(Courtesy of Animal Law Coalition)
Another "Front" for Horse SlaughterPosted Mar 16, 2010 by laura allen
Horse SlaughterPro-slaughter interests have once again used a state legislature to advance their agenda to return horse slaughter to the U.S.
They have pushed through the Wyoming legislature a new law, H.B. 122, introduced by Wy. State Rep. Sue Wallis who is also the self-styled Executive Director of the United Organizations of the Horse, which is said to unite The United Horsemen's Front, The United Horsemen's Alliance, and The United Horsemen's Political & Legal Action Fund. "Front" is probably the most appropo name for this collection of horse slaughter supporters. Front for pro-horse slaughter interests.
For the entire article, click here!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
SAY NO TO FEDERAL FUNDING FOR WILD HORSE SALAZOOS!
February 28, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Laura Allen
Animal Law Coalition and Equine Welfare Alliance, general counsel
607.220.8938
lauraallen@animallawcoalition.com
Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org
Say No to Federal Funding for Wild Horse Salazoos!
CHICAGO, (EWA) - The funding testimony for the planned sanctuaries dubbed by wild horse supporters as "Salazoos" outlined last October by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, will be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Energy and Natural resources on March 3, at 10am.
The outcome of the testimony will decide if our wild horses belong on their western public lands or in "zoos" in the East and Midwest and whether the BLM will commit millions upon millions of future dollars to warehouse wild horses and burros that would otherwise live without cost to the taxpayers in their natural habitat where they have lived for centuries.
The requested funding would increase the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) budget by $42M to purchase one of the seven planned "Salazoos." The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and its over 100 member organizations, Animal Law Coalition, The Cloud Foundation and numerous Mustang advocate and welfare organizations are vehemently opposed to increased funding for the BLM for this incredible financial sinkhole.
America already has a management program in place for our wild equines. It's called the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act. It was inspired by a heroic Nevada woman, Velma Johnston, who as "Wild Horse Annie" gave these horses a sanctuary BLM has been trying to destroy ever since it was passed.
A management program for wild horses and burros on public land has yet to be proposed by the BLM or DOI that is compatible with current law. Their answer is to remove wild horses from the land, permit grazing by millions of cattle at below market rates and move our horses to a zoo like setting far from their home. In fact, the BLM was given appropriations to care for the wild horses in holding pens but has appeared to use the funding to round-up more horses. When citizens complained, they were denied access as armed guards prevented them from even viewing horses in captivity.
With no viable management plan in place, it is a disgrace and waste of critical tax payer dollars to increase funding to yet another mismanaged program. The 1971 law calls for wild horses and burros to be managed on their public lands - not in holding pens and not in zoos.
The BLM spent approximately $2M gathering a mere 2,000 animals at its Calico wildlife management area, a cost of $1,000 per horse. Once in holding, the animals will each cost the government approximately $500 per year to warehouse. Worse, the government charges ranchers only about 20 cents of every dollar that program costs taxpayers. "The Salazoo plan is yet another raid on the public funds by special interests", says EWA's John Holland.
BLM has spent more than $2 million in 2009 on a firm that stampedes wild horses with a roaring helicopter. At the Calico Nevada round-up, more than 98 have died as a result, including unborn foals and two babies who lost their hooves after a multi-mile run of terror.
The wild horses and burros represent a mere .05% of animals grazing on public lands. When the 1971 law was passed, wild horses were present on 54 million acres. Since then, over 200,000 horses have been removed along with 22 million acres of public land. Many herds have been zeroed out leaving public land available to return wild horses to their land. Congress should replace the lost acres with good grazing land for the animals BLM wants to place in its Salazoos.
The livestock grazing on public lands alone outnumber the wild horses and burros by over 200 to 1 and are subsidized by taxpayers to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Neither the BLM nor DOI has yet to explain how millions of privately owned livestock are sustainable or how neither agency can find room on the 262 million acres of public land it manages for less than 50,000 wild horses and burros. Neither has explained why the wild horses and burros are being blamed and removed for range degradation when the government GAO studies reflect the livestock are ruining the ranges.
The EWA and ALC call on Congress to deny additional funding and specifically defund wild horse and burro round-ups until the DOI and BLM can provide independent current range population counts, current range assessments and a viable management plan that upholds the 1971 law.
