--- On Thu, 2/18/10, Betty Miller Jones <bjahc@madisoncounty.net> wrote:
From: Betty Miller Jones <bjahc@madisoncounty.net>
Subject: [allhorsepeople] H.O.R.S.E. Act
To: "allhorsepeople@yahoogroups.com" <allhorsepeople@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Thursday, February 18, 2010, 7:31 AM
>
>
> The Humane and Optimal Restoration and Sustainability of Equines
> (H.O.R.S.E.) Act
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~
>
>
>
> [Proposed Legislation for introduction in the US Congress]
>
>
>
> Horse owners and concerned citizens from across the Nation have come
> together with real solutions to ensure the humane care, management,
> and euthanasia of horses; to ensure the long-term sustainability and
> viability of the equine industry; to restore the market for all
> horses; and to restore the habitat, and ensure well-managed
> sustainability for free-roaming wild herds on federal lands. There is
> no disagreement whatsoever that all animals should be treated humanely
> from birth until death.
>
> The current federal legislation pertaining to horses, H.R. 503,
> "Prevention of Cruelty to Equines," its corresponding Senate bill S.
> 727, and H.R. 1018, "amending the Free Wild Roaming Horses and Burros
> Act" are all misguided "feel good" bills that at first glance, and to
> a misinformed, emotionally manipulated public seem to protect
> horses---while, in fact, they do exactly the opposite. These bills and
> their horrific unintended consequences would institutionalize and
> codify a miserable, cruel, and barbaric death for hundreds of
> thousands of horses. Horses suffer from starvation, abandonment, and
> neglect by owners unable to sell or give their horses away.
> Ultimately, these bills would spell the end to the use and enjoyment
> of horses by American citizens, because no country can afford to
> support an unchecked population of any species over the long term.
>
> Concerned citizens who sincerely seek the well-being of horses should
> understand that animals of all kinds require management and control.
> No jurisdiction in the country allows feral animals or native wildlife
> to reproduce unchecked to the point where they have eliminated their
> resource base and are starving, dying, and destroying the environment
> for all other species. The same immutable laws of nature apply to
> horses. To protect people and the environment, horses must be adopted
> or used by someone who has the resources to care for them, or be
> humanely euthanized, just like the local animal shelter euthanizes
> other animals that are not adopted. Agencies and owners responsible
> for all forms of wildlife need to control numbers to preserve the
> resource base, and maintain ample deer, elk, bears, and wolves---so
> must we control numbers of wild horses and burros to ensure that our
> children and grandchildren can enjoy their presence on our public lands.
>
> Euthanasia is defined as a "good death" that is quick, painless and as
> stress-free as possible. After euthanasia is provided, all legal,
> moral and ethical obligations for the well-being and care of that
> animal cease. How the carcass is disposed of, or utilized, is
> entirely the prerogative, right, and responsibility of the animal's
> owner. For animals that have been trusted companions, loyal partners,
> and pets, this will generally mean a respectful burial or cremation
> depending on the owner's philosophy and resources. For others the most
> appropriate option might be delivery to a rendering plant or a
> landfill. Rendering plants reduce animal carcasses to oils and useful
> by-products such as soap, glycerin, lubricants, inks, cleansing
> creams, shampoo, glue, antifreeze, explosives, and paints. Most small
> animal shelters utilize rendering plants for carcass disposal, as do
> livestock producers who occasionally have carcasses unsuitable for
> processing. Because horses are traditional food animals in most of
> the world, there is a viable export market for horse meat. In
> addition, by-products of equine processing such as the pancreas, heart
> valves, pituitary glands, synovial joint fluid and more are used in
> human and veterinary lifesaving medicinal products. Many horse owners
> either need, or wish to recoup the monetary value of their unusable
> horse, or a horse they can no longer support, and are comfortable with
> this solution; especially if they can be assured that their animals
> are humanely killed.
>
> The H.O.R.S.E. Act of 2009 is being proposed to include the following:
>
> · Requires that all horses to be euthanized must be humanely killed
> using a method that is approved by the American Veterinary Medical
> Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Equine
> Practitioners (AAEP).
>
> · Allows processers of horse meat to apply for and receive fee-based
> inspection services from the USDA and state inspection programs. Under
> this regulation, which is already in use for all species of
> non-amenable animals such as bison and pen-raised elk, the processor
> pays for the necessary food safety, live animal handling, and humane
> euthanasia regulation at the processing point, as well as the
> necessary coordination between USDA, European Union, Japanese, and
> other Asian food safety systems.
>
> · Provides for the inspection and licensing of equine rescue,
> recovery, and retirement operations that are accepting unusable and
> unwanted horses, as well as horses that owners cannot support, for a
> fee or for no charge. Regulation will ensure horses are being cared
> for appropriately and that owner's stipulations are being adhered to
> in terms of the disposition of the horses they have surrendered.
>
> · Mandates the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to adopt and enforce
> all recommendations of the Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Committee.
> The bill also includes a clear mandate to measure population numbers
> accurately and that the optimum numbers are not exceeded. By strictly
> adhering to herd numbers in Horse Management Areas, the BLM can ensure
> the sustainability and ecosystem integrity of the resource base for
> horses, burros, native wildlife, and livestock. The H.O.R.S.E. Act of
> 2009 promotes reasonable attempts and creative programs that can be
> established to encourage the adoption or sale of all horses removed
> from BLM lands. The H.O.R.S.E. Act of 2009 clearly establishes that no
> wild horse should be held in a corral, feedlot, or pasture for longer
> than 90 days. Finally, the bill mandates that wild horses in captivity
> and not transferred to private ownership within 90 days shall be sold
> to the highest bidder without reservation, with all of the proceeds
> returned to improve the management and habitat for the wild herds.
>
> · Tightens the current transport regulations regarding time in
> transit, number of horses in a truck, segregation of horses, and rest
> and watering stops for horses being transported for processing;
> strengthens the penalties for violations; and provides additional
> funding for USDA enforcement.
>
> · Requires and provides for training and certification for employees
> at equine processing facilities involved in the actual humane
> euthanasia of horses prior to processing.
>
> · Requires signage at auctions and sales facilities that do not have a
> $1,000 minimum bid requirement that indicate that horses sold may be
> humanely euthanized, and the carcass processed for meat and
> by-products including life-saving medicinal uses.
>
> · Requires that sellers to processing facilities present the plant
> with a document stating that they consent to processing; if they have
> owned the horse less than sixty days (a "killer buyer"), they must
> present a similar document from the original seller, unless the horse
> was purchased at an auction with signage mentioned above.
>
> · Requires inspecting horses at the plant and holding those with lip
> tattoos or microchips that match numbers or chips that an owner has
> registered with a national "do not slaughter" registry. Such horses
> would be held for forty-eight hours to allow the owner to claim the
> horse and compensate the plant for its costs.
>
> The H.O.R.S.E. Act of 2009 does not impede the market, transport,
> processing, or use of horses in any way. It does not take away the
> private property rights of horse owners. It does not eliminate the
> right of Americans to decide how, or if, they choose to market or
> consume horse meat. The Act will encourage and not defeat the efforts
> of states, tribes, and private citizens to implement services,
> facilities, and options for all horse owners. Nor does it impose
> egregious financial and regulatory burdens on either horse owners or
> taxpayers. The H.O.R.S.E. Act of 2009 does not require American
> taxpayers to pay for the care of excessive and unrealistic numbers of
> wild horses and burros on our public lands or for care of the Nation's
> unwanted domestic horses.
>
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------------------------------------
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