Do Brownwoodians agree with Stenholm or Kinky Friedman on Texas Horse Slaughter ?
House Votes to Stop Horse Slaughter
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER , 05.19.2006, 04:55 PM
Lawmakers are again trying to stop horses from being slaughtered and sent abroad for food.
The House adopted a provision Thursday that would prohibit the Bureau of Land Management from selling wild horses and burros to slaughterhouses. By voice vote, the amendment was attached to a spending bill for the Department of the Interior, the BLM's parent agency.
American horse meat is sold mostly for consumption in Europe and Asia, though some goes to U.S. zoos.
"Horses are icons in American culture," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. "They took us into battle, provided us with transportation and even carried our mail."
"They shouldn't be sent to slaughter to be dismembered for overseas consumers," Pacelle said.
Defenders of the practice said slaughter is more humane than allowing wild horses to die of starvation.
"When you talk about a horse dying a natural death on the range, it's not a pretty picture," said former Rep. Charlie Stenholm, D-Texas, a consultant to the slaughter plants. "Having a coyote or wolf eating a dying horse is not a pretty picture."
There are more than 32,000 free-roaming horses and burros on public lands - about 4,000 more horses than those lands can support, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
"The people who voted for that amendment, they are not thinking about what happens to the horses if they don't go to slaughter," Stenholm said.
Congress has tried to address the issue in the past. Lawmakers eliminated money in this year's federal budget for the salaries and expenses of horse meat inspectors in the Agriculture Department. In response, three slaughter plants, two in Texas and one in Illinois, worked with the Agriculture Department to establish a fee system financed by the companies.
The Humane Society filed a lawsuit in federal court, saying that Congress had intended to ban horse slaughtering. But a federal judge ruled in March that the slaughtering can continue.
Pacelle argued that horses can be skittish, making them prone to thrash about when they are frightened.
"They see other horses that are being slaughtered and they are terrified," Pacelle said.
Stenholm said horses are treated better than other animals, such as cattle and chickens, at slaughter plants.
" We do a pretty darn good job regarding the welfare of the animals that are going to be slaughtered, " Stenholm said.
Horse meat is a small business compared with the beef, pork and poultry industries. Plants slaughtered about 88,000 horses, mules and other equines last year, according to the USDA.
source: http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/ap/2006/05/19/ap2760096.html
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Note from Steve Harris, after following the reality link below, you decide for yourself if " we do a pretty darn good job regarding the welfare of the animals that are going to be slaughtered " ! Maybe Republican Softball Reporter Jeff Gannon will get to the bottom of this ! Has anyone heard what Brownwood's Republican Leaders think of this issue ? Their silence speaks volumes !
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Saturday May 20, 2006
News
Deputies seize 11 horses after warrant served
By Steve Nash — Brownwood Bulletin
Eleven underweight horses including a colt are being cared for in pens outside the Brown County Sheriff’s Office after deputies served a seizure warrant Wednesday on the animals.
Additionally, sheriff’s officials investigated two complaints Friday of malnourished cattle.
Jose Luis Martinez, 52, was charged with cruelty to animals, a Class A misdemeanor, in connection with the horses, Brown County Court-at-Law documents state. Martinez turned himself in to the Brown County Jail and was released on a public recognizance bond, records state.
Martinez could not be reached for comment.
Deputies seized the horses from a pasture off FM 3100 near the Salt Creek community after a hearing before Justice of the Peace Bob Wall, who ordered that the horses be taken.
Court documents allege that Martinez “did not provide adequate food or pasturing” for the horses.
Sheriff’s officials began an investigation in mid-March, according to a sheriff’s office press release. “The animals on the property were in poor condition, being underweight and malnourished,” the release said.
Sheriff’s investigator John Moody said sheriff’s officials will keep the horses pending an appeal by the owner. If the seizure is upheld, the horses will be sold, Moody said.
He said the horses are improving and are eating constantly. The animals could be seen eating hay almost non-stop Friday morning, and Moody said they are being given protein supplements.
The horses will be taken to a veterinarian for examination today or Monday, Moody said.
source: http://www.brownwoodbulletin.com/articles/2006/05/20/news/news01.txt
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