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Horse Slaughter: What YOU can do NOW to Stop it’s Return

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Urgent Call To Action

We need your help reaching out to Congress on behalf of our nation’s horses. Until a few years ago, there were a handful of foreign-owned slaughterhouses in the U.S. that 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 horse slaughter in the U.S. by cutting funds for inspections of horse meat from its annual Agriculture Appropriations Bill. 

Even though the current Congress prides itself on reducing government spending, some members are arguing that we should resume funding inspections for equine slaughterhouses—a step that would allow them to reopen on U.S. soil! 

You may have either a U.S. senator or representative serving on the special conference committee that’s currently debating the Agriculture Appropriations Bill. This committee will play a pivotal role in determining whether horse slaughter returns to the United States. You are in a key position to impact this decision! 

What You Can Do

It is important that conference committee members and especially the chair persons, specifically Sen. Herbert Kohl (D-WI), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Adminsitration, and Related Agencies and Conference Committee Chair, hear from you in support of continued de-funding of inspections of horses for slaughter for human consumption.

It is important that you contact Conference  Committee Chair, Sen. Herbert Kohl and other committee chair and members. Also, if they are not on the conference committee, contact your own senators and representative. Urge Sen. Kohl and the other committee chair and members and your own representative and senators to adopt the House version of H.R. 2112 and continue de-funding ante-mortem inspections of horses for slaughter for human consumption.

That is all you need to say! Or you can use talking points which you can find here.

It is also important that you only contact Sen. Kohl and other committee chair and members and your own representative and senators. Be very polite. You can do more damage with angry or overly emotional calls or letters. The industry led by the likes of Wyoming state Rep. Sue Wallis and Charlie Stenholm has been lobbying members of Congress for months to allow commercial horse slaughter for human consumption to resume in the U.S. For the sake of the horses, our points in support of continued de-funding of ante-mortem equine inspections must be clear and compelling and stated with authority and reason.

Phone the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. A switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senator’s office you request. Or find direct contact information for senate conference committee members here. Phone the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-2771 to reach House conference committee members and also find direct contact information for them here. If you decide to contact members in writing, faxes are best.

Senate Conference Committee members:

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Sen. Herbert Kohl (D-WI), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Adminsitration, and Related Agencies and Conference Committee Chair; Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA); Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD); Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE); Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR); Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH); Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA); Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD); Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Conference Committee Co-Chair; Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), Vice-Chair of the Appropriations Committee; Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY); Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME); Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS); Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND); Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX); and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL).

House of Representatives Conference Committee members:

Republicans:
Appropriations Full Committee Chair Hal Rogers
Rep. C.W. Bill Young
Rep. Jerry Lewis
Rep. Frank R. Wolf
Rep. Jack Kingston, Agriculture Subcommittee Chair and Conference Committee Co-Chair
Rep. Tom Latham
Rep. Robert B. Aderholt
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson
Rep. John Culberson
Rep. John R. Carter
Rep. Jo Bonner
Rep. Steven C. LaTourette

Democrats:
Appropriations Ranking Member Norm Dicks
Rep. Rosa DeLauro
Rep. John Olver
Rep. Ed Pastor
Rep. David Price
Rep. Sam Farr, Conference Committee Co-Chair
Rep. Chaka Fattah
Rep. Adam Schiff

Go here to find your 2 U.S. senators.
Go here to find your U.S. representative.

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26 replies »

      • The woman who answered Kay Bailey Hutchison’s phone told me this afternoon that she’d gotten at least 20 calls just in the previous hour and that she’d been swamped with both phone messages and live phone calls in recent days.

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  2. I emailed Dianne Feinstein over the weekend. Should I email again? I know we want to be a polite pest–polite being ABSOLUTE KEY.

    How do know when enough is enough? That we are actually doing more harm than good if we consistently pester our representatives…

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    • Hi Margaret,
      Remind them all, the chemicals that still excist in the horses after death is cancer to us. It is their responsibility to keep us in good health and to avoid such illnesses in the future. The blood can not be poured in the ground, or rivers, or lakes due to these chemicals. In other words, we are aware and if they support bringing back horse slaughtering, they will lose our votes.

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  3. I will contact Sherrod Brown tomorrow morning, I know that he is in our corner on this one , he is very much for the horse, he votes for the horse everytime but i will still call him………………….

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    • Sherrod Brown has been on our side in the past, but now that he’s on the Ag committee, it appears that he’s taking a different stance. According to the last response I received from him anyway, where he was talking about “unintended consequences” etc. It’s important to keep informing him of the truth re: horse slaughter. Thanks.

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  5. I will call Sen. Hutchison on Wednesday.

    R.T., shouldn’t I also place a call to my representative, who’s on the House Appropriations Committee? I noticed his name on the list that was sent by EWA, I guess originally by Animal Law….

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  10. I have emailed Missouri Senator Roy Blunt and he responded that he is FOR horse slaughter. I have let all my friends know that, and I’m sure none of us will ever vote for him again, (if they ever did; I didn’t).