Both Sen. Mary Landrieu and Sen. Barbara Boxer have posed serious questions to the BLM on its management practices. Those questions should be answered immediately with facts, not spin.
Additional details on defunding the BLM for "Salazoos" can be found at Animal Law Coalition, article number 1188.
The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 100 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.
http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Laura Allen
Animal Law Coalition and Equine Welfare Alliance, general counsel
607.220.8938
lauraallen@animallawcoalition.com
Vicki Tobin
630.961.9292
vicki@equinewelfarealliance.org
Say No to Federal Funding for Wild Horse Salazoos!
CHICAGO, (EWA) - The funding testimony for the planned sanctuaries dubbed by wild horse supporters as "Salazoos" outlined last October by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, will be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Energy and Natural resources on March 3, at 10am.
The outcome of the testimony will decide if our wild horses belong on their western public lands or in "zoos" in the East and Midwest and whether the BLM will commit millions upon millions of future dollars to warehouse wild horses and burros that would otherwise live without cost to the taxpayers in their natural habitat where they have lived for centuries.
The requested funding would increase the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) budget by $42M to purchase one of the seven planned "Salazoos." The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and its over 100 member organizations, Animal Law Coalition, The Cloud Foundation and numerous Mustang advocate and welfare organizations are vehemently opposed to increased funding for the BLM for this incredible financial sinkhole.
America already has a management program in place for our wild equines. It's called the 1971 Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act. It was inspired by a heroic Nevada woman, Velma Johnston, who as "Wild Horse Annie" gave these horses a sanctuary BLM has been trying to destroy ever since it was passed.
A management program for wild horses and burros on public land has yet to be proposed by the BLM or DOI that is compatible with current law. Their answer is to remove wild horses from the land, permit grazing by millions of cattle at below market rates and move our horses to a zoo like setting far from their home. In fact, the BLM was given appropriations to care for the wild horses in holding pens but has appeared to use the funding to round-up more horses. When citizens complained, they were denied access as armed guards prevented them from even viewing horses in captivity.
With no viable management plan in place, it is a disgrace and waste of critical tax payer dollars to increase funding to yet another mismanaged program. The 1971 law calls for wild horses and burros to be managed on their public lands - not in holding pens and not in zoos.
The BLM spent approximately $2M gathering a mere 2,000 animals at its Calico wildlife management area, a cost of $1,000 per horse. Once in holding, the animals will each cost the government approximately $500 per year to warehouse. Worse, the government charges ranchers only about 20 cents of every dollar that program costs taxpayers. "The Salazoo plan is yet another raid on the public funds by special interests", says EWA's John Holland.
BLM has spent more than $2 million in 2009 on a firm that stampedes wild horses with a roaring helicopter. At the Calico Nevada round-up, more than 98 have died as a result, including unborn foals and two babies who lost their hooves after a multi-mile run of terror.
The wild horses and burros represent a mere .05% of animals grazing on public lands. When the 1971 law was passed, wild horses were present on 54 million acres. Since then, over 200,000 horses have been removed along with 22 million acres of public land. Many herds have been zeroed out leaving public land available to return wild horses to their land. Congress should replace the lost acres with good grazing land for the animals BLM wants to place in its Salazoos.
The livestock grazing on public lands alone outnumber the wild horses and burros by over 200 to 1 and are subsidized by taxpayers to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Neither the BLM nor DOI has yet to explain how millions of privately owned livestock are sustainable or how neither agency can find room on the 262 million acres of public land it manages for less than 50,000 wild horses and burros. Neither has explained why the wild horses and burros are being blamed and removed for range degradation when the government GAO studies reflect the livestock are ruining the ranges.
The EWA and ALC call on Congress to deny additional funding and specifically defund wild horse and burro round-ups until the DOI and BLM can provide independent current range population counts, current range assessments and a viable management plan that upholds the 1971 law.
Both Sen. Mary Landrieu and Sen. Barbara Boxer have posed serious questions to the BLM on its management practices. Those questions should be answered immediately with facts, not spin.
Additional details on defunding the BLM for "Salazoos" can be found at Animal Law Coalition, article number 1188.
