Think This is Hard to Look At? Imagine How the Horse Felt
Join the New York State Humane Association's Campaign
to Prohibit the Brutal Horsemeat Trade in New York
Photo courtesy of Animals' Angels USA
In some countries, horseflesh is routinely consumed by humans. Some of these horses are raised in New York; others are transported through our state to Canadian slaughterhouses. New York State I-87 is a direct pipeline for this barbarity.
Assembly bill A3905, introduced by NYS Assemblymember Deborah Glick, and Senate bill S4615, introduced by Senator Kathleen Marchione, would prohibit the horsemeat trade in New York.
Both bills must pass in order for the legislation to become law. But both are stalled in the Agriculture committee of their respective houses. If passed, they then must be considered by another committee in each house and finally the entire Senate and Assembly. So they must move soon!
NEW YORKERS, ACT NOW TO END THIS BRUTALITY
Take 5 Minutes to Call These Two Offices:
NYS Sen. Patty Ritchie, Chair, Senate Agriculture Committee: 518-455-3438
and
NYS Assemblyman William Magee, Chair, Assembly Agriculture Committee:
518-455-4807
- Ask that the Senator (or Assemblyman) put S4615 (or A3905) on the Agriculture Committee agenda for a vote promptly.
- Say it’s important for animals and humans that this commonsense legislation become law this session.
- If you’re a constituent of the lawmaker you're calling, say so! Constituents rule. Don’t know if you are? Find your state legislators here.
- Be brief, calm and polite.
DOES YOUR LAWMAKER SIT ON THE AG COMMITTEE?
If so, ask him/her to advocate for a prompt vote.
- Click here for members of the Senate Agriculture Committee.
- Click here for members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee.
TALKING POINTS
Be an informed advocate! Before calling, read the following, provided by the New York State Humane Association.
Horse slaughter is barbaric, not "humane euthanasia."
- Horse slaughter involves striking a horse with an extremely painful “captive bolt.” Some horses require several blows before they are rendered unconscious.
- Some horses remain conscious during butchering.
- Many Canadian slaughter plants—to which horses may be transported from NYS—use gunshots instead of the captive bolt system, and often fire several rounds while the horses scream in agony.
- During transport to slaughterhouses, buyers have been known to gouge a horse’s eyes out if he is kicking in the trailer.
Horses trucked for slaughter do not require health certificates. This lack of oversight allows horses to be trucked across our state from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Virginia, Maryland and others without knowing what diseases they might be harboring.
Horse slaughter will not solve the problem of neglect, as those who trade in this cruelty claim. Just like dogs and cats, some horses are neglected by hoarders, who acquire them, allow them to breed, do not feed them adequately, and refuse to sell or give them up to horse rescue organizations. Slaughtering the victims is not the solution! Prosecuting hoarders for animal cruelty and neglect is.
Horse slaughter plants are a hazard to humans. Horse slaughter plants in the US have been found in violation of environmental laws related to the disposal of blood and animal waste, resulting in contaminating water supplies and increasing rat and other pest infestation. Such contamination has caused a decline in property values. These plants have also resulted in an increase in crimes in their local communities, including thieves stealing horses to sell for slaughter.
Horsemeat is not fit for human consumption. Nearly every horse is given drugs that are banned by the Food and Drug Administration as hazardous, potentially lethal, to humans. Phenylbutazone is routinely administered to horses who have sustained injuries. Drugs used to make horses race faster include cocaine, Viagra, cobra venom, stimulants and even cancer medications. Many of these substances do not show up in lab tests.
LEARN MORE: www.nyshumane.org