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  11. For those who missed this one

    SUE Wallis

    Congressional Conference Committee
    to hear from real Horse People!
    Here is the letter we just sent to the Congressional Conference Committee that will be working out the differences between the Senate version of FY 2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill which does not include the riders prohibiting USDA inspection of horses, and the House version which does include the slaughter ban.

    It is very important that this committee hears from as many horse people as possible. Be assured that the well funded and well organized animal rights radicals are hard at work trying to convince lawmakers to continue to defund inspection.

    You know why this is so damaging and counterproductive. Feel free to use our letter or parts of it, and tell your own story. Be polite. Tell the truth. Help Congress understand what this means to you and your family. Make it personal.

    Below the letter please find a list of the committee members with links to their websites where you can easily copy and paste your message to them, as well as a phone number where you can ask to speak to their staff who deal with Ag issues and/or leave a message for the committee member.

    Stand up! Speak out! Be Heard!

    Take Back the Reins of Your Industry!

    ———————————————————————–
    TO:

    The Honorable Robert Aderholt

    The Honorable Roy Blunt

    The Honorable Sherrod Brown

    The Honorable John Carter

    The Honorable Thad Cochran

    The Honorable Susan Collins

    The Honorable John Culberson

    The Honorable Rosa DeLauro

    The Honorable Norm Dicks

    The Honorable Jo Ann Emerson

    The Honorable Sam Farr

    The Honorable Dianne Feinstein

    The Honorable Tom Harkin

    The Honorable John Hoeven

    The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison

    The Honorable Daniel Inouye

    The Honorable Tim Johnson

    The Honorable Jack Kingston

    The Honorable Herb Kohl

    The Honorable Tom Latham

    The Honorable Steven LaTourette

    The Honorable Jerry Lewis

    The Honorable Mitch McConnell

    The Honorable Barbara Mikulski

    The Honorable Jerry Moran

    The Honorable Patty Murray

    The Honorable Ben Nelson

    The Honorable John Olver

    The Honorable Ed Pastor

    The Honorable David Price

    The Honorable Mark Pryor

    The Honorable Adam Schiff

    The Honorable Richard Shelby

    The Honorable Frank Wolf

    The Honorable Bill Young

    Subject:

    Conference on HR 2112 consolidated appropriations for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-

    Science and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development

    November 7, 2011

    Dear Conferee,

    Through the Conference Committee process you have an opportunity to increase the welfare of horses, reinvigorate the devastated horse related economy, and protect an entire segment of animal agriculture from a radical animal rights vegan agenda simply by adopting the Senate’s already passed position-and without the need for any additional appropriation. It is very important to the hard-working taxpaying families who make their living with horses that the House recedes to the Senate position on this issue.

    Please do not include any riders preventing the USDA inspection of horses.

    Without the damaging riders included in Section 739 of the House version of Ag Appropriations, horse meat processors will be able to pay a fee to receive the necessary USDA inspections that ensure humane handling and food safety through a system that is already in place and used to regulate the processing of meats like bison and elk.

    The GAO Report released after the House took action on Ag Appropriations, HORSE WELFARE: Action Needed to Address Unintended Consequences of Domestic Slaughter Cessation, documents the decline in horse welfare, and the negative impacts on the overall equine economy as a direct result of the loss of a humane option for otherwise unwanted, unusable, excess horses.

    Because of the back-door exclusionary efforts of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Congress adopted these damaging riders, and the horse people of America never had an opportunity to explain their common sense reasoning for the humane and regulated processing of horses.

    Congress never heard the information that would have prevented the unmitigated suffering of horses, and the economic evisceration of an entire sector of animal agriculture. We hope you correct this and afford the horse people of America a full and fair opportunity before destroying their ability to make a living with horses, and to raise their children and grandchildren with the joy of horses in their lives.

    Sincerely,

    United Horsemen

    ———————————————————————–

    Members of the Conference Committee on HR 2112 Consolidated

    Representative Aderholt, Robert – Alabama 4th District – R – 202-225-4876

    Senator Blunt, Roy – (R – MO) – Missouri – R – (202) 224-5721

    Senator Brown, Sherrod – (D – OH) – Ohio – D – (202) 224-2315

    Representative Carter, John – Texas 31st District – R -202-225-3864

    Senator Cochran, Thad – (R – MS) – Mississippi – R – (202) 224-5054

    Senator Collins, Susan M. – (R – ME) – Maine – R – (202) 224-2523

    Representative Culberson, John – Texas 7th District – R – 202-225-2571 Representative DeLauro, Rosa L. – Connecticut 3rd District – D – 202-225-3661 Representative Dicks, Norman D. – Washington 6th District – D – 202-225-5916 Representative Emerson, Jo Ann – Missouri 8th District – R – 202-225-4404 Representative Farr, Sam – California 17th District – D – 202-225-2861

