape has rallied horse advocates across the globe,” says Lise Stampfli Torme, a San Francisco Bay Area Mustang backer adding, “His example is a lesson in values. Just as Freedom has boldly fought for liberty, we will continue to fight the BLM’s outrageous and inhumane roundups as well as their broken range management system that favors ranchers and other commercial interests, placing them above the law and the will of the American people. This must stop. The People's horses must remain wild and free.”

Despite their federally protected status on legally designated ranges, and an Act of Congress that states the lands on which they roam should be managed “principally” for their use, the Bureau of Land Management is continuing the roundup in Calico. The agency expects to remove more than 2,500 wild horses from Nevada’s last wild horse stronghold—the Calico Mountains.
Wild horse advocates assert that BLM is rushing to roundup 12,000 wild horses and burros based on faulty census figures and what may be a deal made with the builders of a massive natural gas pipeline project—the Ruby Pipeline. Even BLM personnel have said that the Calico wild horses are not impacting the range as expected, despite their numbers exceeding what they (BLM) term “appropriate management levels.“ Cloud Foundation and other mustang and burro advocates dispute the BLM horse levels citing an internal system that is deeply flawed, arbitrary and indiscriminately applied without benefit of proper environmental review. (Full report and link to testimony online here).

“The BLM is spending more than $30 million dollars to quickly eradicate an irreplaceable piece of American living history. I ask myself, what’s the rush? Is it only pressure from ranchers? Does the BLM fear the ROAM Act will pass? Is it to clear the land for the Ruby Pipeline project, or is it something else?” asks Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director, The Cloud Foundation.
President Obama continues to stonewall on the issue, with only a “no comment” from his spokesperson following months of requests from the American public for his intervention.

###

Links of interest:
Freedom’s Escape & Roundup Report: http://humanitythrougheducation.com/

Video Overview of Calico horses and current roundup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-0OK3i1YFI&feature=channel

Video Footage of Calico Roundup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl0keG49kQU

12.28.09 USA Today: “Activists Decry Wild-Horse Roundups”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2009-12-28-horses_N.htm

Mestengo. Mustang. Misfit. America’s Disappearing Wild Horses
http://www.wildhorsepreservation.com/resources/wild.html

Frequently Asked Questions on Wild Horses
(http://www.wildmustangcoalition.org/id44.html)

Ruby Pipeline Information
(http://americanherds.blogspot.com/2009/11/crunching-calico.html)

Stampede to Oblivion: An Investigate Report from Las Vegas Now (http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=11285225)
Craig Downer, wildlife ecologist: interview Nevada roundup (http://vimeo.com/7135462)

Crunching Calico- An American Herds Report
(http://americanherds.blogspot.com/2009/11/crunching-calico.html)

Updated 2009-2010 Roundup Schedule
http://thecloudfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/roundupschedule2010_3pp.pdf

Unified Moratorium letter and signatories
(http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/index.php/news-events-a-media/action-alerts/207-moratorium-letter-to-president-obama-and-secretary-salazar)

Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971
(http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/index.php/news-events-a-media/news/resources/216-whbact)

Photos, video and interviews available from:
The Cloud Foundation
news@thecloudfoundation.org
www.thecloudfoundation.org

American Horse Meat Sold to Europeans is Poison

2009-12-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

December 6, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

John Holland
Equine Welfare Alliance
540-268-5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Sinikka Crosland
Canadian Horse Defence Coalition
info@defendhorsescanada.org
250-768-4803

Will American Congress and Canadian Parliament Allow Europeans To Consume Tainted Horse Meat?

CHICAGO, (EWA), – European horses sent to slaughter require a passport that chronicles every drug the horse has received since birth.

Canada and the U.S. do not regulate nor track this information in equines and American horse meat is potentially poisoning European consumers. Worse still, the American government is abetting the process. In 2008, 134,059 American horses were sent to Canada and Mexico for slaughter for consumption in the European Union with no regard as to the drugs they had received.

The EU is now insisting that the countries supplying this meat follow guidelines it issued in April, but it is apparently relying on the US and Canada for enforcement of an affidavit system.

For the past eight years, Congress could have ended the slaughter of American horses for human consumption in Europe. Despite strong bipartisan support, production agriculture has been allowed to stop the bills dead in their tracks preventing a vote on the floor of either one house or another.

On August 25, the Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC) issued a press release questioning the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on how the European Commission (EU) guidelines issued in April would be enforced. The guidelines, issued to “third” countries outlined requirements for equines intended for food production, including a system of identity verification, a prohibition on banned substances and a minimum 6-month withdrawal period for drugs commonly used by American horsemen.

EWA has now learned the EU will accept affidavits from killer buyers and haulers employed by the offshore slaughter industry as proof that animals have passed the quarantine period.

It is inconceivable that the EU is prepared to trust the word of killer buyers and haulers, many with criminal records, to protect the health of European consumers. Currently, there is no mechanism in place to keep these profiteers honest.

The overwhelming majority of North American horses have received toxic wormers, drugs like phenylbutazone (PBZ), the “aspirin” of the horse world and even fertility drugs that can cause miscarriages in women – all banned substances in animals intended for food.

“PBZ is a known carcinogen and can cause aplastic anemia (bone marrow suppression) in humans”, says EWAs Food Safety Subject Matter Expert, Dr. Ann Marini, Ph.D./M.D.

EWA’s Vicki Tobin added, “If these animals were livestock, the USDA would never allow them to enter the food chain in the United States. I don’t understand how our government is allowing Europeans to consume horse meat with banned substances.”

CHDC’s Sinikka Crosland said simply "Drug-free equine meat from these horses is not an attainable goal, and without any enforcement mechanism the proposed system will be totally ineffective.”

This year, a bill to ban the slaughter of American horses for human consumption has been delayed until March to allow the GAO time to study the impact that the closing of the US plants may have had on horse welfare. The study does not even address the tainted meat Europeans will be allowed to consume. The EWA implores Congress to pass the legislation before it (HR 503 and S 727) and stop the export of our work, sport, therapy and companion equines to slaughter.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

www.defendhorsescanada.org

BLM Continues to Blindly Manage Wild Horses to Their Death

2009-12-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

December 2, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

Vicki Tobin
Equine Welfare Alliance
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

John Holland
Equine Welfare Alliance
540-268-5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

BLM Forges Forward With Nevada Calico Complex Roundup

CHICAGO, (EWA) – Wild horse advocates from around the US reacted with dismay and outrage Wednesday as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced that the Calico Complex round-up of over 2,700 wild horses will proceed on December 28 as planned. Despite receiving over 10,000 public comments on the impending round-up, the BLM turned a tin ear to the public outcry and indicated it will sign a “No Impact” decision. A no impact decision means that the public comments sent to the BLM had absolutely no impact on their decision to move forward with the round-up.

