Effects Of The U.S. Horse Slaughter Ban

by Molly Kohler and Katheryn Kuchyt

Introduction

Horse slaughter in Mexico (WordPress.com, 2007)

2007 legislation changed the equine industry in the United States, resulting in various negative impacts. This legislation banned the slaughter of horses because horses are seen more as companion animals than as livestock. As a result, international horse slaughter has increased, resulting in longer, exhausting, and more expensive journeys for horses, and decreased regulation over humane treatment. The US once exported horse meat, a good source of nutrition for a world that cannot feed its population. This business has now been curtailed, while the government now needs to subsidize sanctuaries for unwanted horses, whose numbers have not decreased. Equine neglect, abuse and illegal slaughter has increased. The legislation has created adverse effects on the industry, on animals and on society. It needs to be reformed.

Legislation

Congressman Sweeny (2009) supports Congressional Bill H.R. 503, which was first presented in 2006 and passed the House of Representatives in 2007. The bill was to amend the Horse Protection Act, which protects horses from soring (which alters a horse’s gait) due to participation in exhibitions, sales, shows, and auctions. The Horse Slaughter Prohibition Bill “…prohibit[s] the shipping, transporting, moving, delivering, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation of horses and other equines to be slaughtered for human consumption, and for other purposes” (The Horse Slaughter Prohibition Bill, par. 1). A bill passed in 2009 already protects wild horses and burros from slaughter or transport with the intent to slaughter and further bills have been presented trying to protect all horses (Sweeny, 2009). As a result of public pressure due to bills before congress, states have been passing local laws banning horse slaughterhouses, which has driven them out of the U.S. and resulted in longer transport to international slaughterhouses.

Researching “[e]ffects of density and water availability on behavior, physiology, and weight loss of slaughter horses during transport,” Lacono (2007) found that prolonged transportation of horses has the potential to increase stress and stress responses on an individual basis in horses. In a study of three levels of stocking density, she found no significant difference in aggression due to water or density. Of 30 horses in a well stocked group there was no significant change (p>0.21, and p must be greater than 0.05 to be significant) in dehydration, cortisol levels, or overall blood chemistry. Overall aggression did not differ between the first and second half of their transportation time in experiment which totaled 8 hours with a one hour break in the middle. But stress was indicated in morbidity: “two horses went down in the high density treatment, indicating that factors in high density could lead to increased morbidity or death” (p.355).

Another researcher, Gibbs (2000) found that horses being transported to slaughterhouses over long distances are at high risk for dehydration. The amount of water that horses have consumed prior to transport cannot be determined, therefore adequate water should be provide en route to slaughterhouses. When transport trailers are loaded with more horses than they have adequate water capacity to provide for, dehydration increases. In one of Gibbs’s experiments 3 of 19 horses were totally blocked from access to water and in a second experiment 5 of 20 horses were physically blocked by the presence of other horses from the water sources. He later argues that the placement and amount of water troughs has an effect on dehydration in transported horses. In the same experiments he shows that when the amount of water troughs was doubled from two to four and they were staggered on either side of the trailer or in corners, no horse went without water. Without the option of slaughtering within the US, owners are transporting their horses ever longer distances in more tightly-packed trailers, putting the horses at increased risk of stress and dehydration.

International Slaughter

Horses from the US are currently sent to three countries for slaughter: Canada, Mexico, and Japan. American horses slaughtered in Japan are not shipped specifically for slaughter. Most are top race horse stallions are sent overseas for higher stud fees and more races. Once they stop making money however, they are sent to slaughter. In the Japanese slaughterhouses, the horses are hosed down before being processed for meat. However, some of the horses are uncomfortable with this and some slip on the wet concrete (Velez-Mitchell 2010). The slaughter laws in Canada are extremely strict because they send meat to the European Union and must meet its standards. Starting in July 2010, horses must be held for six months before being shipped to slaughter if they do not already have a specific medical history. Many anticipate that this will greatly lower the number of American horses shipped to Canada for slaughter, but there has been little consensus on what will happen to those horses instead (Larkin 2010).

There are two main slaughterhouses in Mexico, one of which adheres to European Union standards for slaughter and processing. There are many vets present during the slaughter process. The other slaughterhouse is far less regulated and only has vets come in once a week to check carcass characteristics for any diseases. The slaughter houses were toured by the AVMA, but had over a year to prepare for one day of inspection. When the AVMA went to the houses they did not find much wrong with them. However videos from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have some very disturbing undercover videos and photos of what might actually happen at these houses. One such picture, featured in this paper, shows a Mexican slaughter house worker stabbing horses in the back of the head with a knife until their spinal cords were severed (Nolen 2007).

Economics

Maryland alone exported three million dollars worth of horse meat to the South Korean market in 1997, and in the US, 6.9 million horses were exported at a total value of $25.3 billion that same year. “…[T]he horse industry’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) is greater than the textile and apparel industry, the lumber and wood sector and the tobacco product industry” (Joseph, 1998). The Animal Welfare Council (2006) estimates the value of horse meat for human consumption as an export value of $26 million annually.