The Equine Welfare Alliance is a dues free, umbrella organization with over 100 member organizations. The organization focuses its efforts on the welfare of all equines and the preservation of wild equids.
http://www.equinewelfarealliance.org/
http://www.animallawcoalition.com/
BUTE IS BANNED FOR FOOD ANIMALS, OUR HORSES ARE NOT FOOD ANIMALS
KEEPING BUTE OUT OF THE FOOD CHAIN
(courtesy Alex Brown and Paulick Report)
Alex Brown is among those in the anti-horse slaughter community who pointed out to the Paulick Report recent changes in Canadian regulations regarding drugs not permitted in horses intended for slaughter in Canada. In this following article, Brown says an extremely high percentage of American-trained Thoroughbreds are prescribed one of the newly prohibited drugs, phenylbutazone, otherwise known as Butazolidin or Bute. What isn’t known is how this new ban will affect the transportation and slaughter of horses from the United States into Canada. – Ray PaulickBy Alex Brown
Bute is banned for food animals, our horses are not food animals.
The United States Food and Drug Administration released a document in 2003 establishing that phenylbutazone (Butazolidin, or Bute) is not fit for horses intended for the food chain. According to the document, Bute is a carcinogen, as determined by the National Toxicology Program. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recently released a document establishing revised guidelines or horses intended to be slaughtered in slaughter houses in Canada. In that document there is a list of substances that are not permitted for horses intended for the human foodchain, regardless of when the substance is ingested. No quarantine period for these substances. They are simply banned. Bute is on that list.
Data compiled by the Daily Racing Form indicates that in 2009 99% of horses that ran in California pre-raced on Bute (7391 out of 7443). In a similar study of Suffolk Downs runners, 92% of horses pre-raced on Bute (1062 out of 1158). As I ask trainers about their use of Bute for pre-racing, trainers tell me they pre-race on Bute regardless of the condition of the horse. It is not because the horse is unsound, it is because we can and it does not slow the horse down for the race itself.
As horsemen we know that pre-racing on Bute is only one example of when Bute is administered to our racehorses. Many horses train on Bute as part of their daily regimen.
Is it not time now to ask our racing leaders to publicly support an end to slaughter, or at least ban racehorses from the food chain. It is clear that racehorses are not fit for human consumption from a food safety standpoint and knowingly allowing this practice to continue cannot be justified.
We should perhaps also ask the same question of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). A vet, more than anyone, knows that our racehorses are administered Bute, and they now must undersrtand that Bute is prohibited for food animals.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
UNDER THE GUISE OF EUTHANASIA
Slaughter Alert Part Three
Under the Guise of Euthanasia
© Wild for Life Foundation
Part 1 of a 3 part series
Feb 15, 2010
By Katia Louise
Part 3 of 3: Under the Guise of Euthanasia
Pro slaughter lobby pushing to open horse slaughter plants in 23 states across the US
Article Highlights:
In a recent report by Animals’ Angels USA, where investigations of horse slaughter focused on conditions and treatment of horses at slaughter plants, auctions, feedlots and during transport investigations, it was found that “the instant a horse is designated a ‘kill horse’, handling and treatment change radically from that normally given horses.
• Auction employees use wooden sticks, striking horses with full range of motion and force
• auction workers hitting in face and jabbing in eyes
• transport driver whipping horses over the head, hips and legs
A 2008 report by the Canadian Horse Defense Coalition revealed unacceptable practices regarding the stunning and slaughtering of horses inside the plant. The CHDC report states, “They did not necessarily ensure accurate hitting of the horses with the captive bolt”; further that, “systemic neglect, cruel handling, poor slaughter practices, resulting in immense suffering.”
In 2004 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the most frequent violation noted by inspectors in slaughter houses was ineffective stunning, meaning "in many cases ..a conscious animal reached slaughter" in violation of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.
The USDA affirms that, “Humane stunning procedures are required by the Humane Slaughter Act of 1978, and multiple stuns of an animal are considered INHUMANE.”
According to the Act, animals should be stunned into unconsciousness prior to their slaughter to ensure a quick, relatively painless death.
"The captive bolt is not a proper instrument for the slaughter of equids, these animals regain consciousness 30 seconds after being struck, they are fully aware they are being vivisected." -Dr. Lester Friedlander, DVM & former Chief USDA Inspector
As reported by the USDA, ...FSIS observed deficiencies include: overcrowding of animals in holding pens resulting in animals not being able to get to the watering troughs; improper stunning of both normal and downer animals.