This egregious decision further perpetuates the perception that the BLM is managing the wild herds to extinction. John Holland, EWA President said of the decision:

“The BLM is operating in direct opposition to the very law that they are charged with enforcing (the 1971 Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act). This outrageous decision makes a mockery of the whole public comment process.”

The decision comes during a perfect storm of public outrage calling for a moratorium on wild horse and burro round-ups. During the past week, the number of organizations and dignitaries supporting the moratorium has grown to 180. Among the recent dignitaries joining the call were, Bill Maher of HBOs hit series, Real Time with Bill Maher, author of Dances with Wolves, Michael Blake, Genesis Award winner of the movie Blinders, Donny Moss, John Paul DeJoria, CEO & Co-Founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems, Jorja Fox, from the hit series CSI, Neal Schon, Multi Platinum Recording Artist and founding member of the rock band Journey, and comedienne Lily Tomlin.

Actor and Social activist, Mariana Tosca, said today "With no oversight and no independent assessment, the Bureau of Land Management is running roughshod over the rights these horses were guaranteed by the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971, reducing herds without any statutory authority to do so.“ Ms. Tosca and Viggo Mortensen were early proponents for the unified call for a moratorium.

Wednesday also marked the deadline for the public to submit comments for the BLM Advisory Board meeting that will be held on Monday, December 7.

The bureau turned a deaf ear to public comment during their last meeting in Washington D.C., cutting short many prominent wild horse advocates as they attempted to address the board. Many of those trying to comment today online reported they were unable to do so because the BLM mailbox was full and not accepting new email.

“We are encouraging the public to attend the meeting and voice their opinion on the blatant mismanagement our wild herds”, said Vicki Tobin, vice president of the EWA.

The only remaining chance for the Calico Complex horses to remain free is a lawsuit filed on behalf of the Calico Complex herds by In Defense of Animals and EWA advisor Craig Downer. The case is scheduled to be heard on December 16th. The EWA is optimistic that the court will find the BLM in violation of the 1971 Wild Horse and Burro Act as a Colorado court has done previously.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki A Voice for Our Horses

Another Chance For Horses Pulls A Horse From Penn National From Slaughter Pen - What happened to zero tolerance?

2009-11-30T14:03:00.000-08:00

Thoroughbred race track lacks enforcing zero tolerance policy for slaughter

Hayyard Branch rescued from slaughter load heading to AC4H
CS

In a holding pen at a small auction in Fredericksburg, PA, approximately 15 miles from Penn National Race Course, the only thoroughbred among ponies and other breeds, paced nervously back and forth calling to the other horses. Christy Sheidy, co-founder of Another Chance 4 Horses, a local all breed horse rescue in attendance at the sale noticed the young, fit gelding, #923, the white auction tag glued to his rump and with a poultice still clearly visible on his legs. Sheidy identified the horse as Hayyard Branch, and his owner/trainer was Brandon Jenkins.

When Hayyard Branch was dropped off at the auction, an envelope titled Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course contained a Bill of Sale for $10. to owner Brandon Jenkins, Jockey Club papers and a note stating, " registered thoroughbred, broke to ride/pleasure riding horse, freshly shod, nice to be around kids, sound, sell, $500.." Hayyard didn't bring $500; the confusion of the contract asking $500. and making the statement, " Sell" the auction did not sell the horse. No provisions were even made for food and water during the horse's stay at the auction.

To read the rest of Hayyard's story, please click here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-25445-West-Palm-Beach-Horse-Rescue-Examiner~y2009m11d29-Thoroughbred-race-track-lacks-enforcing-zero-tolerance-policy-for-slaughter?cid=email-this-article

Americans Outraged by Eradication & Slaughter of Our Wild Horses and Burros

2009-11-24T15:40:00.000-08:00

November 24, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Vicki Tobin
Equine Welfare Alliance
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

John Holland
Equine Welfare Alliance
540-268-5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Mariana Tosca, Viggo Mortensen and Kevin Nealon join the unified call for an immediate moratorium on wild horse and burro round-ups.

“Without a single dissenting vote, the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act was passed by Congress guaranteeing these animals protection from “capture, branding, harassment and death.” – Mariana Tosca

CHICAGO, (EWA) – Acclaimed Actors Mariana Tosca, Christmas in the Clouds, Viggo Mortensen, Lord of the Rings, Appaloosa and Hidalgo and Kevin Nealon, Weeds have added their voice to a growing 150 organizations and dignitaries from America, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Africa asking President Obama and Secretary Salazar to halt the round-ups of America’s wild horses and burros.

The assault on America’s wild horses and burros must be halted until range studies can be performed and a solid plan is established for the management of these magnificent animals that represent our American heritage.

Actor and Social Activist, Mariana Tosca, joined the unified call with the following statement issued to John Holland, President of the Equine Welfare Alliance.

“With virtually no oversight, the BLM’s maneuvers are methodically cleansing the land of these animals who have become an inconvenience and impediment to the goals of the ranching, gas and oil industries.

It is the action of arrogance and the lowest instincts of man to place greed above the rights of others and to shape policy to fit private agendas. Millions of head of cattle are grazing on public ranges - public ranges that were designated for these wild horses and burros on land that belongs to American taxpayers, not to private entities.

These horses are connected to this land; their ancestors roamed unfettered on it over a million years ago. They represent the basic principal that our nation was founded on: FREEDOM. These animals are the physical embodiment of all that we as people and as a nation aspire to… liberty and self-determination. And at some level that resonates with each and every one of us. With every BLM round up that is allowed to happen, our heritage is under siege.”

Viggo Mortensen adds, “Thanks to all who have contacted their government representatives on behalf of mustangs, those unique animals that are living symbols of the nation's heritage and character. Your efforts have paid off, prompting Congress to strengthen the protections afforded to wild horses and burros in the United States of America [with the passage of HR 1018].

Mariana Tosca continues, “We have to stop eroding the law that ensures their protection, simply to cater to and placate private entities. America faces a very real risk that the wild horse will go the way of the buffalo, wiped out by a zealous hunt to make room for commercial interests.

Since the BLM is a government agency, with perceived mismanagement and conflict of interest issues, the public has a right to call for an independent audit of the horses in BLM managed short and long term holding facilities, as well as an independent count of the horses remaining on the ranges. The management of our remaining wild horses should be moved to another agency.”

A lawsuit was filed by IDA (In Defense of Animals) on November 23 aimed at halting the removal of over 2,700 horses in the Nevada Calico Complex which is scheduled to start on December 1.