Lenz (2009) argues that the industry as a whole will suffer from more economic strain as a result of not having resources to dispose of unwanted horses. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) used over half of its budget ($21.9 million) in 2007 to house wild horses and burros in short and long term facilities. Horses are long-lived, a steady annual rate of 3-4% of them are unwanted, and they have few natural predators. 112,000 horses were slaughtered in 2005 in the United States, but it is now expected that 100,000 horses will have to be euthanized and disposed of, which will cost upwards of $38.5 million.

BLM horses and unwanted horses will be competing for adoption. A 2005 estimate of the cost of caring for all the unwanted horse in the US from 2005 surpasses $220 million. If all the unwanted horses from the year 2000 on were still alive in 2005, the cost of caring for those horses would accumulate to more than $513 million (Animal Welfare Council, 2006).

Nutrition

Horse meat is fairly common in Europe and Asia. It tends to cost less than beef and has less fat and cholesterol, as well as higher levels of iron. In general its levels of vitamins and minerals are similar to those of beef. Cholesterol continues to be a big deal with the current rise in obesity. A more nutritious meat may help to cut down on the incidence of cholesterol-related deaths. Horse meat is the meat of choice for many zoos due to its nutritional benefits to animals, however, some zoos are cutting it out of their animals’ diets because of its stigma. However they then have to then supplement their animals basis diets with many extra nutrients (Juarez, M. 2009, Znamirowska, A. 2005).

Neglect and Abuse

The incidence of neglect and abuse of horses in the United States is on the rise, however the cause is not as clear as it may seem. In his article, “The Unwanted Horses in the United States”, Lenz states that the recent rise in abuse and neglect maybe linked to the banning of horse slaughter in the US. Lenz’s rival Dr. Nicolas Dodman DVM, a professor of veterinary medicine at Tufts University, countered this statement. According to personal communication with Dodman, the rise in the incidence of neglect and abuse rises and falls with the economy and has no correlation with the ban of horse slaughter in the US. Both theories are right due to the fact that the profits of horse meat are being exported to Europe which causes the equine industry to have more economic strain then it previously had. However the economics of the country is a major piece of the puzzle as well. The incidence of horses being slaughtered is very close to what it was before the ban, except that now the horses are now shipped longer distances and vulnerable to further abuse.

There are several extreme cases are connected to the slaughter ban. The two major cases are the South Florida slaughter and the New Jersey underground slaughter ring. Both of these stories are horrific. In the South Florida case people had broken in to various area farms taking horses out of there stalls and slaughtering them on site. They would then sell chunks of meat out of Rubbermaid containers on the streets of South Florida. Most sales were to ethnic markets and illegal immigrants (Segal 2009). The New Jersey case is in many ways far more horrific than the Florida case. In New Jersey, a man was raising horses that he bought at auction. He would starve them so they would have lean muscling. He would then sell the meat he harvested to exotic cat breeders and owners in the area (Sunbeam 2010). These are just a few of the horrific cases that have occurred since the passing of the bill, but there have been several more.

Conclusion

The US horse slaughter ban has been a detriment to the industry as a whole. Great suffering can be seen in economics and equine welfare. The issue is very complex and counter arguments can be made regarding the welfare of the horses being shipped, but they cannot outweigh the consequences of the alternative. Legislation is supposed to move us a step forward as a nation, but in this case it has moved the animal industry a step backward.

References

Animal Welfare Council (2006, May). The unintended consequences of a ban on the humane slaughter (processing) of horses in the United States. Retrieved from www.animalwelfarecouncil.org

Gibbs, A.E., & Friend, T.H. (2000). Effect of animal density and trough placement on drinking behavior and dehydration in slaughter horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 20(10), 643-650. Retrieved from Agricola Database.

Joseph, P. (1998). Wranglers round up equine exports. Ag Exporter. Retrieved from ffas.usda.gov.

Juarez, M., Romero, F., Valera, M., Alcalde, M., Polvillo, O., & Gomez, M. (2009). Breed effect on carcass and meat quality of foals slaughtered at 24 months of age. Meat science, 83(2), 224-228. Retrieved from Agricola database.

Lacono, C., Friend, T., Keen, H., Martin, T., & Krawczel, P. (2007). Effects of density and water availability on behavior, physiology, and weight loss of slaughter horses during transport. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 27(8), 355-361. Retrieved from Agricola Database

Larkin, M. (2010, March 15). Canada steps up enforcement of horse slaughter guidelines. American Veterinary Medical Association. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from www.avma.org

Lenz, T. (2009). The unwanted horses in the United States. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 29(5), 253-258. Retrieved from Agricola Database.

Nolen, S. (2007, December 27). U.S. horse slaughter exports to Mexico increase 312%. American Veterinary Medical Association. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from www.avma.org

Segal, K., & CNN, J. Z. (2009, September 10). Horses being killed in South Florida—for their meat? CNN.com. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from cnn.com

Sunbeam, T. (2010, January 8). Salem County Freeholder Bruce Bobbitt is released from hospital after being treated for heart attack. NJ.com. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from www.nj.com

Sweeny, J. (2009). H. R. 503: Horse Salughter Prohibition Bill. Retreived from govtrack.us.

Velez-Mitchell, J. (2010, January 8). End horror of horses led to slaughter. CNN.com. Retrieved May 3, 2010, from www.cnn.com

Znamirowska, A. (2005). Prediction of horse carcass composition using linear measurements. Meat science, 69,567-570. Retrieved from Agricola database.

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