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Wed 6 Sep, 2006 09:40 am
Both sides in horse slaughter debate rally forces on Capitol Hill
By Dave Montgomery
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON
Scores of animal right activists and horse lovers, including the family of country music legend Willie Nelson, rallied near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday in support of legislation to outlaw three U.S. plants that slaughter horses for overseas consumption.
At the same time, opponents of the legislation, which the House will consider later this week, reiterated arguments that the bill could undermine the humane disposal of unwanted horses and vowed to lobby aggressively against the measure in advance of Thursday's showdown vote.
"I'll stack our stars against their stars any day," said former Texas Rep. Charles Stenholm, scoffing at the dozens of celebrity endorsements for the bill. "We believe the vote is going to be very, very close."
The bill, co-sponsored by more than 200 of the 435 members of the House, would shut down packing plants in Fort Worth, Texas; Kaufman, Texas; and DeKalb, Ill. The plants, which have a total employment of just over 200, slaughtered more than 90,000 horses in 2005, largely for distribution to parts of Europe and Japan, where horsemeat is considered a delicacy.
As lawmakers returned from a month-long summer recess, both sides went on the offense in search of wavering votes. Supporters of the legislation acknowledged that opponents have gained momentum by portraying the bill as an intrusion of private property that would deprive horse owners of a legal way to dispose of old or ailing horses.
Both camps claim hundreds of supporters, with veterinarians and prominent horse groups arrayed on both sides of the debate. Both sides also portray themselves as impassioned defenders of horses, though with colliding perspectives.
Dick Koehler, vice president of the Dutch-owned Beltex Corp. plant in Fort Worth, defended the industry in a telephone interview and said passage of the bill would be "very detrimental to horses in general." Opponents of the bill contend older or ailing horses would suffer and their owners would be forced to pay for their feed and boarding if the slaughterhouses were closed.
"We think a lot of our animals and we follow the rules," he said. "If you do that, you should be able to stay in business."
Nelson, who publicly embraced the bill several weeks ago, was performing in California but dispatched his ex-wife, Connie Nelson, daughters Amy Nelson and Paula Nelson, and a granddaughter, Raelyn Nelson.
"He sent us here because he couldn't be here," said Connie Nelson, who lives in Austin, Texas. "Had he not been performing, he'd have been here."
She said she was married to the country star for "20 years and six days" before they divorced in 1991. "We kept the friendship," she said, citing her ex-husband's oft-repeated observation that "there are no such thing as ex-wives."
Amy Nelson, who followed her father into music and performs in Nashville, said the family shares her father's love of horses and was stunned to learn about the horse-slaughter industry.
"I didn't think that was something that went on in our country," she said.
Supporters of the bill gathered across the street from the Capitol, displaying signs reading, "Horse slaughter is not euthanasia" and "American icon - not foreign delicacy." Many sported straw cowboy hats distributed by rally organizers.
"The slaughter of horses is an affront to our culture and our beliefs and must be stopped," said Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., a leading co-sponsor of the bill.
Other speakers included satellite radio host Eddie Kilroy and entertainer Nellie McKay. Rally participants came from all along the East Coast and from distant states such as Texas and California. Many are involved in animal rescue efforts.
Kip Elser, owner of Kirkwood Stables in Camden, S.C., angrily derided as "absolutely false" the claim by opponents of the ban that thousands of horses would be left homeless if the bill becomes law.
"These animals do whatever we ask of them cheerfully and well," Elser said. "They take care of us. They take care of our children. They take care of our parents. They let us use them for trail riding, fox hunting or racing."
Carole Lawler of Raleigh, N.C., development director of the Wake County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, expressed similar sentiments.
"I don't believe such a treasured symbol of our nation's heritage should be slaughtered and sent overseas for food," she said.
McClatchy Newspapers correspondent James Rosen contributed to this report.