Additional information on the unified call for a moratorium is available on the Equine Welfare Alliance and The Cloud Foundation websites.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Unified Call for an Immediate Moratorium on Wild Horse & Burro Roundups

2009-11-19T14:46:00.000-08:00

November 18, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: John Holland

Equine Welfare Alliance

540.268.5693

john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Ginger Kathrens

The Cloud Foundation

719.633.4933

news@thecloudfoundation.org

Unified Call for an Immediate Moratorium on Wild Horse & Burro Roundups

CHICAGO, (EWA) – On November 18, 2009, American Citizens and partners in Canada, the United Kingdom and South Africa, delivered the following letter to the President, Congress and the Department of the Interior.

A Unified Call for an Immediate Moratorium on Wild Horse & Burro Roundups

And a humane, fiscally responsible plan for preserving and protecting the iconic,

free-roaming wild horses and burros of the American West

President Obama, Members of Congress and the Department of the Interior:

We, the undersigned, request major changes to the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro program. This must begin with an immediate moratorium on all roundups. While we agree that the program is in dire need of reform, and we applaud your Administration's commitment to avoid BLM’s suggested mass-killing of horses, the plan outlined in October by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar raises numerous concerns. These include:

· Perpetuating the flawed assumption that wild horses and burros are overpopulating their Western ranges. In reality, the BLM has no accurate current inventory of the 37,000 wild horses and burros it claims remain on public lands. Independent analysis of BLM’s own numbers reveal there may be only 15,000 wild horses remaining on public lands.

· Continuing the mass removal of wild horses and burros from their rightful Western ranges: The BLM intends to spend over $30 million in Fiscal Year 2010 to capture more than 12,000 wild horses and burros. This stockpiling of horses continues even as an astounding 32,000 are already being held in government holding facilities at enormous taxpayer expense.

· Scapegoating wild horses and burros for range deterioration even though they comprise only a tiny fraction of animals and wildlife grazing our public lands. Far greater damage is caused by privately-owned livestock, which outnumber the horses more than 100 to 1.

· Moving wild horses and burros east off their Western homelands to “sanctuaries” in the east and Midwest at an initial cost of $96 million creates significant health concerns if animals adapted to western landscapes are managed on wet ground and rich grasses.

Removing tens of thousands of horses and burros from their legally-designated Western ranges and moving them into government-run facilities subverts the intent of the 1971 Wild Free-roaming Horse and Burro Act, which mandated that horses be preserved “where presently found.” A 2009 DC district court case held that “Congress did not authorize BLM to “manage” the wild horses and burros by corralling them for private maintenance or long-term care as non-wild free-roaming animals off the public lands.”

We appreciate your Administration's recognition of the horses’ value as an ecotourism resource. However, the display of captive, non-reproducing herds in eastern pastures renders them little more than zoo exhibits, further discounting the contribution to our history and the future of the American West.

We believe that workable solutions to create a healthy “multiple use” of public rangelands, protect the ecological balance of all wildlife, and preserve America's wild horses and burros in their rightful, legally protected home can be achieved. We are calling on the Obama Administration to reform the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Management Program.

We ask that you reverse the current course and immediately take the following actions:

1) Place a moratorium on all roundups until accurate and independent assessments of population numbers and range conditions are made available and a final, long-term solution is formalized.

2) Restore protections included in the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act. Update existing laws that protect wild horses by reopening certain public lands to the mustangs and burros, thus decreasing the number in captivity. Return healthy wild horses and burros in holding to all available acres of public land designated primarily for their use in 1971. If these lands are not available, equivalent and appropriate western public lands should be added in their place.

3) Support federal grazing permit buybacks. Reduce livestock grazing and reanalyze appropriate management levels for herd management areas to allow for self-sustaining, genetically-viable herds to exist in the west.

4) Conduct Congressional hearings regarding the mismanagement of our wild herds and further investigate the inability of BLM to correct the shortcomings of the program as audited by the Government Accountability Office’s 1990, 1991 and 2008 reports.

Supported by the undersigned on November 16, 2009

Thoroughbreds "Running" To Slaughter

2009-10-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

Horse slaughter: Home stretch for thoroughbreds

http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S1221485.shtml?cat=300

The home stretch for thoroughbreds is a good place to be when they are on the track, but once their racing days are done it can be a very different story.

The arrest of local breeder Ernie Paragallo this year led us to do a little digging and what we found may surprise you. Thoroughbreds in their prime are fit, well cared for and treated like celebrities, but by the young age of six or seven, many go from being revered to being rejected and they end up at the biggest public horse auction east of the Mississippi -- the so-called killer sale in New Holland, Pennsylvania.

According to rescue groups attending the auctions, every Monday an average of 250 horses pass through the sale.

Up to 40 percent are purchased by so-called kill buyers and taken to slaughter so their meat can be sold for human consumption in Europe and Asia.

As for the slaughter itself -- it's not a pretty process.

"Well, the horses are slaughtered using what they call a captive bolt. This bolt is designed by law to use one hit between the eyes to stun the horse and render it unconscious, that's what's supposed to happen," says Susan Hamlin, New York State Legislative Director of the Equine Welfare Alliance.

"Many of them are not unconscious, many of them are just unable to move momentarily and many of them wake up fully awake, fully able to feel pain, fully aware of what's going on as they're hung upside down and their throats, the carotid artery, is cut to bleed out on the floor," adds Hamlin.

According to The Humane Society of the United States, 20 perecnt of the thoroughbreds born in the United States end up this way -- even some of the greats.

Ferdinand, the 1987 Kentucky Derby winner, was unable to perform as a stud. So he was slaughtered in Japan in 2002.

Slaughter is also a reality for some of the horses you see racing at Saratoga.

"Unfortunately it is and we're working hard to stop that," said thoroughbred owner John Hendrickson of Marylou Whitney Stables.

"We had one that was a half-brother to Birdstone, named Cviano, and somebody from a rescue operation called us and said, 'Do you know this horse had fallen through the claiming ranks and is about to be slaughtered, and we said we'll buy it and we'll pay you double," adds Hendrickson.
Trainer Nick Zito and his wife Kim got a similar call. A rescue group found their former horse, Little Cliff, on his way to slaughter.

"It was kind of a miracle too because he could have wound up ... and that would have been a catastrophe cause a lot of people knew his name," said Zito.

But why should we care? We slaughter chickens and cattle for food. Why are horses different?
"We don't sell horse meat in the grocery stores here in the United States. They're not in our food chain," says Kim Zito.

"It's never been in our food chain, ever. I'm talking about even in the Depression days or even when people stood on line, you know, ever. It's just something that we don't do," according to Nick Zito.

