As lead sponsor of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (H.R. 857) in the U.S. House of Representatives, I feel it is important to respond to articles recently published in The Horse that grossly misrepresent my bill and the issue of horse slaughter as a whole.

Several misleading themes continue to be put forward by opponents of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (AHSPA) that are not supported by the facts. Some of these include concerns regarding the abuse and neglect of horses that would otherwise be slaughtered for human consumption, and the potential shipment of horses to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. It is the complete lack of evidence supporting these claims and the overwhelming documentation exposing the cruelty of the entire industry that convinced me to introduce this legislation.

Opponents of the AHSPA express concerns that horses may be neglected and suffer if slaughter is no longer an option for disposal. Figures released by the Illinois Department of Agriculture show that the number of abuse cases leveled off and then dropped in Illinois after the state’s only horse slaughtering facility was destroyed by fire in 2002. In California, where horse slaughter has been illegal since 1998, there has been no documented rise in abuse and neglect cases. In addition, horse theft has dropped by 34% in that state, which has the second-largest horse population in the United States (Texas has the largest).

It would be highly unfortunate if the U.S. Congress chose not to end the cruel practice of horse slaughter because another crime (animal cruelty), for which multiple statutes and penalties exist, might occur. Ending horse slaughter will reduce animal suffering, decrease horse theft, and allow rescues to focus on providing homes for horses in need