U.S. Senate Committee Takes a Stand to Protect Horses and Burros

The United States Senate Appropriations Committee passed the FY19 Agriculture Appropriations bill with a provision to maintain the ban on the slaughter of horses and burros for human consumption on U.S. soil. The provision bars spending by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to inspect horse slaughterhouses, saving millions of taxpayer dollars, and effectively banning horse slaughter in the United States.

Similar language was included in the FY18 omnibus spending bill and has been maintained in most spending bills since 2005. The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund, along with many other horse rescues and industry groups across the nation, strongly support this effort.

Holly Gann, federal legislative specialist at the Humane Society of the United States, said:

“Horse slaughter is fundamentally un-American and has no place in the U.S. This predatory industry enables theft and criminal abuse of horses at the cost of our hard earned tax dollars. We commend the Senate Appropriations Committee for adopting this legislation, sending a strong message that horse slaughter will never be accepted in this country. We applaud their leadership in taking a stand that reflects the will of 80 percent of the American public.”

The House version of the agriculture appropriations bill includes funding for horse slaughter inspections.

HSUS urges Congress to continue the ban on slaughtering horses in the U.S. and pass the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, H.R. 113/S.1706, which would permanently bring an end to this cruel and predatory industry, including exports of U.S. horses for slaughter in other countries. 

Media Contact: Shayna McClelland: 301-258-1534; [email protected]