There is a movement to stop the slaughter, but it's not meeting with much success in Washington.

More on that in tomorrow's report.

Horse Slaughter Cruelty Documented; Begins At the Auction House

2009-09-10T15:03:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release
August 6, 2009
Animals' Angels
phone: 410-848-3153
fax: 410-848-0213
www.animals-angels.com

Undercover Investigation Underscores USDA-documented Brutality

30 month long investigation proves worst-case scenario is ongoing

A thirty month long investigation into the plight of horses who have been sold for slaughter has revealed the worst levels of inhumane treatment. The abuse and neglect of these horses, sometimes referred to as "kill horses," was uncovered during the investigation and is consistent with findings and photographs contained in a 906 page document released by the USDA last year.

The investigation and report by Animals' Angels, a Maryland based animal welfare
organization, confirmed that injuries and inhumane treatment documented by the USDA during 2005 continue. Both USDA and Animals' Angels (AA) documents show horses severely injured, left medically untreated, ill, trampled to death and worse on their way to and at slaughter.
Executive Director of Animals' Angels, Sonja Meadows said their investigations quickly revealed that, "Both government records and our report show that being on U.S.soil was not then and is not now the slightest guarantee of humane treatment."

The slaughter of horses in the U.S., which stopped with plant closures in 2007, continues in Canada and Mexico. Groups advocating the slaughter of American horses have called for the reopening of U.S. horse slaughter plants, saying horses are better protected by U.S. humane laws than by laws in Canada and Mexico. However, during the 30 month long investigation that included repeated visits to auctions, feedlots and slaughter plants, AA investigators concluded abuse and inhumane treatment are inherent to the horse slaughter industry.

"It takes inhumane treatment to make the economics work," said Meadows. "We found the cruelty starts well before horses arrive at the slaughter plant."

The AA report documents available veterinary care withheld from horses severely injured or near death. Undercover investigators were routinely told, 'That horse is going to slaughter anyway,' or the horses are 'just passing through.'

Treatment of horses designated for slaughter ranged from beating horses and jabbing them in the eyes, to using a cable winch to drag downed horses with a wire wrapped around a back leg. Investigators observed horses being injured or killed after being forced into dangerously crowded pens where they were kicked or trampled. Others were found frozen to the ground after overnight temperatures dropped well below freezing. Young and small horses, as well as horses injured or weak were trampled to death in trailers crowded with 40 horses. Workers failed to separate stallions, ensuring fierce fighting in close quarters during transport.

Making conditions worse is the issue of stolen horses, according to Debi Metcalfe, founder of Stolen Horse International, Inc., a non profit that operates www.NetPosse.com, a horse theft recovery network that averages 80,000 unique visitors per month. "We have dealt with cases where horses were stolen," said Metcalf. "We later found out that these innocent pets had been slaughtered."

At both Canadian and Mexican slaughter plants investigators discovered horses left in bloody "kill boxes", used to restrain horses as they are being killed, during lunch breaks. According to the report, the horses were "shaking violently as if [they] might fall down." Plant management told investigators the horses 'aren't bothered by it.'

AA investigators documented injured and dead horses at every stop along the horse slaughter pipeline. At feedlots and export pens horses had no food and water troughs were empty. An export facility veterinarian informed investigators horses too weak for transport would be left behind to die in the pens.
"The public has been duped into thinking horse slaughter has ended, but it just moved a few hours further down the road," Meadows pointed out. "It hasn't somehow changed it into something it is not. It is the same terrible suffering it was in 2005."

"By the time the horse finally stands in the kill box at the slaughter plant, it is often not the worst thing that has happened to it since this dreadful journey began," said Meadows

For a copy of the investigative report, click here.
For the PR WEB PRESS RELEASE, click her.
To review the USDA documents, click here.

What can you do?
Please urge your representatives and senators to support the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act H.R.503 / S.727!
Animals' Angels is a 501 (c)(3) non profit organization incorporated in Maryland with fulltime investigators working in the United States and Canada. We work with law enforcement and government agencies to end animal cruelty and to improve conditions for farm animals. We are in the field every week, trailing livestock trucks, visiting markets, collecting stations and slaughter plants.

Contact:

Sonja Meadows
Executive Director
Animals' Angels USA
410-848-3153
info@animals-angels.com

For further information on horse slaughter investigations, go to

www.animals-angels.com

BLM in Bed with Saudis in Attempt to Eradicate Wild Horses?

2009-09-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

http://rtfitch.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/the-blm-uranium-and-the-pryor-mountains-a-perfect-mix-for-a-collusion-cocktail/

The BLM, Uranium and the Pryor Mountains: a perfect mix for a Collusion Cocktail

by Jerry Finch and R.T. Fitch

So out of the clear blue sky the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decides to round up the small, yet internationally famous, wild horse herd in the Pryor Mountains, MT while the public screams stop and they refuse to listen. We think that there is something that does not smell, or taste, just quite right, here.

It would be a real stretch of imagination for us to question the integrity of a government agency, like the BLM, simply because it has repeatedly violated federal law, laughed at our law makers and thumbed it’s nose at the will of the American people while failing to live up to one of it’s prime directives; that of protecting our national treasure, our publicly owned wild horses on publicly owned land.

No, we wouldn’t do that.

Nor would we cast aspersions on a company that holds the rights to explore for uranium throughout the Pryor Mountains because it’s parent company is owned and operated through a convoluted trail that points to a middle eastern firm with dubious connections where the company officers/advisors are already in trouble with world-wide trade commissions for stock scams and multiple other violations of law.

Gosh, the thought never entered our minds.

But we do raise our eyebrows at the fact that when this uranium mining company begins to make sounds that it may want to conduct aerial seismographic surveys over the Pryor Mountains the BLM suddenly deems it necessary to round up all of the wild horses in the area for an alleged much needed gather, something that they have not done in over a decade (the American public is banned from their public land during the round-up, something to hide?). And why, because of over grazing and the horses, allegedly, are suffering for it. All of this in light of the fact that it has been graphically documented that the horses are in good health, the area is not over grazed and the BLM’s own studies are riddled with multiple errors and if challenged in a court of law could be found to be illegal.

Yes, we do have a problem with this, and so should you.

So let’s step behind the bar, mix-up this entire concoction up and see what we come up with. Yum yum, we bet it tastes pretty special to some people but to others it will have a distinctive odor about it.

