ASPCA: Update! USDA To Allow Horse Slaughter in Spite of Congressional Ban

It appears they need comments by March 9.

Bill No. Petition to USDA to Allow for horse slaughter, Docket Number 05-036IF
ASPCA Position Oppose
Action Needed Send a comment to USDA urging them to withdraw the regulations that would allow horse slaughter plants to continue to operate!
In 2005, after a tremendous public outcry, Congress overwhelmingly passed an appropriations bill that effectively stopped horse slaughter for fiscal year 2006 by cutting funding for USDA inspections of plants that slaughter horses. In a move that flies directly in the face of that Congressional mandate, the USDA has issued regulations approving a petition submitted by the three foreign-owned horse slaughter plants in the United States to allow for the continuation of horse slaughter in this country!

The horse slaughter industry has convinced the USDA to manipulate the law in a way that goes directly against Congressional intent. The USDA has issued regulations approving a petition by the slaughter houses that would enable the horse slaughter industry to fund its own inspections. The result will be the slaughter of tens of thousands of horses for human consumption in 2006!

Last year, the American people told Congress in no uncertain terms that Americans do not support the slaughter of horses in this country to serve an overseas market for horse meat. Congress heard your voices! The 2005 Agriculture Appropriations bill cut funding to USDA to inspect slaughter plants that slaughter horses for human consumption, effectively banning the slaughter of horses in this country for fiscal year 2006. The ban was set to begin on March 10, 2006. Now, the USDA has granted a petition that would create new means of paying for inspection of slaughter plants, effectively allowing horse slaughter to continue. This move would directly undermine the Congressional intent behind the 2005 agriculture appropriations amendment!

Send comments to USDA before March 9th urging the USDA to withdraw the regulations that would allow the horse slaughterhouses to continue operations.

https://secure2.convio.net/aspca/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=1887

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