Rep. John Sweeney on Horse Slaughter

In the summer of 2003, I wrote here about Congressional efforts to end horse slaughter. Since that time we have made tremendous strides toward that goal, but we have also faced real hurdles.

A major victory was achieved when Congress voted last year to temporarily shut this foreign-owned industry down via my amendment to the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. The measure bars the use of federal funds for regulatory duties associated with horse slaughter, and its purpose is clear: to bring the industry to a grinding halt.

Yet at the request of the slaughterhouses, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has ignored the will of Congress and intends to circumvent the ban with a scheme allowing horse slaughter to continue. Congress is asking tough questions, and DDAL and other animal protection organizations have taken legal action to block this move. Yet regardless of the outcome, the amendment’s passage is truly significant. It shows that when Congress is presented with the opportunity to consider the issue of horse slaughter, the votes are in favor of ending this cruel trade.

Our main goal, of course, is passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503), which will permanently end the slaughter of our horses for human consumption abroad. My bill was redrafted to go through the friendlier House Energy & Commerce Committee this Congress after an earlier version died in a hostile committee despite overwhelming Congressional support. As such, we anticipate H.R. 503 will go before the full U.S. House of Representatives for a vote in 2006. Meanwhile, a companion bill is moving through the Senate (S. 1915).

The success of our effort is attributable to many factors. The campaign to end horse slaughter has the strong support of the American public and especially the animal protection community. Readers will know that actress Bo Derek has made numerous visits to Washington to help and dozens of other celebrities have added their names to our effort. A trip to Capitol Hill in 2005 by Mayor Paula Bacon of Kaufman, TX further persuaded my colleagues that horse slaughter must end. Her city plays unwilling host to one of the three horse slaughterhouses still operating in the U.S. Significant support within the equestrian community has also helped our cause. And the tragic slaughter of more than 40 wild horses last year also galvanized support for shutting the trade down.

But there is urgency to achieving that goal, particularly in light of the USDA’s willingness to defy the temporary ban passed by Congress. The slaughterhouses won’t go without a fight, and will squeeze every last penny they can from the death of our horses. This is evidenced by the huge increase in the number of horses the plants pushed through their doors last year in view of their almost certain closure (more than 90,000 in 2005 compared with 65,000 in 2004). That’s why Congress must pass the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503/S. 1915) now. The facts stand in our favor: horse slaughter is cruel, it is unnecessary and the majority of Americans want it to end. With your help, we can make that happen.

This column appears in the Spring 2006 issue of Animal Guardian.

Rep. John E. Sweeney (R-NY) entered the U.S. Congress in 1999 and represents the 20th Congressional District in New York. Rep. Sweeney lives in upstate New York, home to the legendary Saratoga Race Track. He is currently Co-Chairman of the Congressional Horse Caucus and is the primary sponsor of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 503) and the "Sweeney Horse Slaughter Amendment."