The BLM mixes a deadly concoction for our native, American Wild Horses

First, let’s mix in one part BLM, the agency that is charged with protecting our wild horses yet indiscriminately decides to conduct deadly stampedes to corral and then sell them off for next to nothing to killer buyers who truck them down to the brutal slaughter houses in Mexico where they can make a ten-fold profit; tasty little morsel, there. (Let’s ignore the fact that they now have over 30,000 wild horses confined and living in pens that they wanted to kill, last year, yet they continue to gather more)

The next step is to pour in equal amounts of a company called Skyline Uranium Corp. formerly known as Uranium Mining & Exploration Projects that is owned by a parent company referred to as Fortress Financial Group, Inc. which engages in issuing prepaid debit and credit cards and was formerly known as the Great West Gold Inc. which itself was recently acquired by Moneyworx, Inc. through a reverse merger transaction while the company officers work on the staff of one of the biggest law firm/companies in all of the United Arab Emirates. Phew, did you catch all that?

Now pour in a generous amount of the U.S. Federally owned Pryor Mountains, formerly rich in uranium and gold , and shake vigorously.

Don’t forget to crush in some tree hugging do-gooders, strain out a few wild horses and garnish it with just a slice of bribery and then pour this concoction over a heaping pile of ice cold elected officials, wow…what a drink; a true recipe for collusion and corruption. One that is already in the glass and being toasted by the covert, limited parties involved. Mighty tasty, eh?

Now we are not postulating, here, that imbibing of this beverage is either right or wrong; but we do think that because you, the American public, is paying for the bar tab you should at least be aware of what you are paying for, it’s only fair.

If this tastes good to you, then pull up a stool, take a sip and lose your soul.

If it smells like horse poop to you, and it should, pick up the phone, hammer on the key board and let your opinion be known. Maybe it’s time to swear off the booze of collusion/corruption and get back on the wagon of proper ethics. Such a move will not only be good for your mental health and pocketbook but it will save the lives of thousands of wild horses living on your land, land that belongs to the American public.

Push the glass away, and make a stand. The horses are counting on it.

Keep your change, the tip is on us.

Jerry Finch – Founder/President of Habitat for Horses, writer

R.T. Fitch – Board member for Habitat for Horses, author of “Straight from the Horse’s Heart”

Horses Bound for Slaughter Suffer Continuously

2009-08-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.nwhorsesource.com/news/2009/08/canadian-recommended-code-of-practice.html

The Canadian Recommended Code of Practice for Care and Handling of Farm Animals:

Transportation of Horses is not enforced, horses not properly stunned before slaughter, etc...

For more info visit: http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/

In June 2008, the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC) released a second investigative report on horse slaughter practices at Natural Valley Farms (NVF) in Saskatchewan. This report proved conclusively that horses experienced cruel abuse and suffering throughout the slaughter process there. NVF went into receivership soon afterwards, but the plant continued to operate as Natural Meat Co. (NMC). In December ‘08, NMC was ordered by the CFIA to cease operations due to food safety concerns. Operators of the plant decided to walk away and closed the plant in February ‘09. However, every week there remains over 2,000 horses that will meet their awful fate in Canadian slaughterhouses. The number jumped to nearly 113,000 horses in 2008, a 225% increase over 2006. The number of slaughter plants has grown from 3 to 6 since that time. About half of the horses are exported from the U.S., where slaughter plants have closed, but exports still continue. Horse slaughter has been in Canada for years, but the increase new is a result of the 2007 closure of the last U.S. plant. U.S. citizens fought hard to close the industry. However, until H.R. Bill 503 is passed, horses will continue to be exported to Canada and Mexico. A market for horse meat for human consumption exists in Europe and Asia. However, the majority of Canadians do not support it and an Ipsos-Reid poll reveals that 64% do not believe in killing horses for human consumption. The CHDC asks Canadians and Americans to contact Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency – the federal agencies responsible for the business of horse slaughter in Canada.

Speak out for the horses. Tell them why it is wrong and demand that horse slaughter end! These agencies are directed by:

Hon. Gerry Ritz

Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
613 Confederation Bldg., House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Email: Ritz.G@parl.gc.ca
Website:www.gerryritzmp.com/
Tel: 613-995-7080; Fax: 613-996-8472

Ms. Carole Swan, President
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
59 Camelot Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9
Email: swanc@inspection.gc.ca
Website: www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml
Tel: 613-221-3737; Fax: 613-228-6608

Dr. Brian Evans, Chief Veterinary Officer of Canada
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
59 Camelot Drive, Floor 1, East Room 100
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y9
Email: bevans@inspection.gc.ca
Website: www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml
Tel: 613-221-4191; Fax 613-228-6608

Horses have not traditionally been raised for human consumption in Canada. In our country, horses are considered sport and companion animals. Many Canadians believe that this industry must be abolished on humane grounds. 64% of Canadians do not support it.

• There are now 6 federally licensed horse slaughter plants in Canada (3 more than in 2006).
• Horses are shipped in crowded trailers over long distances, and often arrive injured, sometimes fatally.
• The CHDC has compelling evidence of horse abuse and suffering as a result of rough handling and poor slaughter practices at horse slaughter plants.
• Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman, of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists and Member of the Leadership Council of the Humane Society Veterinary Medica Association, said of our June ’08 report: “horses experienced sheer terror”, “some horses were not properly stunned”, and “this practice should be banned”.
• The Federal Health of Animals Act is not enforced, which would protect sick, pregnant and unfit horses, and prohibit overcrowding.
• The Recommended Code of Practice for Care and Handling of Farm Animals: Transportation of Horses is not enforced.
• The CFIA does not enforce their own weak rules that slaughter bound horses must not be transported for longer than 36 hours straight and must be provide with feed, water and rest at required intervals. Double decker trailers are still allowed.
• The horse slaughter process itself is not humane euthanasia.

A CALL TO END HORSE SLAUGHTER IN CANADA YOU ARE THE HORSES’ VOICE - SPEAK OUT FOR THEM!

Cloud & His Herd's Fate Podcast Monday

2009-06-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

BLM Advisory Board Meeting Webcast

The National BLM Advisory Board Meeting in Sacramento, California will be webcast online at www.nvhorsepower.org on Monday June 15th from 8:00am - 5:00pm PST. Listen to the Board that advises the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program and tune in at 3:00pm to watch the public comment period. Ginger Kathrens will be joined by many wild horse advocates to speak directly to the Board. Horse Power, a Nevada non-profit, also needs financial support to continue the funding of webcasts like this- please help them continue this important service!

Please tune in on Monday and continue to write President Obama regarding the need for immediate change in the Wild Horse and Burro Program. OUR government is managing OUR wild horses on OUR public lands to extinction.

Thank you,
The Cloud Foundation

2007 Pryor Mustang filly "Helena Montana"

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Our telephone:
719-633-3842

Copyright (C) 2008 The Cloud Foundation All rights reserved.

