Until a few years ago, a handful of foreign-owned slaughterhouses in the U.S. butchered horses for markets in Europe and Asia, where horse meat is considered a delicacy. Americans spoke out against this practice, and since 2005, Congress has prevented U.S. horse slaughter by cutting funds for inspections of horse meat from its annual Agriculture Appropriations Bill. (Without USDA inspections, slaughter plants cannot sell horse meat for human consumption.)
Even though the current Congress prides itself on reducing government spending, some members are arguing that the USDA should resume funding inspections for equine slaughterhouses—a step that would allow them to reopen on U.S. soil! We have to make sure that the current Agriculture Appropriations Bill does not allow our precious tax dollars to enable the horrific killing of horses to supply foreigh horse meat markets.
As a Wisconsinite, you are a constituent of Senator Herb Kohl, Chair of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the USDA’s budget.
Senator Kohl will play a pivotal role in determining whether we reopen horse slaughterhouses in the United States. He will soon decide if the House’s version of the Agriculture Appropriations Bill, which does include a ban on horse slaughter inspections, will be accepted.
PLEASE TAKE TWO QUICK ACTIONS:
1. Call Senator Kohl’s office right now at (202) 224-5653 and politely urge him to ensure that the final Agriculture Appropriations Bill retains the House’s language that prevents horse slaughter in the U.S.
You could simply say: “As a constituent, I ask Senator Kohl to please retain language in the Agriculture Appropriations Bill that bans the use of tax dollars to fund horse slaughterhouse inspections.” Please be sure to mention if you own a horse, work with horses, and/or are part of the horse industry.
2. Follow up your call with a fax by clicking "SEND YOUR MESSAGE" which appears below the message below. Please be sure to personalize your fax and include any information about your involvement with horses (i.e. whether you've had horses, worked with horses, etc).
That’s it! Making the call and sending the fax are fast and easy, and could make a real difference for thousands of American horses while we work to pass a permanent ban on horse slaughter. As a citizen of Wisconsin, your voice will have a big impact!
Thank you for taking action for America's horses!