The USDA further reports that Employees in three of the five remaining plants used devices such as whips, a length of garden hose, or plastic tubing to drive the animals.
As documented by Animals’ Angels in their 2008 investigation of the Juarez, Mexico Horse Slaughter Plant, horses are killed with a “puntilla knife.(3) “Such a barbaric practice does not render the horse unconscious, it simply paralyzes the animal. The horse is still fully conscious at the start of the slaughter process during which the animal is hung by a hind leg, its throat slit and its body butchered.”(4) – Dr Nicholas Dodman BVMS, MRCVS, and Founding Member Veterinarians for Equine Welfare
Despite countless instances of documented cruelty ...law enforcement agencies continue to look the other way, fines are not enforced and America's dirty little secret goes on and on.
Proponents argue if horse slaughter plants were reopened in the US, that horses would be protected from cruelty by the Humane Slaughter Act which is enforced by the USDA FSIS inspectors; however findings indicate that inspectors have become paper pushers and don’t have access to the slaughter area on a regular basis. “We are the people who are charged by Congress with enforcing HSA, but most of our inspectors have little to no access to those areas of the plants where animals are being handled and slaughtered,” said Arthur Hughes, President of the National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals.
Many policy makers are being mislead, and or bought out by special interests. Many of those who oppose a ban of horse slaughter have been misled to believe that there are allegedly too many so called “unwanted” and “excess” horses and/or that horse slaughter is purportedly humane.
Proponents are pushing for Americans “to accept and embrace the idea of using horse meat for human consumption”. Legislative action is mounting in 23 states encouraging foreign interests to invest in horse slaughter plants and there are aggressive lobbying efforts to reverse the court actions in Texas and Illinois to re-open horse slaughter plants.
Read Part Three in it's entirety HERE
Read part one of this report to get the facts about the UOH’s newest campaign effort; a nationwide so-called 'Do Not Slaughter' registry.
Read part two of this report to see how the humane argument as supported by the AVMA and the AAEP has been used to influence and mislead certain industry leaders and US policy makers.
Learn more:
Saving America’s Horses - A Nation Betrayed
Under the Guise of Euthanasia
© Wild for Life Foundation
Part 1 of a 3 part series
Feb 15, 2010
By Katia Louise
Part 3 of 3: Under the Guise of Euthanasia
Pro slaughter lobby pushing to open horse slaughter plants in 23 states across the US
Article Highlights:
In a recent report by Animals’ Angels USA, where investigations of horse slaughter focused on conditions and treatment of horses at slaughter plants, auctions, feedlots and during transport investigations, it was found that “the instant a horse is designated a ‘kill horse’, handling and treatment change radically from that normally given horses.
• Auction employees use wooden sticks, striking horses with full range of motion and force
• auction workers hitting in face and jabbing in eyes
• transport driver whipping horses over the head, hips and legs
A 2008 report by the Canadian Horse Defense Coalition revealed unacceptable practices regarding the stunning and slaughtering of horses inside the plant. The CHDC report states, “They did not necessarily ensure accurate hitting of the horses with the captive bolt”; further that, “systemic neglect, cruel handling, poor slaughter practices, resulting in immense suffering.”
In 2004 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the most frequent violation noted by inspectors in slaughter houses was ineffective stunning, meaning "in many cases ..a conscious animal reached slaughter" in violation of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act.
The USDA affirms that, “Humane stunning procedures are required by the Humane Slaughter Act of 1978, and multiple stuns of an animal are considered INHUMANE.”
According to the Act, animals should be stunned into unconsciousness prior to their slaughter to ensure a quick, relatively painless death.
"The captive bolt is not a proper instrument for the slaughter of equids, these animals regain consciousness 30 seconds after being struck, they are fully aware they are being vivisected." -Dr. Lester Friedlander, DVM & former Chief USDA Inspector
As reported by the USDA, ...FSIS observed deficiencies include: overcrowding of animals in holding pens resulting in animals not being able to get to the watering troughs; improper stunning of both normal and downer animals.
The USDA further reports that Employees in three of the five remaining plants used devices such as whips, a length of garden hose, or plastic tubing to drive the animals.