Save Cloud's Wild Horse Herd From Slaughter

2009-06-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

What You Can Do to Help Save Cloud's Herd and America's Wild Horses

http://www.thecloudfoundation.org/savecloudwildhorses.html

Over 40% of America’s wild horses have been removed from the wild from 2000-2008 alone and if the agency responsible for managing our wild horses, the Bureau of Land Management, does not change we are in danger of losing the last of our wild horses. Over 100 herds have been zeroed out from the over 19 million acres legally designated for their use. The BLM needs to return wild horses to these areas—over 30,000 are currently in government holding.

As few as 13,600 wild horses remain in designated public land herd areas in ten western states in America, among them is Cloud’s herd in the Pryor Mountain area of Montana and Wyoming. Only 25% of our wild herds are currently at genetically viable population levels! Cloud’s herd is one of these although a massive round-up planned for August 2009 would change this. The round-up would result in 60 horses losing their families and their freedom, including some horses who have lived their entire 20+ years in the wild. We must stop the destruction of Cloud’s herd and work for the sustainable future of all our wild horse herds across the west.Congressmen Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) have stepped forward to make real and positive changes to the Wild Horse and Burro program with their recently introduced bill HR 1018. Please write to them to thank them for their hard work. You can read Ginger Kathrens’ comments and suggestions to the congressmen here.

Here is a short list of government contacts -- please write, e-mail and/or call on behalf of Cloud and all our wild mustangs.

Contact the following agencies and representatives

PRESIDENT:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comment line: 202-456-1111
www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/

CONGRESS:

1. Stop the BLM from managing our wild horses to extinction.
2. Halt all round-ups of wild horses until range conditions and herd numbers can be verified.
3. Return wild horses in holding to the 100+ herd areas (19+ million acres) that have been zeroed out.
4. Expand the Pryor Mountain. Wild Horse Range for Cloud’s Herd & protect herd at viable population level of at least 150 adult horses until range is expanded.

Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV)
2307 Rayburn HOB
Washington,DC 20515
(202) 225-3452
email

Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
1440 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
ph (202) 225-2435
fax (202) 225-1541
Email to: Laurel.Angell@mail.house.gov

Your US Senators and Congress people

Montana Senator Max Baucus (D)—specific to Cloud’s herd
511 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC, 20510, phone: 202-224-2651
e-mail from: http://baucus.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm

Montana Senator Jon Tester (D)—specific to Cloud’s herd
204 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC, 20510,
phone: 202-224-2644, e-mail from: http://tester.senate.gov/Contact/

Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee:
304 Dirksen Senate Building, Washington, DC 20510
phone: (202) 224-4971, Fax: (202) 224-6163, e-mail all 23 members at http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Reinstate wild horse protections removed in 2004 by the Burns Rider and include language in the bill that would prevent BLM from destroying healthy wild horses.

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR- BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
1. Work to expand the legal boundaries of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range to include the historic and current use areas in the Custer National Forest. This will allow for a truly viable herd of 200-300 mustangs.
2. Keep the population at a viable number of at least 150 adults until range expansion is achieved. This will allow for the preservation of the rare Spanish genetics of the herd. Bringing in horses from other herds is ill advised, unnecessary and costly.
3. Do not remove older horses
4. Work to protect the mountain lions that have kept the herd at zero population growth in years past. Natural management should be the goal.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar \
DOI, 1849 C Street NW, Washington DC 20240
Phone: 202-208-7351, exsec@ios.doi.gov

BLM Acting Director Ron Wenker & Acting Deputy Director Mike Nedd
1849 C Street NW, Washington DC, 20040, phone: 202-208-3801 Ron_Wenker@blm.gov, Mike_Nedd@blm.gov

Don Glenn BLM Division Chief of Wild Horse and Burro Program
BLM Washington Office, 1849 C Street NW, Rm. 5665 Washington DC 20240
Phone: 1-800-710-7597 or 202-208-3801, Fax: 202-208-5242, wildhorse@blm.gov
Jim Sparks, Field Manager BLM -Billings Field Office
5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, MT 59101
phone (406) 896-5223, fax (406) 896-5281
Jim_Sparks@blm.gov

United States Department of Agriculture
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
Email: AgSec@usda.gov

FOREST SERVICE
Ask the following people to please work with the BLM to expand the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range to include the historic and current use areas in the Custer National Forest. This will allow for a truly viable herd of 200-300 mustangs.

• Abigail Kimbell, Chief USDA Forest Service
1400 Independence Ave., SW Washington, D.C. 20250-0003  
phone: (202) 205-1661, e-mail: akimbell@fs.fed.us
• Mary Erickson, Acting Forest Supervisor- Custer National Forest
PO Box 130, Bozeman, MT 59771,
p. 406-587-6701, mcerickson@fs.fed.us
• Chris Worth, Acting Deputy Supervisor
1310 Main Street, Billings, MT 59105
phone: 406-657-6200, cworth@fs.fed.us

Please write letters to the editor, ask that your favorite radio and TV hosts cover this story and last but not least, please tell your friends and family about wild horses and ask them to join the Cloud Foundation in helping to protect and preserve wild horses on our public lands.

List compiled by The Cloud Foundation, March, 2009 ~ www.thecloudfoundation.org

Arabian Horse Association Unanimously Approves Killing of Arabian Horses

2009-06-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

June 14, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: John Holland

540.268.5693

john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin

630.961.9292

vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Arabian committee at odds with Arabian Horse Association’s resolution on horse slaughter

CHICAGO, (EWA) – Subsequent to an Equine Welfare Alliance press release (June 9, 2009) calling attention to the Arabian Horse Association’s (AHA) passing a resolution in support of horse slaughter, the AHA Rescue and Rehoming Subcommittee, chaired by Carol Darnell, who is also chair of the Arabian Horse Foundation’s Rescue and Rehoming Advisory Panel, took strong exception to the AHA move, issuing the following position statement:

“We, the members of the Rescue/Rehoming Subcommittee of the Equine Stress, Research and Education Committee of AHA, take serious issue with the recent BOD action in support of equine slaughter.”

“Quite aside from the reality that some of the membership of AHA does support slaughter,” the release continued, “we believe it to be inappropriate for our BOD to take any position whatsoever on such a passionate and divisive issue, especially without polling our membership for consensus or consulting with our two rescue entities within the AHA/AHF complex. We believe it should be the role of a breed promotion organization to support husbandry practices and organizational goals which sustain our horses, rather than endorse practices which enable irresponsible husbandry at the horses' expense.”

