[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 30, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL ANIMAL ADVOCACY DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. PATRICK MEEHAN

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 2014

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of National Animal Advocacy 
Day. National Animal Advocacy Day encourages citizens to speak up to 
help secure meaningful protections for animals at the federal, state, 
and local levels.
   On this National Animal Advocacy Day, I want to speak up for the 
humane treatment of our nation's horses. I ask the House of 
Representatives to pass H.R. 1094, the Safeguard American Food Exports 
Act, or SAFE Act. This bipartisan legislation, which I introduced with 
my colleague from Illinois, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, bans horse slaughter 
for human consumption and the export of horses for the same. Until a 
ban is in place, every horse is just one bad sale away from being sent 
to slaughter. I've seen this happen in my own district, and it must be 
stopped.
   Horses are not bred for human consumption. Unlike dogs or cats, 
horses are routinely treated with drugs that can be toxic to humans. 
Horses are often transported without food, water, or rest in 
dangerously overcrowded trailers to endure an inhumane slaughter 
process.
   Passage of the SAFE Act will not only protect our nation's horses. 
It will also protect consumers from exposure to the toxic chemicals 
found in horsemeat. Horses have a special place in our nation's 
history. Surveys show that 80 percent of American voters oppose the 
slaughter of horses for human consumption. It's a bill whose time has 
come. The SAFE Act will help to ensure that our horses get the 
protection they deserve.
   Mr. Speaker, on National Animal Advocacy Day I applaud 170 of my 
colleagues in the House who are cosponsors of the SAFE Act, and 
encourage the rest of my colleagues to support it as well.

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