Please Sign this Letter In Support of the Equine Cruelty Act

H.R. 503/S. 727—Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act

Sponsor(s): Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN); Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Senator John Ensign (R-NV)

ASPCA Position: Support

Action Needed: Write to your U.S. senators and representative today to urge them to cosponsor and support the Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act.

Update—March 27, 2009: The Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act was introduced in the United States Senate yesterday. The email below will now be sent to your senators as well as to your representative.

Americans do not eat horse meat. However, every year, more than 100,000 American horses are cruelly slaughtered just over our borders to satisfy the markets for horsemeat in Europe and Asia. Since the last horse slaughter plants in the U.S. were closed in 2007, unwanted American horses have been shipped to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.

Overseas processing plants are not subject to U.S. oversight or regulation. Due to overcrowded transport conditions, many horses are injured even before reaching their final destination. Some are shipped for more than 24 hours at a time without food, water or rest, and the methods used to kill these horses once they arrive at the plant can be exceptionally inhumane. In Mexico, slaughterhouse workers commonly use small, thin “puntilla” knives to stab horses into a state of paralysis (by severing their spinal cords), and then slaughter them while still fully conscious.

Horses have been our trusted companions and are a historically significant part of American culture. They deserve a more dignified end to their lives than to be inhumanely slaughtered and served for dinner. H.R. 503/S. 727 would put an end to this practice by prohibiting the transport of America’s horses across state lines and international borders for slaughter. Please contact your representative and senators now and urge them to cosponsor and support H.R. 503/S. 727!

Click the link below to go to the official ASCPA Web site, complete a short form and your letter will be forwarded to the appropriate Congresspersons...

Equine Cruelty Act

THANKS!