Posts Tagged ‘Habitat for Horses’

HfH/WHFF Launch Horsemeat DNA Monitoring Program in Light of UK/EU Ground Beef Contamination Scandal

Posted: March 7, 2013 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Slaughter
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Source: Habitat for Horses and Wild Horse Freedom Federation Press Release

Equine Welfare Groups Test for Horsemeat in Frozen Food Products sold at Walmart

 

(Houston) – Habitat for Horses (HfH) and Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF) have taken action to monitor and test processed ground beef products that are similar to those pulled from European store shelves due to contamination with tainted horsemeat in the ever expanding ground beef/horsemeat scandal that now engulfs 16 nations.  Long time advocates against horse slaughter president of HfH, Jerry Finch, and R.T. Fitch, president of WHFF, teamed up to begin a monitoring program of processed frozen foods that have ties to overseas markets.

“We purchased several frozen Stouffers lasagna products”, said R.T. Fitch, “as these products in the EU had issues with horsemeat DNA where Nestles pulled their lasagna from store shelves and Stouffer’s is owned by, drum roll please, Nestles.”

Jerry Finch said, “My feelings about all of this are sort of a mixed bag; part of me wants the tests to come back negative so that we know our U.S. human food chain is safe and the other wants a positive so that we can point the finger, expose the fraud and be done with all of this nonsense.

CertificateThe products tested were:

  • Stouffer’s Lasagna Bake with Meat Sauce
  • Stouffer’s Lasagna with Meat Sauce
  • Stouffer’s Swedish Meat Balls
  • Don Miguel’s Texas Hot Beef Enchilada Dinner
  • Caribbean Food Delight’s Spicy Beef Patties

The above unaltered samples were purchased at a Houston Texas Walmart, packed in dry ice and overnighted, with appropriate chain of custody in force, to an analytical lab specializing in testing for varied forms of animal DNA.

HfH and WHFF are pleased to report that the analysis of these five products has come back negative on all counts.

“This is clear evidence that not having predatory horse slaughter plants in this country increases the odds against having tainted horsemeat entering our food chain.”, stated Finch, “The UK and EU cannot make such a claim, not by a long shot.”

“As equine advocates we have always been concerned about the health, safety and well being of American horses, either domestic or wild.” Fitch added, “But as of late, we have added the American public to our watch list of concerns as drug tainted horsemeat would be a health apocalypse if it was ever introduced into our food chain.”

HfH and WHFF will continue their program of testing potentially suspect processed foods in an effort to expose fraud and abuse while protecting the health and safety of the American public.

Download Press Release by clicking (HERE)
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Update: Wild Horse & Burro Advocate Letters Reach President Obama via Congressman Jim Moran

Posted: October 23, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Slaughter, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
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Forward by R.T. Fitch ~ co-founder/volunteer president of Wild Horse Freedom Federation

Your Voice DOES Make a Difference!

Jerry Finch, R.T. Fitch delivering letters and discussing issues with Rep. Jim Moran

Over 15,000 letters from concerned individuals from around the world crying out for the cessation of the costly and devastating Bureau of Land Management‘s (BLM) relentless roundups of federally protected American wild horses and burros reached the desk of President Obama during the first week of October thanks to the facilitation of Virginia’s Congressman Jim Moran and equine advocacy groups, Wild Horse Freedom Federation (WHFF), Habitat for Horses (HfH) and The Cloud Foundation (TCF) and many others.

Originally born as a personal appeal from co-founders of WHFF Terry and R.T. Fitch the call to action spread like wildfire and in a matter of days manifested into an international written appeal to call for a moratorium on the deadly roundups so that an appropriate accounting could take place of both how many wild equids are left on their rightful range and how many are ‘actually’ in long and short term holding.

Terry and R.T. pledged to personally fly the letters to D.C., at their own expense, while the office of Rep. Jim Moran offered to facilitate the delivery to the White House.

On September 13th, Terry, R.T. and Jerry Finch, founder and president of Habitat for Horses, flew from their Texas homes to meet with Rep. Moran, in Washington D.C., and to deliver the letters written by thousands of impassioned American voters and concerned international advocates.

The office of Rep. Moran has delivered the letters to the President and the Congressman reinforced the plea for sanity with a cover letter which is inserted below.  The letter mentions only R.T. Fitch from whence the concept was born but WHFF, HfH, TCF, EWA, dozens of other organizations and thousands of concerned individuals from around the globe reached out to make this happen.

Click (HERE) to download Congressional Letter

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What Happened to Horse Slaughter?

