Horses hold a special place in America. They are living icons of this country's spirit and determination: from the legendary midnight ride of Paul Revere, to the wild mustangs of the plains, to our trusty companions who are a daily touchstone to the past. Recalling the horse's unique role, Senators John Ensign (R-NV) and Robert Byrd (D-WV) recently appealed to their fellow Senators to support an amendment to the 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill to end the slaughter of "one of the most precious American symbols."
The Ensign-Byrd amendment passed by a stunning vote of 69-28 on September 20. It is identical to a measure that passed the U.S. House of Representatives in June, also by a wide margin (269-158). Together, these measures will effectively end horse slaughter for food exports for one year by cutting federal funding for border inspections and for meat inspections at three U.S. slaughter houses that process horses. Last year, 65,000 horses were slaughtered for human consumption in the United States, and more than 30,000 were shipped across our borders to Canada and Mexico for slaughter.
Because the House and Senate amendments were identical and had such strong support—including from both chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee—the horse slaughter ban should be approved in the final version of the bill.
However, the ban on funds for horse slaughter is only good for the 2006 fiscal year. In order to enact a permanent ban, Congress needs to pass the American Horse Protection Act (H.R. 503).
Our horses deserve better than to suffer the horrors of the slaughter house. It's thanks to animal advocates like you that we've come so far to ending this cruelty. Please help get this legislation across the finish line. Ask your U.S. Representative to support H.R. 503 and urge your U.S. Senators to support a companion bill in the Senate, which Senator Ensign and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) are expected to introduce soon. Click here to take action.
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