New legislation introduced today would permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption if passed. Save America’s Forgotten Equines Act not only bans slaughter in the U.S., it also prohibits the export of live horses to Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses to be sold overseas.
What the bill aims to do is to take section 12515 of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (or Farm Bill) and amend it, placing horses and other equines in the same category as cats and dogs.
The act was introduced by U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) after companion legislation was introduced last month to the House of Representatives by Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.).
Although a news release by Senator Bob Menendez’s office states that the practice of slaughtering horses for human consumption is currently illegal in the United States, that’s not entirely true. While the sale of horse meat is illegal, private processing is legal in most states. California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Texas have a slaughter ban.
No federal law exists to prohibit the transport of horses across America’s borders for slaughter in Canada or Mexico.
»Related: Horse meat in the United States: Decades of divisiveness
The lawmakers hope to include the SAFE Act as part of the 2023 Farm Bill when it is considered by Congress later this year calling the horse slaughter process an “inhumane” and “horrific” fate.
“Horses simply should never be slaughtered for humans to eat. These cherished, iconic animals should be protected, not butchered and shipped abroad for profit,” one of the bill’s sponsors, Senator Blumenthal states. “Our measure ends this despicable practice and prioritizes the welfare and safety of these animals. We can and must protect our nation’s horses.”
Joining Sens. Menendez and Graham in cosponsoring the legislation are Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dianne Feinstein (D-Cal.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and John Fetterman (D-Pa.).
»Related: Editorial: Hungry enough for horse? Why horse slaughter makes sense