Posted: October 15, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Rescue, Horse Slaughter
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by Jerry Finch ~ founder/president of Habitat for Horses

“HfH will not be paying money to any killer buyer for any horses…”

Known Facts:

Right off from “Slaughterhouse” Sue’s website

Since around noon on Friday, October 12, the majority of horses in the US have finally been safe – at least from the threat of slaughter. Both the Canadian and Mexican plants received orders from the EU (European Union) that they will not accept meat from US horses.

Although rumors are flying all over, we do not know the real reason nor do we know if this is a temporary or permanent stay of execution. The EU should issue a statement early in the morning on Monday, October 15. The important word here is “should.”

Mexico is still slaughtering US horses for the Russian market. While that is only a small percentage of the former number of horses slaughtered, a few horses are still being accepted at the border and trucked to the slaughterhouse.

There is absolutely no way that the Russian market is big enough to accept the number of horses caught in the slaughter pipeline. The demand for US horses in Russia is simply not that great, plus many other countries are more than willing to step in should the EU slaughterhouses in Mexico close. Mexico also has a market for horsemeat, but they have around 4 million of their own horses that are quite capable of supplying enough for their market demands.

No one knows for certain, but best estimates are that between 5,000 to 7,000 US horses are now stuck in the pipeline while everyone waits for word from the EU. Everyone, including killer buyers and feedlots, were caught totally by surprise. We are receiving reports from feedlots, holding pens and auction houses that loose (slaughter) horses are being held.

Important fact – in every state, it is against the law to deny equine food, water and care. It is against the law to turn horses loose or to abandon them. In every state, the person in “care, custody and control” is the person who will be charged with the criminal act if any of these events occur. If you witness such an event – CALL LAW ENFORCEMENT!

Don’t waste time contacting Habitat for Horses or your local horse rescue. You are the witness, make the call. If they need assistance, any number of equine organizations are willing to step in, but know that equine rescues cannot step in and take charge of any horse without legal action being taken first.

Habitat for Horses will not be paying money to any killer buyer for any horses. They bought into making blood money off the bodies of dead horses and we will not relieve their financial disaster by sticking donated money in their pockets. Any money we receive will be spent buying hay, transporting and finding places for the horses. If we find any horse being denied feed or water by any auction house, feed lot or killer buyer, we will inform law enforcement and ask that charges be filed against them.

Please be aware and cautious when donating your money to any organization. In this situation, there will be a lot of scam artist popping up with heartbreaking stories of pipeline horses that “must be saved.” I cannot recommend enough that you deal only with equine organizations recognized, approved and accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, the only organization for accreditation of equine organizations in the United States.

These GFAS approved organizations, with the help of the ASPCA and HSUS, can and will do everything in our power to aid and assist all equine caught in the pipeline. If this is the complete end of the slaughter of US horses for the EU market, it is a day of celebration. It is also a worst case scenario where once again, those that care have to step in and clean up the mess made by those who created it.

I hope everyone pays close attention to the reactions of the breed associations, mainly the AQHA and their brother organizations, the Farm Bureaus, the Cattlemen’s Association, the horse racing industry and all those who have so strongly promoted horse slaughter to see how quickly they step in with their millions of dollars and offer assistance.

Mass breeding will have to stop or the dollar value of registered horses will drop to zero. None of them will be able to use horse slaughter to cull their horse herds. While the next few years will be difficult for the horse industry, if they act as they should, the end result will be a slow increase in the value of all horses.

Another guaranteed reaction will come from the BLM and King Salazar, because their plans to slaughter 45,000 now captive wild horses was just erased from the option list.

There is a scene from “Casablanca” that so well portrays what is happening to horse slaughter in America right now. Rick’s “American” bar was just closed by the Germans.

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?

Captain Renault: I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!

[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]

Croupier: Your winnings, sir. 

Captain Renault: Oh, thank you very much.

To all those who promote horse slaughter – why would you act surprised when you knew that practically every US horse is filled with prohibited drugs? We told you, the EU told you, the scientists told you, yet you ignored every warning and continued to sell and promote the selling of cancer causing, drug tainted horsemeat.

I would hope that the US Government is totally and completely embarrassed, once again, by the lack of any concern for food safety for any food product exported from the US. We lived through the horror of mad cow disease, with the known cause permitted by the our government. Yet you once again failed, horribly, to live up to any acceptable standard of food safety – and other countries have to step in and correct the situation.

When are we ever going reach a level of self control in our government when the words “A Product of the USA” actually means something to the rest of the world?