    Senator Feinstein, Dianne – (D – CA) – California – D – (202) 224-3841

    Senator Harkin, Tom – (D – IA) – Iowa – D – (202) 224-3254

    Senator Hoeven, John – (R – ND) – North Dakota – R – (202) 224-2551

    Senator Hutchison, Kay Bailey – (R – TX) – Texas – R – (202) 224-5922

    Senator Inouye, Daniel K. – (D – HI) – Hawaii – D – (202) 224-3934

    Senator Johnson, Tim – (D – SD) – South Dakota – D – (202) 224-5842

    Representative Kingston, Jack – Georgia 1st District – R – 202-225-5831

    Senator Kohl, Herb – (D – WI) – Wisconsin – D – (202) 224-5653

    Representative Latham, Tom – Iowa 4th District – R – 202-225-5476

    Representative LaTourette, Steven C. – Ohio 14th District – R – 202-225-5731 Representative Lewis, Jerry – California 41st District – R – 202-225-5861

    Senator McConnell, Mitch – (R – KY) – Kentucky – R – (202) 224-2541

    Senator Mikulski, Barbara A. – (D – MD) – Maryland – D – (202) 224-4654

    Senator Moran, Jerry – (R – KS) – Kansas – R – (202) 224-6521

    Senator Murray, Patty – (D – WA) – Washington – D – (202) 224-2621

    Senator Nelson, Ben – (D – NE) – Nebraska – D – (202) 224-6551

    Representative Olver, John – Massachusetts 1st District – D – 202-225-5335 Representative Pastor, Ed – Arizona 4th District – D – 202-225-4065

    Representative Price, David – North Carolina 4th District – D – 202-225-1784

    Senator Pryor, Mark L. – (D – AR) – Arkansas – D – (202) 224-2353

    Representative Schiff, Adam – California 29th District – D – 202-225-4176

    Senator Shelby, Richard C. – (R – AL) – Alabama – R – (202) 224-5744

    Representative Wolf, Frank – Virginia 10th District – R – 202-225-5136

    Representative Young, C.W. Bill – Florida 10th District – R – 202-225-5961

    ———————————————————————–

    United Horsemen is a 100% volunteer grassroots nationwide organization, joined by practically every animal agriculture and horse industry organization in the country to advocate for humane and regulated horse processing to end the unnecessary and wasteful suffering of horses. Click here for Brief FACTS from the horse industry, and a sample of what real horse people have to say about the need for humane slaughter. For more information from the perspective of professional horsemen and horsewomen see http://United-Horsemen.org.

    Forward email

    This email was sent to arleneorlando@aol.com by sue.wallis@united-horsemen.org |
    Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.
    United Horsemen | PO Box 71 | Recluse | WY | 82725

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  13. I have emailed, called and faxed Sen Brown who is my rep. In the past he has always supported the horses and was a co-sponsor of anti-slaughter legislation at one time.

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  15. Here is an alpha list:
    Alabama: Senator Richard Shelby (202) 224-5744
    Arkansas: Senator Mark Pryor (202) 224-2353
    Arizona: Representative Ed Pastor (202) 225-4065
    California: Senator Dianne Feinstein (202) 224-3841
    Connecticut: Representative Rosa DeLauro (202) 225-3661
    Florida: Representative Bill Young (202) 225-5961
    Georgia: Representative Jack Kingston (202) 225-5831
    Hawaii: Senator Daniel Inouye (202) 224-3934
    Iowa: Senator Tom Harkin (202) 224-3254
    Kansas: Senator Jerry Moran (202) 224-6521
    Kentucky: Senator Mitch McConnell (202) 224-2541
    Massachusetts: Representative John Olver (202) 225-5335
    Maryland: Senator Barbara Mikulski (202) 224-4654
    Maine: Senator Susan Collins (202) 224-2523
    Missouri: Senator Roy Blunt (202) 224-5721
    Mississippi: Senator Thad Cochran (202) 224-5054
    North Carolina: Representative David Price (202) 225-1784
    North Dakota: Senator John Hoeven (202) 224-2551
    Nebraska: Senator Ben Nelson (202) 224-6551
    Ohio: Senator Sherrod Brown (202) 224-2315
    Pennsylvania: Representative Chaka Fattah (202) 225-4001
    South Dakota: Senator Tim Johnson (202) 224-5842
    Texas: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (202) 224-5922
    Virginia: Representative Frank Wolf (202) 225-5136
    Washington: Representative Norm Dicks (202) 225-5916
    Wisconsin: Senator Herb Kohl (202) 224-5653

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  16. You can read a copy of this letter on Madeleine Picken’s website:
    Dan Burton’s Letter on Horse Slaughter to Kingston of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee

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  19. Kitty, also, you can email the links to this video to Committee members:

    Observations of a Horse Slaughter Killer (part 1)

    Observations of a Horse Slaughter Killer (part 2)

    Observations of a Horse Slaughter Killer (part 3)

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