The committee went on to say, “On a practical level, the negative response by much of the Arabian community and the equine community as a whole, along with significant negative press, is damaging to the organization at a time when we can ill-afford such damage, especially when it is self-inflicted.

We, along with many others in the Arabian horse community, are striving to have the BOD revisit and reconsider the action taken.”

The original press release issued to media outlets by the AHA led readers to believe the AHF was involved in the passing of the resolution. The AHF has a separate BOD, functions independent of the AHA and was not involved in the discussion and passing of this motion.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

PETA Interferes in Saving Horses From Slaughter

2009-06-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

June 7, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: John Holland
540.268.5693
john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

PETA thwarts efforts to bring home racehorses

CHICAGO, (EWA) – As reported today on ESPN’s Outside the Lines, PETA has inserted itself into the issue of American racehorses being slaughtered in Japan. The slaughter of Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand in 2002 brought outrage to American horse owners and was the catalyst for anti- slaughter awareness in America.

The Program reported on two thoroughbreds, War Emblem and Charismatic who are both standing stud in Japan. ESPN interviewed Michael Blowen, owner and founder of Old Friends, A Kentucky Facility for Retired Thoroughbreds and Kathy Guillermo, vice president of laboratory investigations for PETA.

Over the years, Blowen has developed an excellent relationship with key personnel in Japan that has smoothed the way for retiring these great athletes to Old Friends. He keeps a list of thoroughbreds that are nearing the end of their stud duties and has been following their stud careers for years. At the top of his list are War Emblem and Charismatic. Blowen has been in discussions for the past eighteen months and developing plans with his Japanese contacts for their retirement to Old Friends.

Despite the claims of slaughter advocates to the contrary, PETA had until now, remained out of the horse slaughter issue. But now, in true PETA fashion, the message was horrific visuals of the cruelty inherent with slaughter, however, their organization offered no assistance in bringing the athletes home. At one point, Ms. Guillermo actually challenged Blowen by saying she was not aware of anyone that was working to bring the horses home. Blowen had recently discussed just this effort on EWA’s Howling Ridge radio program.

Blowen’s most recent Japan rescue was Wallenda who earned $1.2 million in 33 lifetime starts on the track. Old Friends also expanded its facility from 40 acres to 92 acres last year and currently has over 40 retired athletes including Popcorn Deelites, one of the horses that portrayed Seabiscuit in the box office smash hit about the legendary California racehorse.

“I’m hoping things like PETA is doing won’t hurt our relationship with the Japanese,” Blowen said, asking the extremist animal rights group, “Are you just going to keep showing footage of horses in excruciating painful situations or are you going to try to build a relationship with the people that actually own these horses, that actually control them - to find a place for them and work really, really hard to bring them home?”

EWA couldn’t agree more.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Montana Governor Schweitzer Parties At Kentucky Derby While Horse Slaughter Bill Beomes Law

2009-05-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

John Holland

540.268.5693

john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin

630.961.9292

vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Governor Schweitzer goes to Derby, leaves slaughter bill to become law

On Friday, May 1^st, Governor Brian Schweitzer packed up and left his office to head for the Kentucky Derby. On his desk, he left HB 418, a bill designed to encourage the building of a horse slaughter plant in Montana! The bill was designed to lure a horse slaughter plant to Montana by effectively preventing Montana citizens from challenging such a facility in the state courts.

The Governor had initially issued an amendatory veto of the bill, pointing out that it was almost certainly unconstitutional, but the legislature sent it back to him without his suggested amendments.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ed Butcher, was quick to praise the Governor’s act of surrender.

In an interview published in The Horse, Butcher dismissed the idea that his bill was unconstitutional.

He went on to explain his misguided belief that the role of the courts is more like that of movie critics, saying, "Courts have the right to offer an opinion about legislation--they do not have the right to make law. That's the legislature's job."

Butcher has said these safeguards [taking away the access of citizens to the courts] were needed to avoid the types of legal appeals that shuttered the country's last horse slaughterhouses in Illinois and Texas in 2007.

In an earlier article “Showdown at Horse Slaughter Pass”, EWA’s John Holland used the metaphor that Butcher was trying to “tie the citizens of Montana to the tracks”, and pondered whether the Governor would save the day. But alas, the Governor had his mind on the Kentucky Derby and left the citizens to their fate. Luckily, Butcher’s bill ties them to the wrong tracks.

Although the plants were cited repeatedly for pollution, sewer and discharge violations, all three plants were shut down by state laws.

The Belgian Velda Corporation’s Natural Meats plant in Saskatchewan, Canada is the most probable target of Butcher’s overtures. Their operating license was indeed suspended in December over unspecified health violations but by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, not a law suit.

Since no slaughter plant can legally slaughter horses in the US for human consumption, the bill’s only real impact may be the statement it makes about Montana, its legislature and its governor.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

AVMA Remains a Staunch Supporter of Horse Slaughter

2009-05-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/may09/090515i.asp

Legislative priorities identified

The Executive Board approved several recommendations from its Legislative Advisory Committee regarding bills in the 111th Congress.

The Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2009 (H.R. 305) was given a designation of "active pursuit of passage." The bill would prohibit the interstate transportation of horses in a motor vehicle containing two or more levels.

Support of H.R. 305 is consistent with the AVMA policy on "Humane Transport of Equines," the LAC explained in the recommendation background. Moreover, the AVMA has consistently supported related proposals aimed at protecting the welfare of horses in transit to slaughter.

The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act (H.R. 503/S. 727) was designated for "active pursuit of defeat." The legislation would criminalize shipping, transporting, purchasing, selling, delivering, or receiving any horse, horse flesh, or carcass with the intent that it be used for human consumption.

The AVMA opposes the bill because it fails to adequately address the fundamental welfare issues associated with unwanted horses that will be impacted by this legislation.

Wild Horses Found Starving on Nebraska Ranch

2009-04-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

04.29.09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts: John Holland

540.268.5693

john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin

630.961.9292

vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Plan emerging for mustangs from 3-Strikes Ranch

CHICAGO, (EWA) – In recent weeks, the tragic extent of problems at Jason Meduna’s 3-Strikes Ranch in Nebraska has unfolded. The sprawling facility, whose mission statement said they were “dedicated to working with the BLM and BLM three-striker horses”, was found to be littered with starving and dead horses. “Three-striker” is a reference to horses at risk of unrestricted sale (slaughter) under the Burn’s amendment that removed protections from older horses that had been offered for adoption by BLM three times.

Jerry Finch of Habitat for Horses, was one of the first people to arrive on site in Nebraska. Upon learning the extent of the problem, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), immediately sent fifteen people from around the country. All reports indicate that Emergency Services group has done a stellar job. Finch says he is thankful to all the volunteers, rescue organizations and local officials who are assisting and for the outpouring of concern for the horses.