Stay tuned…

Click (HERE) to visit the HfH Blog and to Comment
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Canada Closes its Slaughterhouse Doors to American Horses

Posted: October 14, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse Rescue, Horse Slaughter, Horse News, Horse Health
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By: Cheryl Hanna ~ Pet Rescue Examiner

“We all knew this was coming and have warned of it for years…”

Horse dealers and “killbuyers” arriving with their trucks filled with American horses slated to be slaughtered in Canada for their meat were told early Friday morning to take their horses and go home. According to the Equine Welfare Alliance, New Holland Auction in Pennsylvania, Sugarcreek Auction in Ohio, and Shipshewana Auction in Indiana all confirmed rumors that although the Canadian borders were open, the trucks were turned away as they arrived at the slaughterhouses.

In 2007, the last slaughterhouse in the United States closed when Congress ended the funding of federal inspectors. Since then horses have continued to be exported to Canada and Mexico where they are slaughtered for their meat which is then sent to European markets.

It is unclear whether this ban will be permanent or temporary, but the decision to stop the slaughter of American horses in Canada comes one day after the report by the Commission’s Health and Consumers Directorate-General was released which stated the veterinary records of horses are “insufficient” to guarantee health standards relating to the European Union’s concerns about United States horses’ medication histories.

Speculation continues to make horse advocates and killbuyers wonder if the surprise ruling originated from the Canadian government, the European Union (EU) or the packing plants.

By July 31, 2013 the EU will require lifetime medication records for slaughter bound horses. Thus far the Equine Identification Documents required for all horses bound for slaughter have brought doubt as to their accuracy.

Almost all American horses are routinely treated with the anti-inflammatory phenylbutazone (bute) which is classified as a carcinogen and disqualifies the horse from being slaughtered for human consumption. Horses in the United States are not raised as food animals.

It has not been confirmed whether horse slaughter has been discontinued for American horses in Mexico although most of their trade is with the EU.

According to John Holland, President of Equine Welfare Alliance:

“We all knew this was coming and have warned of it for years, yet the suddenness caught all by complete surprise. The EID (Equine Information Document) was the last chance for the horse slaughter industry and its agents to show they could be trusted to assure the safety of the horse meat that is their stock and trade. But their long history of flaunting environmental, transport, humane and other regulations made it inevitable that they would treat the drug residue issue as a joke. True to form, they are already blaming “animal rights” radicals.”

No one knows if this ban on the slaughter of American horses is temporary or permanent, but thousands of horses are feared to have been caught in the slaughter pipeline – the horses who have been shipped and now are being returned or are at temporary holdover facilities. Horse rescues have been asked to be on alert in order to help feed, rescue and possibly help find homes for horses that were destined to die on Friday.

Jerry Finch, from Habitat for Horses in Texas will be setting up an escrow fund through an accountant to release donated funds to pay for horses. The Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals are also standing by ready to help as are other horse rescue organizations. According to Equine Welfare Alliance, the public should be aware there are internet scams popping up everywhere claiming to be rescuing the horses caught in the pipeline.

” We suggest anyone that becomes involved in pulling horses, set up something similar or an escrow account. That way, those donating will know their money is going to a legitimate organization and the money will be used as intended. EWA will not be accepting any donations for this. We ask that everyone work with the organizations doing the work and check them out before donating.”

Click (HERE) to visit Cheryl Hanna and to Comment
Click (HERE) to stop the carnage for good!
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Texas Parks and Wildlife Horses Arrive Safely at Habitat for Horses

Posted: September 27, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Horse Rescue, Horse Slaughter
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update by Jerry Finch ~ founder/president of Habitat for Horses

Big Bend Horses Escape Slaughter Thanks to HfH

Big Bend Horses fared better than first group sent to slaughter several weeks ago ~ photo courtesy of Habitat for Horses

After a negotiated agreement was reached last week with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, two of our folks took off to Big Bend State Park, just a few miles north of Presidio, Texas. Fifteen hours later they pulled up to the main building and checked in, met a great bunch of very helpful folks, slept in the bunkhouse, had a big breakfast, loaded the horses and headed home, 700 miles away.

The horses and crew spent the night at the local fairgrounds in Sonora, Texas to give them a chance to rest. They left at 4am, arrived back at the ranch about 1 this afternoon. All five of the horses are in excellent health with a body score of between 4-5. Two of them are not halter broken and pretty wild, the other three are perfect.

While there is an obvious disagreement about the method used to dispose of the first eleven horses, I’m very thankful that these five are safe and will continue to live productive lives. The officials in Austin made the decision to turn these horses over to Habitat for Horses rather than try to make a few bucks off them with a killer-buyer, which rates as a win for them, for us and mainly for the horses.