As documented by Animals’ Angels in their 2008 investigation of the Juarez, Mexico Horse Slaughter Plant, horses are killed with a “puntilla knife.(3) “Such a barbaric practice does not render the horse unconscious, it simply paralyzes the animal. The horse is still fully conscious at the start of the slaughter process during which the animal is hung by a hind leg, its throat slit and its body butchered.”(4) – Dr Nicholas Dodman BVMS, MRCVS, and Founding Member Veterinarians for Equine Welfare
Despite countless instances of documented cruelty ...law enforcement agencies continue to look the other way, fines are not enforced and America's dirty little secret goes on and on.
Proponents argue if horse slaughter plants were reopened in the US, that horses would be protected from cruelty by the Humane Slaughter Act which is enforced by the USDA FSIS inspectors; however findings indicate that inspectors have become paper pushers and don’t have access to the slaughter area on a regular basis. “We are the people who are charged by Congress with enforcing HSA, but most of our inspectors have little to no access to those areas of the plants where animals are being handled and slaughtered,” said Arthur Hughes, President of the National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals.
Many policy makers are being mislead, and or bought out by special interests. Many of those who oppose a ban of horse slaughter have been misled to believe that there are allegedly too many so called “unwanted” and “excess” horses and/or that horse slaughter is purportedly humane.
Proponents are pushing for Americans “to accept and embrace the idea of using horse meat for human consumption”. Legislative action is mounting in 23 states encouraging foreign interests to invest in horse slaughter plants and there are aggressive lobbying efforts to reverse the court actions in Texas and Illinois to re-open horse slaughter plants.
Read Part Three in it's entirety HERE
Read part one of this report to get the facts about the UOH’s newest campaign effort; a nationwide so-called 'Do Not Slaughter' registry.
Read part two of this report to see how the humane argument as supported by the AVMA and the AAEP has been used to influence and mislead certain industry leaders and US policy makers.
Learn more:
Saving America’s Horses - A Nation Betrayed
Monday, February 15, 2010
Horsemeat Derived from Any U.S. Horse Can Never Be Regarded as Safe for Human Consumption
Fact Sheet: Medications and US Horsemeat
(courtesy of Veterinarians for Equine Wefare)
http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/
Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW) welcomes the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's new policy regarding equine health and medical treatments, but also remains cautious about its actual implementation and impact.
The policy recently announced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) with assistance from the Veterinary Drug Directorate (VDD) of Health Canada was in response to stricter requirements recently mandated by the European Union. The new policy states that, "it will be mandatory for all CFIA inspected facilities in Canada engaged in the slaughter of equines for edible purposes to have complete records for all animals (domestic and imported) presented for slaughter. These records will include unique identification for each animal, as well as a record of medical treatments administered to the animal for the six-month period preceding slaughter."
It is the united opinion of the VEW that it is beyond the scope of our profession to comment on the culinary practices of any person or country; however, consumer safety of meat produced in our country is very much a responsibility that veterinarians must carefully consider.
Horses, unlike traditional food animals in the United States, are not raised or medicated during their lifetime with the intent of one day becoming human food. Because American horses are not "intended" for the human food chain, throughout their lives they will often have received medications that are banned by the FDA for use at any time during the life of food animals. Click here for list of drugs prohibited for use in horses slaughtered for human consumption.
Approved use of medications in food animals is specifically contingent upon observation of recommended withdrawal times. Withdrawal times have been experimentally determined in traditional food animals; however, withdrawal times for these drugs have not been established in horses. Thus, medications that are FDA approved for use in traditional food animals come with specific withdrawal schedules printed on the packaging, while the same medications, purchased for horses do not include the requisite withdrawal schedule, but simply state "NOT FOR USE IN HORSES INTENDED FOR FOOD".
Unlike the United States, European Union and United Kingdom member countries have a distinct safety policy with regard to horses entering the food chain. All EU/UK horses must carry "equine passports" in which the animal is declared to be either "eligible for slaughter as human food ", or "not eligible for slaughter for human food".
Any EU or UK horse, which has ever received a medication that is banned for use in food producing animals, is forever prohibited from entering the food chain. All food animal approved medications that are prescribed and administered to horses in the EU or UK have strict withdrawal schedules printed on the packaging and all such medications must also be recorded on the equine passport. The EU/UK system is designed specifically to ensure the health and safety of humans that consume horsemeat. In contrast, even with the new CFIA policy American horses treated with medications that are absolutely prohibited by the EU will still be entering the food chain.