Now, with the surviving horses safely removed to the local fair grounds, equine groups are coming together to re-home the surviving 211 horses.

The following information is being provided for those interested in helping in the process.

-Not withstanding the claim on the 3-Strikes web site that it was charging a $500 intake fee so that all horses could be gentled before allowing them to “roam free”; rescue workers on site indicate that most of the horses are completely wild.

Jerry Finch therefore warns that these horses will therefore require special facilities and handling until they can be gentled enough for transfer to ordinary horse owners.

-Any individuals wanting to adopt or claim a horse must contact either Michelle Conner at 719.651.3662 or Hilary Wood at 719.481.1490. Michelle and Hilary are from Front Range Equine Rescue and will be handling all the release and adoption paperwork.

-HSUS has indicated that they will remain engaged as long as they are needed. They are providing the current medical needs but a long-term plan must be developed. The horses have all been evaluated and a major issue is lice and particularly, tics. Some of the horses are bald, due to infestations.

-Hay is in good supply and additional volunteers are not needed at this time.

-The duration of allowed stay at the fairgrounds is under discussion, but assurances have been given that the Rodeo grounds may be used through May 9^th.

-Anyone with information on potential long-term homing facilities should contact Jerry Finch at 409-682-6621

In an ironic coincidence, The Restore Our American Mustangs (ROAM) Act, HR 1018, introduced by Congressmen Nick Rahall and Raul Grijalva, will be considered before the full Committee on Natural Resources on Wednesday, April 29th at 10:00am (EST). The act would reverse the “three strikes” legislation for which the ranch is named. We are hopeful that this will result in the swift scheduling of a floor vote before the House of Representatives.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

Beef - Not Horses - Still What's For Dinner

2009-04-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:

John Holland

540.268.5693

john@equinewelfarealliance.org

Vicki Tobin

630.961.9292

vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org

Beef: It’s still what’s for dinner

CHICAGO, (EWA) – Horse slaughter advocates have recently thrown their misinformation campaign into high gear. In an attempt to solicit support by any means necessary, they are now feeding Congress outright lies on what the passage of the Federal Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009, HR 503 and S 727, will mean. The legislation could not be more clear in its intent: an end to horse slaughter. It is not, as recently asserted, an act to criminalize horse meat.

More importantly, the legislation is absolutely, unequivocally, indisputably, not the beginning of a vegetarian led effort to end animal agriculture in this country. Such claims are, in the jargon of animal agriculture, just plain hogwash.

Wyoming State Representative, Sue Wallis has teamed up with a special interest group and has become the go to lobbyist for the pro-slaughter campaign. In an “Informational” paper, that rivals the length of the recent stimulus package, Wallis missed her calling as a fiction writer.

And why is this special interest group, a 501(C)3, currently fundraising to “assemble a political war chest” to fund Wallis’ travels in what would appear to be a violation of Article 3 of Wyoming’s constitution? We urge the Wyoming legislature to convene an ethics investigation of Wallis’ highly suspect activities on behalf of the horsemeat industry.

What is readily apparent is that slaughter advocates are glaringly lacking in factual information. Their arguments, when exposed to critical examination, fall apart like the succulent beef of a well cooked roast. They have escalated efforts to scare the livestock industry into believing that ending horse slaughter is the first step to banning the slaughter of livestock. The shallow thinking exposed by this argument totally ignores the millions of beef, pork and chicken eaters who are revolted by the prospect of killing a non-food animal such as a horse or dog for profit.

Supporters of ending slaughter are portrayed as tree hugging vegans and PETA crazies that are on a mission to take away everyone’s hamburgers. The entire premise of Representative Wallis’ dissertation on horses as a food source is negated by the fact that horses are not classified as food animals by the USDA and are in fact classified by the FDA as companion animals.

Sue Wallis and the meat business she hawks like a carnival barker want to create a market for horse meat in this country. Wallis, and the group she lobbies with, has even created a survey that is being sent only to carefully selected individuals that have registered on a pro slaughter web site. Undoubtedly, the results will be published as the voice of Americans and sent to our Congress even though only one side of the issue has been polled.

Ms. Wallis goes on to use the same property rights arguments that slave owners used unsuccessfully to stop the government from freeing their “property”. She argues that owners have the right to dispose of their “property” in any manner they choose, oblivious to disposal laws on appliances, cars, computer equipment, toxic waste materials and in some areas, horses. Wallis cannot change history any more than she can change the grim reality of horse slaughter.

In survey after survey, more than 70 percent of the American public has gone on record saying they don’t want horse slaughter. Congressman Conyers and Senator Landrieu, who introduced the federal legislation, are respected legislators that have been elected to multiple terms. Neither could be remotely considered tree hugging, vegans out to ban livestock slaughter. Conyers comes from a state where Midwestern beef is revered. Landrieu hails from Louisiana, and anybody knows that if something moves in that state it will likely end up in a pot to make a spicy Creole dish. Radical vegans? Hardly!

With rare exception, equine welfare advocates are meat eaters. Ending horse slaughter is not going to take away our hamburgers, sausage, chops and steaks. If anything, it would be a great opportunity for the livestock industry to start promoting our beef overseas.

We urge Congress for the swift passage of the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act and not be swayed by desperate attempts to link it to an imaginary vegan agenda.

And American Beef? It’s still what’s for dinner.

Pennsylvanians Against Horse Slaughter

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United Organizations of the Horse Illegally Posing as a 501 C 3 Charitable Institution

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Will the US Congress Fund the Export of Poisoned Horse Meat?

Dairy Cows Abused Routinely - And Unnecessarily

Refuting The Crazy Arguments Supporting Horse Slaughter

Bringing Horse Slaughterhouses to Your Town Will Likely Raise Crime and Violence Rates

Montana Mayor Too Smart to Bring The Environmental Disaster of a Horse Slaughter Plant to His Town

Canada Horse Slaughter Plant Investigated for Cutting Horses Apart While Still Alive

BLM Wasting Taxpayers $30M...Why?...To Eradicate America's Wild Horses

American Horse Meat Sold to Europeans is Poison

BLM Continues to Blindly Manage Wild Horses to Their Death

Another Chance For Horses Pulls A Horse From Penn National From Slaughter Pen - What happened to zero tolerance?

Thoroughbred race track lacks enforcing zero tolerance policy for slaughter

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Governor Schweitzer goes to Derby, leaves slaughter bill to become law

AVMA Remains a Staunch Supporter of Horse Slaughter

Wild Horses Found Starving on Nebraska Ranch

Beef - Not Horses - Still What's For Dinner