Montana Horse Slaughter Bill Not Vetoed
From Elizabeth Forel, of the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages . . .
On Friday, April 3rd, Montana Governor Brain Schweitzer returned House Bill 418 to the legislature with suggestions for amendments. The danger is that the amendments will be made and the bill will be signed into law. PLEASE TAKE ACTION. We must keep the pressure on the governor to VETO this bill. Call the governor's office at (406) 444-3111 and ask him to veto it. Tell the governor's office that (live) horses are a symbol of the American West and Montana should not want to be known as the horse slaughter capitol of the country.
Please read this excellent and compelling letter by former Mayor Paula Bacon about the disastrous effects of having a slaughter facility in her hometown of Kaufman, Texas. The letter was written to the Montana legislature.
You can contact the governor online here. And you can read more about this issue in the Thoroughbred Times and JAVMA News.
What about all the cow, pig, goat, sheep, chicken, and turkey slaughterhouses? It seems absurd to obsess over horse slaughterhouses. What makes horses so 'special'? Moral schizophrenia?
Hi Dan… I suppose your inference here might be true if anyone was suggesting that cow, pig, goat, sheep, chicken and turkey slaughter was acceptable. Of course it's all wrong. But likewise, if somehow pig slaughter was eliminated, and then attempts to have it institutionalized again were initiated – I'd fight to prevent that from happening as well.
Fighting to keep slaughterhouses from butchering horses doesn't compromise vegan advocacy or abolition. This isn't a plea to kill horse more humanely… but rather to not kill horses at all. And btw, I've contacted officials in US (and foreign) states, upon hearing of plans to open any slaughterhouse… So I don't see this as being just about "horses" at all. But rather an effort to minimalize the infestation of killing factories.
And finally, we know that if slaughtering horses becomes profitable again, there will be that many more thousands of horses bred just to be killed. I'd like to stop this from happening – especially since doing so will not further harm cows, pigs, puppies, dolphins, etc.
I wasn't inferring anything, Bea; just trying to get people to think outside of the tiny little narrow-minded box of our society's speciesism. If we're going to call for an end to horse slaughter, we should also call for an end to all slaughter in the same breath (or at least the same message).
Thanks.
Dan… sorry I didn't know right off that it was your intent… "to get people to think"… And you're totally right that to disprove of one type of animal slaughter and not the other is speciesism.
Because of knowing this – I've made it a point whenever referencing "kangaroo" slaughter, "seal" slaughter… (or any other brutalities) to always tie the "leather" into those comments. You can't cry for the dolphins and have a down comforter… Nor can you be woeful for the seal but not the rodeo bull. It's just not consistent. So getting people to connect the dots to "all slaughter" is important, for sure… eliminating the moral schizophrenia.
And I will admit that it's frustrating to see many who causes that neglect to take all animals into consideration. Love the puppy/eat the pig kind of thing. Everyone here has felt the same, I'm sure.
So here might be a safe place to throw out an observation… to see what others might think in regards to "campaigns" that favor one species over another.
In my thinking, (as long as the core message is Animal Rights), those who are motivated to champion for horses, or wolves, or elephants, do so because of a personal experience that touched them in a unique way… And that it's fine to be a voice for those that your interests are inclined to… But again, only if the caveat is veganism and abolition as its fundamental message.
I think it's in our nature to base our interests in what we've been exposed to… or what emotionally motivates us – memories, encounters, etc. So I guess I'm asking: do you Dan, or Mary or any readers here, find vegan-based "campaigns" for specific "breeds of animals" or specific "species of animals" to be of concern to AR advocacy? Or have I thought this issue through correctly? 🙂
Bea,
I don't have a problem with specific species campaigns as long as there is a message saying that all species should be free of exploitation. If you're interested, I wrote a blog entry on this topic: Picking the low-hanging fruit. . .
Dan… gotcha! & thanks 🙂
Hi all!
I'm new to this so I guess I'll see how it works…
On the horse slaughter issues that are arising now around the country, I ask why everyone believes it's so bad. Now that all of the old facilities have been closed, and those corporations have moved out of the country, why would it be so horrible to have facilities built again? If you think about it, those facilities were built long before there was any real laws, inspectors, animal cruelty inspectors, etc. that would have been involved in the contracts when they were built. If there was a company that would bring that back into the country do you really believe that anyone would let it go as far as it went before the last ones were closed? Do you think that there wouldn't be more humane ways of putting the horses down, cleaning the facilities, inspections, wastewater issues, etc that wouldn't be put into the agreement/contract in the very beginning and also ways that the local magistrate and inspectors can take action for all mishaps and fines that are incurred? There is no way that foreign countries wouldn't come back to the US for the horse meat because this is the country with all the horses that could ever be wanted.
I can understand to a point why people are so deadset against horse slaughter. I have seen the videos; understand what it means to kill such a majestic animal; understand that it's not just the injured, sick, old that are slaughtered; understand that there are inhumane ways of transportation to the slaughterhouses, etc. But I also understand that there are many things put into place so that there are laws and regulations and inspections for most of those things now so that there are better "eyes on" the issues. I also know that nothing is going to make everyone happy.
I do feel for the Mayor that wrote the letter to the Montana Senator. I could not imagine having that in my city limits and the fact that they didn't care at all for the laws of the country or city that they were operating in. Right now, if slaughterhouses were to open again, don't you think that there would be things in place so that it would NEVER happen like that again? There has to be a way that they can be reopened and controlled.
