[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 137 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11824-S11825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  By Mr. ENSIGN (for himself, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Byrd, Mr. Specter, Mr. 
Lott, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Levin, and Mr. DeMint):
  S. 1915. A bill to amend the Horse Protection Act to prohibit 
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; to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise along with my colleagues, Senators 
Landrieu, Byrd, Specter, Lott, Lieberman, Inouye, Levin, and DeMint, in 
order to introduce the Virgie S. Arden American Horse Slaughter 
Prevention Act.
  As a veterinarian, I am well aware of the love that Americans have 
for their horses. Much of our Nation's early history and culture is 
associated with these animals. We think of George Washington's horses 
and the legend of Paul Revere's ride and the Pony Express. More 
recently, we were reminded of how the Depression Era race between 
Seabiscuit and War Admiral

[[Page S11825]]

raised the spirit of our Nation during desperate times.
  While horses in the United States are not raised for food, last year 
alone more than 65,000 horses were slaughtered in the United States for 
human consumption abroad. Tens of thousands more were transported to 
Canada and Mexico for slaughter there. Work horses, race horses, and 
even pet horses, many of them young and healthy, are slaughtered for 
human consumption in Europe and Asia, where the meat is sold as a high-
end delicacy. Polls show that Americans overwhelmingly support an end 
to this practice. This sentiment was reflected in the Senate's recent 
69-28 vote to prohibit the use of Federal funds to facilitate horse 
slaughter. The House of Representatives passed identical legislation by 
a similarly bipartisan vote in June.
  Often, owners who sell their horses at auction are unaware that their 
horses may well be on their way to one of the three remaining 
slaughterhouses in America where horses are killed for human 
consumption. These slaughterhouses are foreign-owned and the product is 
shipped abroad, as are the profits.
  While several States are attempting to address the concerns of 
citizens regarding the tens of thousands of horses going to slaughter 
each year, the absence of Federal law creates a loophole through which 
the slaughter can continue. Some States have prohibited the use of 
double-deck cattle trailers to move horses to slaughter. Texas, which 
is home to two of the three slaughter plants, has had a law in place 
since 1949 to effectively prohibit horse slaughter for human 
consumption. Yet the district attorneys with jurisdiction over the 
plants have been unable to prosecute these foreign companies, and 
horses continue to be slaughtered. To end this situation, we must have 
a Federal law that prohibits sending horses within States, across State 
lines, or over our domestic borders for the purpose of slaughtering 
them for human consumption. We can effectively achieve this goal by 
passing the Virgie S. Arden American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.
  Congress has the constitutional authority to regulate the horse 
slaughter trade--including intrastate shipment--because such trade has 
a substantial impact on interstate and international commerce. Horses 
are regularly moved across State lines to be slaughtered in the three 
remaining horse slaughter plants--one in Illinois--and the other two in 
Texas. Others are exported across the U.S. border to Canada and Mexico 
for slaughter there. Even the meat of slaughtered horses is eventually 
moved across State lines or our domestic borders for sale outside of 
the United States. Our bill will end this practice.
  I know that some people have expressed concerns about what will 
happen to horses if their slaughter is ended. Many of these horses will 
be sold to a new owner, kept longer by their original owner, or 
euthanized by a licensed veterinarian. Others will be cared for by the 
horse rescue community, and efforts are now underway to standardize 
practices in this ever-growing sector. Guidelines for these rescue 
organizations have been developed by the animal protection community 
and embraced by sanctuaries across the country.
  Some people have questioned whether this law will result in the abuse 
and neglect of unwanted horses. Thankfully, statistics do not support 
this claim at all. Recently released figures show that the number of 
abuse cases dropped significantly in Illinois from 2002 to 2004, the 
period in which the State's only horse slaughtering facility was closed 
due to fire. Also, since California passed a law banning the slaughter 
of horses for human consumption, there has been no discernible increase 
in cruelty and neglect cases in the state.
  Furthermore, it is currently illegal to ``turn out,'' neglect, or 
starve a horse, so this bill will not result in an increased number of 
orphaned horses in the United States. If a person attempts to turn his 
or her horses out, under current law, animal control agents will be 
able to enforce humane laws. As I stated before, this bill seeks only 
to end the slaughter of horses for human consumption. If a person 
wishes to put an animal down, it costs about $225 to have the horse 
euthanized by a licensed veterinarian and disposed of--a fraction of 
what it costs to keep a horse as a companion or a work animal. That 
cost is not too big a burden to bear when no other options are 
available.
  The time for a strong federal law ending this slaughter is now. This 
bill does not target other forms of slaughter, rendering, or 
euthanasia, rather it focuses solely on the slaughter of American 
horses for human consumption. The House version of this bill, H.R. 
5031, currently has more than 120 cosponsors. Please join Senator 
Landrieu and me in cosponsoring the Virgie S. Arden American Horse 
Slaughter Prevention Act.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
                                 ______