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!
Related articles
- Update: Horse Slaughter Grinds to a Halt (rtfitchauthor.com)
- DRF: Canada Stops Accepting U.S. Horses for Slaughter (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Confusion Reins As Canadian Slaughter Plants Halt Import of Us Horses (rtfitchauthor.com)
- IEC Update: Pro-Horse Groups Aim to End Horse Slaughter (rtfitchauthor.com)
- For The Love of Horses: No Horse Slaughter Plant Yet For Missouri As Antagonists Continue Opposition (rtfitchauthor.com)
- Pro-Horse/Anti-Slaughter Super PACs Popping Up Like Petunias (rtfitchauthor.com)
Categories: Equine Rescue, Horse Health, Horse News, Horse Slaughter
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
This is good Sunday news. Thank you for this very important information. There will be many Horse Rescue groups that will be busy in the near future rescuing these horses that were destined for death. God Bless these horses in need.
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Is this an answer to our prayers? Thank you God, & Amen!! 🙂 Thank you to all horse advocates, everywhere! We all continue to hope & pray that this is permanent, & that it will also be permanently banned in the United States as well! Thank you too, to all horse rescue organizations, large & small!!
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This is really good news! as much as it came very sudden and surprising. Now the horse and anti-slaughter advocates have a great chance to make a BIG difference. We have to focus on two things, one is the horses currently in the pipeline (as others have mentioned already) and the second is politically. We have to work out better laws and rules for humane treatment of horses and demand these changes. Making sure that they move through the legislative process and get implemented! It is going to be a BIG job, but never did we have such a CHANCE before!
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Reblogged this on isismystery and commented:
On Friday Canadian slaughterhouses refused to accept American horses bound to be slaughtered in Canada. It is not clear yet who put out those orders. This is a huge! chance for all horse, anti-slaughter and Wild Horse advocates to demand clean, humane regulations and help create those new laws!!! Lets get working and especially, let’s all work together!
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This sounds like good news, BUT unless these TB & QH breeders wise up, will probably be many horses out there that need a home and any of the other people who are using slaughter to get rid of any extra horses –
I agree that we all should work together to solve this.
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Great great news! I was wondering when and if Canada would really stop accepting our horses. A nd so they have. We must keep vigilant and not let up one iota on writing letters, faxing, calling our reps and senators to permanently ban horseslaughter AND the transporting them to other countries to be slaughtered….because now I have a horrible sick feeling the pro-slaughter big whigs are going to start throwing out even BIGGER BUCKS and screaming and crying that we need slaughter now more than ever …..and we all know that the FDA and the USDA don’t seem to even care that horsemeat is carcinogenic. Yeah, this has me worried, a lot!
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I still believe CFIA and USDA let this happen, without notice on a Friday. I suspect they knew this was coming for days…….THEY LOVE CAOS!
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Sorry…”CHAOS”. But maybe Get Smart “K.A.O.S.” is more appropriate for the legal and illegal meat marauders?
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Dear Laura, where can I donate to you , it wont be much but if everyone does you will be able to work with that ????? it is already Monday so it will be credit card ??????
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Another Huge worry is all these horses being turned away at the Canadian Border probably have not been fed or watered in many hours???? What can be done about this horror??????
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Now IS the time to hit congress and hit em hard with the facts about horses being not suitable for human consumption!! The proof is there!! RT please provide email addresses and contact numbers for Congress and the President so we can blast them hard again! We can’t get too comfortable yet..and never complacent..
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Reblogged this on Donkey Whisperer Farm Blog.
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I FEAR THAT NOW THE SLAUGHTER HOUSES IN THE U.S. WILL RE-OPEN !
WE MUST STOP THAT FROM HAPPENING. CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN/ WOMAN AND DEMAND THAT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN !!! PLEASE !!!
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