Two farm-state lawmakers say a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on horse welfare and slaughter confirms there are significant problems with the current restrictions.
Nebraska Third District Representative Adrian Smith and South Dakota Representative Kristi Noem were among the first to respond to the GAO report. They say it is confirmation that ending horse slaughter and processing in the U.S. has increased neglect and abandonment and depressed horse prices.
The GAO report was requested by Congress in early 2010. Among other things, it says the closing of U.S. domestic horse processing facilities in 2007 has caused the value of lower-to-medium priced horses to fall as much as 21 percent—and it says the economic downturn has caused another four to five percent drop in horse prices.
It also reports that the number of horse exported to Mexican processing plants rose 660 percent from 2006 to 2010, while horse exports to Canada increased 148 percent during the same time period.
In light of the GAO report, Smith says Congress should re-evaluate it policy on horse slaughter in the U.S. to “create jobs, generate revenue, and strengthen a struggling horse industry.”
For her part, Noem hopes the new report will cause horse slaughter opponents to reassess their position. “While opponents of horse slaughter here in the U.S. claim they are acting in the name of humane horse treatment, their policies are in fact adding to the inhumane treatment of horses.”
The GAO report places heavy emphasis on improving the humane transport of horses to Mexico and Canada, recommending that the USDA tighten its enforcement of current rules and regulations in regards to transportation.
Link to PDF copy of GAO report (68 pages)
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