EqUINE WELfARE uPDATE
Equine welfare advocates are applauding members of the U.S. House of Representatives for passing legislation, titled the Horse Transportation Safety Act and the Farm Bill, that will maintain the prohibition on horse processing plant development in the U.S. and promote the safety of horses that are transported across state lines.
DOUBLE-DECKER TRANSPORT
Sponsored by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN, 9th District), H.R. 1400, or the Horse Transportation Safety Act, makes it unlawful to transport horses across state lines in double-decker trucks or trailers containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another. Double-decker transport and multi-level trailers have often been used to transport horses across state lines to slaughter meat processing plants in Canada and Mexico. It was passed by the House on July 1 with H.R. 2, also known as the Moving Forward Act.
House passage is significant because horse welfare advocates have long sought a ban on multi-level horse transport on grounds that the trucks and trailers prohibit horses from standing upright during transport and increases the possibility of rollover accidents.
The measure is the latest incarnation of similar legislation prompted by a 2007 rollover accident involving 59 draft horses traveling from Indiana to Minnesota in a double-decker trailer. In all, 17 horses were killed and several more were injured.
According to Marty Irby, executive director of the animal welfare advocacy group Animal Wellness Action, whether or not the measure survives the Senate is uncertain.
“H.R. 2 could be amended by the Senate and sent back to the House, or the Senate could pass its own bill and send to the House,” says Irby. “I feel less confident about the Horse Transportation Safety Act being included in a Senate bill, but I believe that if they amend the House bill, they will likely maintain the provision.”
BAN ON SORING
Known also as the Farm Bill, the FY2021 Agriculture Appropriations Bill establishes funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for fiscal year 2021. Under the measure, the USDA would receive an additional $2 million to enforce the Horse Protection Act (HPA), which prohibits the soring of Tennessee Walking Horses and other breeds. Soring is the deliberate injury to a horse’s feet and legs to achieve an exaggerated, high-stepping gait.
Violators could face both civil and criminal penalties, including fines and jail time. The amount represents a two-fold increase in funding for enforcement of the federal law.
HORSE PROCESSING PLANT INSPECTIONS
The Farm Bill also maintains the current ban on horse processing in the U.S. by prohibiting the USDA from using any of its funds to pay for Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspections at horse processing plants in the U.S.
In 2007, Congress voted to strip the USDA of funds to pay personnel conducting federal horsemeat inspections at the last two domestic horse slaughter plants operating in Illinois and Texas. The combination of legislation and local court rulings later closed both plants.
The Senate will offer its own Agriculture Appropriations bill. The FY2021 Agriculture Appropriations Bill will go to conference committee in both the U.S. House and Senate to work out the differences before the final legislation is sent to the White House for the president’s signature.
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