South Dakota Farm Bureau Opposes Horse Slaughter Bill

 

The South Dakota Farm Bureau commends Congresswoman Stepahnie Herseth for her opposition to H.R. 503, the Horse Slaughter Act.  Rep. Herseth was among 37 members of the House Agriculture Committee who voted during committee mark-up to report HR 503 unfavorably to the House floor.  The House is expected to vote on the issue on Thursday, September 7.

 

“This is a sensitive issue,” said Scott VanderWal, SDFB President.  “The bill may be well-intentioned but is seriously flawed.  This misguided effort would actually be counterproductive to providing humane treatment for horses.”  Committee testimony from horse health professionals uniformly condemned the measure by highlighting the inability of the horse rescue and sanctuary system to care for the 90,000 additional unwanted horses per year produced by H.R. 503.

 

Banning horses from slaughter infringes on producers’ ability to manage livestock according to commonly accepted agricultural and humane practices and it sets a dangerous precedent for using invalid reasons for regulating the agricultural industry.

 

“We fully support humane treatment of all horses,” added VanderWal.  “Unfortunately, this measure would have the opposite effect of what the sponsors might think they are trying to accomplish.” 

 

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