I want you all to think about another aspect. I live in Texas where the summers are hot and most of the time the winters are mild. Some freezing but not alot of snow or rain. In Montana there is no such thing. People believe that because horses are kinda like cows or other grazing animals that because there is grass on the ground, they should be able to survive. I mean, there is always water flowing in Montana right? There goes the thirst issue. And, there is always grass in Montana right? I mean Montana is mountainous and has lots of grazing so they should be able to fend for themselves, right? Think again… These animals are DOMESTICATED. They have been domesticated for hundereds of years and no longer have the ability to survive on their own. I'm pretty sure that if you turned a horse out in Montana during the summer, that horse would make it pretty well until winter rolls around, all the grass is covered in snow, and the lakes, rivers and streams are frozen. These horses are all used to having the ice broke for them and hay out in the pasture for them to eat. Most of the horses that are released into the wild therefore probably won't make it through the winter. What a way to die, withering away from starvation and thirst when you know the food is right there but don't know how to get at it.
With the economy the way it is right now, and the amount of horses that are in this country, alot of these animals are becoming neglected. There is just not enough money flow to feed them and keep the mortgage up and the car payment and then the vet bills and farrier bills, etc… I used to be a breeder of FQHR Foundation Quarter Horses but with these times, you can't sell a horse for half of what you have in it. There is no reason to keep breeding so I keep my mares and stallions seperated and try to sell some off when I can. No one wants to pay what they are worth because there are so many horses that no one can use or get rid of.
I for one think that horse slaughterhouses should be allowed back into the US. I believe that they should be more tightly controlled, inspected, and monitored. I also believe that in this day and age, if an American company opened one, they would reap the benefits of overseas export for the delicacy that is known as horse meat. I slaughter my own cows, goats, chickens, pigs and understand that the less stress that the animals are under, the better the meat comes out. I believe that because they were such a problem in the past, a whole bunch of research was completed on ways to make the process more humane and less messy. There has to be a way for a horse slaughterhouse to come back and lift the heavy burden that the US is in right now with unwanted horses.
There are only so many rescues, retirement homes, and foster homes that can take unwanted horses, and let me be the first to say, they are the most expensive animal to take care of!
I don't know what else the country is going to do with all these horses. I'm sure that there are alot of unmarked graves in "the back 40" where horses have been shot instead of being abandoned. If there was a way for them to be humanely euthanized and used for human consumption in other countries, so be it. At least they didn't go to waste and the burden is lifted.
There will always be issues with this because there will always be people who breed inferior horses just because they might be able to make a buck down the line. With all the inferior horses there is nowhere for the superior horses to go.
Of course, this is my opinion. Everyone has there own. If I had the funding and research capabilities, I believe a horse slaughterhouse would be a good investment. I don't like the fact that the horses are killed, but in the scheme of things, I would rather know how they died and what was happening to them, and ensure it's as painless as possible, than seeing emaciated, neglected horses running free who are unable to care for themselves, or owners who are purposefully neglecting them because they don't have the money.
Hope you all have a great day!
Hello Kerri… I'm reading that you don't find it objectionable to kill sick, diseased or starved horses. And also, that you have no problem killing young healthy chickens, goats, pigs, either. Just wondering – is there any animal that you don't think should be killed?
The whole idea of ending horse slaughter is precisely so that people will stop breeding them. If there is no economic gain for their "failures" – Perhaps they will stop investing in the gamble all together.
I think this "overpopulation" of "inferior" horses is a temporary state – one which, in time can only improve if we keep the profitability out of the greed-generated problem.
Of course, this is my opinion. Everyone has there own. If I had the funding I would close all slaughterhouses. I don't like the fact that any animal is killed. And in the scheme of things, I would rather they not be born at all, rather than attempt to negotiate some kind of "scale" as to what may or may not be painful to them; as they are needlessly butchered for monetary gain.
Hope you have a great day too!
Hello,
Well, I've been reading some of what's been said here, and I thought I might point out a possible reason as to why people tend to respond to horse slaughter more strongly than to the slaughter of other animals.
Horses are listed as a livestock animal, but most people tend to view them as a companion animal, not an animal that should be slaughtered for food. I know that I view it that way, as do a majority of the people I know.
I don't necessarily believe that the slaughter of horses is wrong. Plenty of cultures use horse meat as food. There are cultures that eat cats and dogs as well. Just because I don't agree with them doesn't make it wrong.
The slaughter of all animals, whether they be horses, pigs, cows, chickens, etc. is horrific, but it also plays a large part in our lives. We live off of the products of some of these animals. We need them to survive. Some people turn to alternatives, but that is their preference, not the preferences of the majority of the population. I do believe, however, that slaughter is bad. It doesn't make much sense, saying that it's bad, but necessary, especially since I'm not trying to say it's a necessary evil.
I guess what I mean to say is that the way we go about it is bad. I've seen and read the descriptions of all kinds of slaughter, horses included. It's a gruesome business. The animals generally aren't treated humanely. Their deaths aren't painless. What I think should be done, instead of abolishing slaughter in general, is that conditions should be improved. The animals should be allowed to live good lives, and when it is time for them to be killed, things should be done humanely and painlessly. That still sounds wrong, it's true. But I do believe that humans have the right to kill animals for food. It's the way we were created. If you look at our teeth, you can see that we were built to eat meat. As long as we need to survive on meat, then I think we should treat the animals we use in the right way.
While I do generally view horse slaughter as one of the most horrible institutions, I do not think that it is entirely wrong. I do, however, believe that it is wrong for America. America has a lot of heritage that comes from the horse. I don't think we should slaughter something that has played such a large part in our history. At least, if we do slaughter horses, then it should be as an alternative way to put horses down, not an empire that takes in horses specifically bred for slaughter. Wild horses, too, should be let alone. What right do we have to take them from their home and kill them?
Well, those are my own personal views. They're complicated views, but mine always are. A lot of them are based on my religion and personal beliefs. I don't share the same ideas with anyone I know. Hopefully you can understand what I was trying to say.