House votes to ban U.S. slaughter of horses
Sep. 07, 2006
House votes to ban U.S. slaughter of horses for overseas consumers
By Dave Montgomery
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON - In a victory for a broad-based coalition of animal-rights activists, entertainers and grass-roots horse lovers, the House voted 263-146 Thursday to shut down three U.S. plants that slaughter horses for overseas human consumption.
The vote came after hundreds of thousands of Americans besieged lawmakers with phone calls and e-mails defending the horse as a noble icon of American culture. The bill outlawing the plants now goes to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future as Congress rushes to quit work within three weeks.
The three foreign-owned plants slaughtered more than 90,000 horses in 2005, largely for distribution to parts of Europe and Japan, where horsemeat is considered a delicacy. The meat, which is lean and high in protein, is also sold to zoos.
The three plants are Beltex Corp. of Fort Worth, Texas; Dallas Crown Inc. of Kaufman, Texas, and Cavel International Inc. in DeKalb, Ill. Total employment in all three plants is just over 200.
Proponents of the bill denounced horse slaughter as inhumane and said the specter of horsemeat on a foreign dining table was as deplorable as eating the family pet. Opponents, while also declaring their adoration of horses, said the industry is needed to ensure the humane disposal of thousands of unwanted horses that otherwise would be subject to abuse or neglect.
The outcome stunned opposition forces, who have waged an intense lobbying campaign over the last several weeks and believed that they were in reach of victory.
"This was a very disappointing loss today," said former Rep. Charles Stenholm, D-Texas, the chief lobbyist for a coalition composed of more than 200 farm groups, including 89 horse organizations.
Stenholm said his forces were never able to overcome the charges that the industry was inhumane, which he described as "myths and untruths."
Zoos that purchase horsemeat from the slaughterhouses, he said, will be forced to use other types of food - such as beef or chicken - since it would not be economically practical for the plants to stay in business just to cater to zoos.
The bill does not ban horse slaughter outright but prohibits the slaughter of horses for human consumption. Zoos often purchase horsemeat because it is lean and high-protein, but the demand isn't considered big enough to spawn a zoo-only horse slaughter market.
"More than 95 percent of it is done for human consumption," said Wayne Pacelle, CEO and president of the Humane Society of the United States, which helped lead the drive to pass the bill. Pacelle said the group and its allies will now focus on the Senate in a hurry-up offensive to push the bill through Congress.
Proponents of the bill included country music star Willie Nelson and scores of other entertainers who joined legions of grassroots activists in a high-profile lobbying offensive against the slaughtering plants. They also frequently cited the death of 1986 Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand in a Japanese slaughterhouse several years ago.
Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., a leading sponsor of the bill, called the industry a "secretive, illicit and grossly inhumane business" that often disposes of healthy horses that belonged to profiteering owners.
"The West would never have been settled if it had not been for horses," said Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C. He read a letter from a constituent, who described horses as "our companions and our partners."
Dick Koehler, vice president of Beltex who represented the horse industry during congressional appearances, has described the industry as a vital 100-year-old U.S. enterprise that was targeted by "a cruel, misguided misinformation" campaign.
Koehler said the three plants provided a needed outlet for the disposal of low-value, unwanted horses that suffered from infirmities. He and other opponents of the bill warned that up to 90,000 horses a year would be subject to potential abuse, neglect or starvation if the plants are abolished.
The issue produced hard-to-define coalitions, dividing horse associations, veterinarians, agricultural groups and lawmakers in both parties. The Bush administration came out against the bill on the eve of the debate, with Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns describing U.S. horse slaughter as "a safe and humane practice" that is needed for the disposal of unwanted horses.
Backers of the bill include the Humane Society of the United States, Churchill Downs Inc. and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, as well as other breeding, showing and racing organizations. Opponents included the American Quarter Horse Association, the American Paint Horse Association and horse councils in 10 states.
Another reminder that the number of people involved in a decision is inversely proportional to the wisdom of said decision....
OMG, I just agreed with the Bush administration on something....
I'm a first-time offender. Can I just get a light sentence?
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