Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Letter
To the members of the 110th Congress of the United States of America:
As Sheriff of the third largest Sheriff's Office in our nation and as law enforcement professional that puts animal cruelty and abuse cases as a top priority, I call on you today to end the slaughter of America's horses for human consumption and other purposes.
I ask you to consider how horses helped build America. Not only did they transport our forefathers from the east coast to the west coast, they have been and remain an invaluable tool to the nation's law enforcement agencies. Horses provide entertainment in the arenas and race tracks; they are therapy animals for the mentally challenged as well as for many of our soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan; and perhaps most importantly, horses are the faithful and beloved companions of millions of our constituents.
And yet, I have been shocked and saddened to learn that thousands of American horses now end up on the dinner plates of wealthy European and Asian consumers as an expensive, exotic gastronomic delight.
How shameful it is that we as Americans, who would never dream of eating horse meat, would yet allow the export of it as a food source to other countries for the sole purpose of greed.
Adding insult to injury, it isn't even American companies profiting from this shameful business but rather three foreign companies which are making millions of dollars of profit conducting these slaughter houses here in our country. At the hands of these operators, the very animal which did more to build this great nation than any other, meets a cruel, painful, long and demeaning death.
Isn't it our responsibility as humans to take care of the creatures which share this earth with us? Or at the very least, can we not honor the American horse with a humane, painless and dignified death?
You members of Congress write and enact the laws of the land. You help set the standards by which we are measured as a nation. Remember - a nation will be judged by how it treats its animals. For that reason, I urge you to enact a law that will honor the American horse and ban the slaughter of equine which have served this great nation since its beginning.
As Sheriff of Maricopa County for 14 years, I have a good read on the public and how it feels about issues such as animal cruelty. If the American people were to become acutely aware of these horse slaughter houses, their purpose for being and their methods of killing, your constituents would rightly be as outraged as I am.
You represent the American people. Do what is right for them and for their much-loved horses. Ban the practice of slaughter.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Maricopa County
Phoenix, AZ.
Thanks for listening. Senator McCain is already a cosponsor of Senate Bill S 311. This bill will stop all horse slaughter and TRANSPORT in the U.S.
http://www.saplonline.org/Legislation/USDAviolatedlaw
.htm
For Immediate Release
COURT DECLARES HORSE SLAUGHTER TO BE ILLEGAL
Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2007) - In a 51-page opinion issued just hours ago, United States District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly held that the slaughter of horses in America violates federal law. In her opinion, issued in response to a lawsuit filed in February 2006 by the Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL) and other humane organizations and individuals, Judge Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) violated the National Environmental Policy Act by failing to conduct an environmental impact review of its decision to allow the continuation of horse slaughter.
“Tonight, after years of legislation and litigation, America’s three horse slaughterhouses can no longer kill horses for human consumption,” states Chris Heyde, deputy legislative director for the Society for Animal Protective Legislation. “We call on Illinois-based Cavel International to work with the humane and rescue communities to find permanent safe homes for the hundreds of horses who were slated for slaughter, to give them a second chance at life.”
The rule that was vacated by the court, was promulgated by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to create a fee-for-service inspection process for horses slaughtered for human consumption. The rule circumvented a Congressionally approved amendment to the FY 2006 Agricultural Appropriations Act that cut federal funding for the required inspections. Because of continuing resolutions approved by Congress to fund the government, today's ruling is effective immediately.
There are three horse slaughterhouses in America, one in Illinois and two in Texas. Though the Texas plants were recently forced to stop slaughtering horses for human consumption when an appellate court upheld a Texas law making it illegal to sell, possess and transport horsemeat for sale for human consumption, the Illinois plant has been killing approximately 1,000 horses per week.
“The American public has overwhelmingly opposed the slaughter of America’s horses for human consumption and now the courts have declared horse slaughter to be illegal,” adds Heyde. “While horses will no longer be butchered in the U.S. they can be hauled under appalling conditions to a similarly brutal death in plants across the U.S. border. Congress must pass federal legislation to extend the protections to all horses and to send a clear message to those few who profit from this barbaric trade."
Currently pending in Congress are H.R. 503 and its Senate companion measure, S. 311, which would ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption and prohibit the transport of horses outside of the United States for slaughter.
The Society for Animal Protective Legislation, the Animal Welfare Institute's legislative arm, is the unsurpassed leader in obtaining laws to benefit animals in need, including the protection of domestic and wild horses. More information is available at www.saplonline.org/horses.htm.
For More Information Contact:
Chris Heyde (703) 836-4300
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Now that slaughter is illegal, horses will be transported to Mexico where they do not know the meaning of "Humane." Slaughter there is often carried out with the horse FULLY AWAKE AND ALIVE.
That's just the beginning.
Mexican coyotes are now sending buyers into the United States to pick up American horse for transport into Mexico. THAT'S STILL NOT ALL OF IT!
These human smugglers don't care about the horses. They only want the EMPTY TRUCKS. They then build secret compartments to smuggle the illegal aliens. It is also a way to get drugs into the country.
This is a WIN/WIN situation for Mexican coyotes.
HOW CAN I HELP? you ask.
CALL senator Kyl and your US Representative and ask them to PASS THESE BILLS.
Senate Bill S 311
House Bill HR 503
For phone numbers, go to:
http://wwwcampaigningforbarbaroaz.blogspot.com
Barb_AZ