It is the strong position of VEW members that absent any formal regulation or structure by the United States with regard to medications and food safety withdrawal schedules for equines entering the food chain, horsemeat derived from any U.S. horse can never be regarded as safe for human consumption.
Furthermore, VEW member veterinarians strongly object to the AVMA and AAEP position in favor of horse slaughter for human consumption. For the AVMA and AAEP to condone the human consumption of meat derived from equines that have not been raised or medicated in a manner consistent with food safety regulations is, in our opinion, unethical, disingenuous, and dangerous.
Click here to view the entire CFIA policy and list of drugs covered. To read VEW's statement regarding our strong opposition to slaughtering horses for human consumption please visit http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/.
(courtesy of Veterinarians for Equine Wefare)
http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/
Veterinarians for Equine Welfare (VEW) welcomes the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's new policy regarding equine health and medical treatments, but also remains cautious about its actual implementation and impact.
The policy recently announced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) with assistance from the Veterinary Drug Directorate (VDD) of Health Canada was in response to stricter requirements recently mandated by the European Union. The new policy states that, "it will be mandatory for all CFIA inspected facilities in Canada engaged in the slaughter of equines for edible purposes to have complete records for all animals (domestic and imported) presented for slaughter. These records will include unique identification for each animal, as well as a record of medical treatments administered to the animal for the six-month period preceding slaughter."
It is the united opinion of the VEW that it is beyond the scope of our profession to comment on the culinary practices of any person or country; however, consumer safety of meat produced in our country is very much a responsibility that veterinarians must carefully consider.
Horses, unlike traditional food animals in the United States, are not raised or medicated during their lifetime with the intent of one day becoming human food. Because American horses are not "intended" for the human food chain, throughout their lives they will often have received medications that are banned by the FDA for use at any time during the life of food animals. Click here for list of drugs prohibited for use in horses slaughtered for human consumption.
Approved use of medications in food animals is specifically contingent upon observation of recommended withdrawal times. Withdrawal times have been experimentally determined in traditional food animals; however, withdrawal times for these drugs have not been established in horses. Thus, medications that are FDA approved for use in traditional food animals come with specific withdrawal schedules printed on the packaging, while the same medications, purchased for horses do not include the requisite withdrawal schedule, but simply state "NOT FOR USE IN HORSES INTENDED FOR FOOD".
Unlike the United States, European Union and United Kingdom member countries have a distinct safety policy with regard to horses entering the food chain. All EU/UK horses must carry "equine passports" in which the animal is declared to be either "eligible for slaughter as human food ", or "not eligible for slaughter for human food".
Any EU or UK horse, which has ever received a medication that is banned for use in food producing animals, is forever prohibited from entering the food chain. All food animal approved medications that are prescribed and administered to horses in the EU or UK have strict withdrawal schedules printed on the packaging and all such medications must also be recorded on the equine passport. The EU/UK system is designed specifically to ensure the health and safety of humans that consume horsemeat. In contrast, even with the new CFIA policy American horses treated with medications that are absolutely prohibited by the EU will still be entering the food chain.
It is the strong position of VEW members that absent any formal regulation or structure by the United States with regard to medications and food safety withdrawal schedules for equines entering the food chain, horsemeat derived from any U.S. horse can never be regarded as safe for human consumption.
Furthermore, VEW member veterinarians strongly object to the AVMA and AAEP position in favor of horse slaughter for human consumption. For the AVMA and AAEP to condone the human consumption of meat derived from equines that have not been raised or medicated in a manner consistent with food safety regulations is, in our opinion, unethical, disingenuous, and dangerous.
Click here to view the entire CFIA policy and list of drugs covered. To read VEW's statement regarding our strong opposition to slaughtering horses for human consumption please visit http://www.vetsforequinewelfare.org/.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Horse Slaughter - Research Proves It's a Demand Driven Business
Trends following the closing of the US plants show several unmistakable relationships. First,
horse slaughter is clearly driven by demand and not by the number of available horses or even
the slaughter capacity. By John Holland
horse slaughter is clearly driven by demand and not by the number of available horses or even
the slaughter capacity. By John Holland
Monday, February 8, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