Our two guys that made the trip, Thom and Kevin, both deserve a well needed rest and a thank you. That was a long, hot trip, but made all the better by the folks both at the Park and in Austin.

Click (HERE) to visit HfH and to Comment
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Judge Holds BLM’s Decision to Zero-out Colorado’s West Douglas Herd Not Ripe for Review

Posted: September 20, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
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West Douglas Wild Horses Dodge Another BLM Bullet

A West Douglas Family Band ~ photo by Toni Moore

DENVER (Sept. 20, 2012)—A Federal court decision handed down last week gave the West Douglas Wild Horse Herd another reprieve. Honorable Judge Collyer held that she could not rule on the issue of whether the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) can zero out the West Douglas herd until BLM issues a decision to round up the horses. Plaintiffs contended that the Court could review and hold illegal BLM’s long-held land use planning decisions issued since the 1970’s and most recently in 2005 to eradicate the herd, especially in light of the fact that BLM has cancelled roundups of the horses once Plaintiffs challenged them in court—a classic example of BLM gamesmanship. The Court held, however, that the issue would not be ripe for judicial review until BLM once again issues a decision to round up the horses.

Judge Collyer’s order explained that the West Douglas Wild Horse Herd Area has been managed for oil and gas extraction, not for wild horses, and that this BLM management strategy is contrary to the Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971.

In addition, the court saw fit to note that the wild horses of West Douglas are a separate herd from the Piceance/East Douglas herd, a herd on the other side of the Colorado State Highway 139.

“BLM claimed these herds were one and the same, and that removing the horses on the west side of Highway 139 would not jeopardize the ‘herd’ as a whole,” explains Toni Moore, a long time advocate for the preservation of the West Douglas Herd and a plaintiff in the case. “But BLM’s own historic documents concluded these herds were separate herd areas at the time the Act was passed, a fact that Judge Collyer did not miss.”

Lawsuits to protect the West Douglas horses, brought by Colorado Wild Horse & Burro Coalition, Front Range Equine Rescue, Habitat for Horses, the Cloud Foundation, advocates Don and Toni Moore with funding and support by the Wild Horse Freedom Federation, have been going on for years. These legal actions have successfully thwarted BLM’s repeated attempts to remove all the horses in the area for a litany of reasons, including the difficulty of managing wild horses in such rugged terrain, to inadequate forage to maintain a viable herd.

“Here is the crux of the issue: BLM wants to manage the area for welfare livestock and oil and gas extraction—not mustangs,” explains Ginger Kathrens, Executive Director of the Colorado-based Cloud Foundation. “They forget that a law prevents this from happening. Future attempts to zero out the horses will result in litigation to protect them.”

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Your Wild Horse & Burro Letters to Washington DC!

Posted: September 12, 2012 by R.T. Fitch in Horse News, Wild Burros, Wild Horses/Mustangs
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An ALERT from Ginger Kathrens of the Cloud Foundation

Call the White House Thursday, September 13th!

Make the Call!!

Dear Wild Horse and Burro Freedom Fighters;

Remember all those postcards you mailed in to the Cloud Foundation over the past two years? Or the flyers and petitions you signed demanding a moratorium to roundups at events where I was speaking?

Well, tomorrow R.T. and Terry Fitch (Wild Horse Freedom Federation) and Jerry Finch (Habitat for Horses) will be hand carrying the Cloud Foundation mail as well as what (they have received (over 15,000 cards and letters!) to Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA). Congressman Moran will be giving your messages to the President.

Congressman Moran, a staunch supporter of our wild horses and burros, has a personal connection to Cloud’s herd. In 2009 we named a pretty little dun filly Madison in honor of the Congressman’s granddaughter, Madison. Madison, now a grulla filly, was captured in BLM’s bait trapping last month and adopted by Lisa Friday of near Richmond, Virginia. Ironically, Madison, the filly, arrived in Virginia today — the day before the Congressman receives your cards and letters.

Let’s hope that the heartfelt messages the Congressman delivers to the White House will finally put the plight of our mustangs and burros on President Obama’s radar, and that he will stop the wholesale elimination of animals that only want to live in freedom with their families on lands designated by Congress for their use!

Here’s what you can do to help get the President’s attention:

Please call the White House tomorrow (September 13) and tell the people who answer the phones:

I want President Obama to stop BLM from removing our wild horses and burros from their legally designated home ranges!

White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111

Thanks for everything you do and continue to do. Keep up the fight. Trust we will never give up.

Happy Trails!
Ginger

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