Helpful Things We Can Do to Improve the Situation
VA_in_CA
Member
Thought we had threads about horse abuse cases, horse over-population, horse starvation and abandonment, horse slaughter, etc. Couldn't find any, so I'm starting this one.
Ann Kline of Mea Ola's Place has come up with a list of practical things anyone can do to help relieve the above situations. She predicts, as do others, that the situation is going to get worse before--hopefully--it can get better because of the new ruling by the European Union to stop importing horse meat from Mexico. The EU will likely do the same with horse meat from Canada. Both countries export horse meat that is 87% originated from American horses which are not fed appropriately as food sources. In addition many are given drugs that are harmful to humans. Without the attraction of money from kill buyers, horse rescue operations fear that more horses will be abandoned to starve. Things are about to get worse and sadly we are dependent on already overwhelmed horse rescuers to pick up the discarded horses that result from over-breeding and loss of income, or worse loss of interest by horse owners. These horses can't all be saved; there are just too many. Below, please read Ann's "op ed" for ways that you can help,and the article about the European Union's recent action
Ann Kline of Mea Ola's Place has come up with a list of practical things anyone can do to help relieve the above situations. She predicts, as do others, that the situation is going to get worse before--hopefully--it can get better because of the new ruling by the European Union to stop importing horse meat from Mexico. The EU will likely do the same with horse meat from Canada. Both countries export horse meat that is 87% originated from American horses which are not fed appropriately as food sources. In addition many are given drugs that are harmful to humans. Without the attraction of money from kill buyers, horse rescue operations fear that more horses will be abandoned to starve. Things are about to get worse and sadly we are dependent on already overwhelmed horse rescuers to pick up the discarded horses that result from over-breeding and loss of income, or worse loss of interest by horse owners. These horses can't all be saved; there are just too many. Below, please read Ann's "op ed" for ways that you can help,and the article about the European Union's recent action
Comments
Please read! This decision is going to effect the horses in our country, as well as horse rescues.
On January 15, 2015...the EU will no longer accept horse meat from Mexico. However, they will still export to other countries, like Russia and Japan. This article has links to the audit of slaughterhouse facilities in Mexico. Several issues caused the ban. One of them being that horses from the US, which are 87% of the horses slaughtered in that country, cannot be traced for drugs that may have been used on them that should not be consumed by humans. The animal welfare was addressed as well. We have been telling everyone for years how horrible the transport is for the horses, the holding facilities, the injuries and deaths caused during their trips to both Mexico and Canada, as well. Here it is in black and white, by an unbiased company that performed the 2014 audit. It also states that none of the concerns from the 2011 and 2012 audits were ever addressed or taken care of.
What does all of this mean? Well, a few things. For one, there will be folks scrambling to continue to make money on horse meat. More horses will ship to Canada, where they are already facing humane issues during transportation The EU also requires Canada to hold US horses for 6 months before they are to be slaughtered. The holding facilities are not humane now...so what is another 3 or 4 THOUSAND horses a month coming in to their country going to do for that situation? There is a chance that the EU will ban
horse meat coming out of Canada, too, at least US horse meat. But, right now, it means longer trips for horses...and it will lower the number of horses shipped for slaughter. That will affect rescues because there are already so many horses being dumped and starved! Most rescues have to turn down horses already ...because so many are full to the brim.
I sincerely hope that one effect we will see will be more advocates for the horse.
PLEASE do not ignore the hard stuff because together we CAN make a difference!
Maybe it is time to start thinking of a New Year's resolution? May I suggest a few ideas?
Find a local rescue and support them any way you are able, Do your homework though, and make sure they are a reputable organization. The simplest way you can help is by SHARING on social networks. A rescue in the works right now just raised $40,000 in 2 days this week to save 65 horses. I will share that link soon, once they have time to put the whole story together. Several rescues came together to make that happen. And, we, as rescues, need to stick together
Another idea is to volunteer for a rescue or at an animal care and control facility. We cannot survive without you. It is not just caring for the horses. If you have computer skills, can make flyers, or can run an errand, water plants,...there are so many ways to help!
Sponsor a horse if you are able. Even a partial sponsorship monthly helps so much! The more that are sponsored, the more we can save!
Donate when/if you can. Foster if you can. Adopt if you can.
Check out your favorite rescue's wish list...share it. See if there are any wishes you can make come true. Maybe take one wish and make that a goal to accomplish for them next year. Maybe you could get your own "team" together to work on makiing wishes come true.
We are all going to need to grow this coming year to make room for more. And not one rescue can do it without help. Please consider making a committment to do something to help the beloved horse this year. Things are only going to get worse for them.
Together, we that love the horse, can change things. One life at a time. To start, you can share this post! You can explain these things to others. Get passionate about doing something to make a difference, and you cannot fail!
December 08, 2014
Europeans Suspend Horsemeat Imports From Mexico – Deal Huge Blow to North American Slaughter Operations
The horse slaughter industry has been dealt the biggest blow since The HSUS led the fight in Congress, the states, and federal courts to shut down the three operating horse slaughter plants in the United States in 2007. Today’s game-changing news: the European Commission has suspended the import of horsemeat from Mexico to the European Union (EU) due to food safety concerns.
Mexico accepts tens of thousands of American horses for slaughter and shipment to Europe. Photo: The HSUS
Mexico not only kills thousands of its horses for export to the EU, but accepts tens of thousands of American horses for slaughter and shipment to Europe. This announcement could prove to be an earthquake for the North American horse slaughter industry, since Belgium, France, Italy, and other EU nations are major consumers.
HSI EU executive director Jo Swabe and I have personally appealed to senior EU regulatory leaders multiple times on this issue. I have long wondered how the Europeans could tolerate the rampant abuse and drugging of horses endemic to the North American trade, given their rigorous adherence to humane food safety standards for other species. The regulatory correction to the situation in Mexico has now finally occurred.
The suspension follows a series of audits by the Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) – the most recent one was published last week. The audit is a shocking account of significant animal welfare concerns that riddle the entire horse slaughter pipeline, from the United States to Mexico. The audit also details serious concerns about the traceability of horses slaughtered in EU-certified equine slaughterhouses in Mexico; 87 percent of these animals originate from the United States.
The Commission’s decision reflects exactly what The HSUS and HSI have been saying for years – there are serious food safety issues regarding horsemeat that originates from U.S. horses because they are not raised as food animals. Horses are our companions and partners in work and sport. As a result, horses are commonly treated with drugs such as phenylbutazone and other substances long deemed unfit for human consumption. And, as the audit shows, American horses lack lifetime medical records and do not meet EU food safety regulations.
While the audit focused on food safety, it also documented appalling suffering in the United States and Mexico. It details downed, sick horses slaughtered for human consumption despite being ill, horses suffering in export facilities on U.S. soil, and horrific welfare problems during transport. The audit confirms the cruelty of the horse slaughter pipeline that The HSUS has repeatedly exposed through undercover footage. The FVO even acknowledges that the information received from groups such as The HSUS and HSI accurately depicts the extremely poor conditions in which horses are transported. Special thanks to Animals Angels for its tireless work to document this trade.
The predatory horse slaughter industry is singularly concerned with making a buck, by snatching up young and healthy horses at auction, often outbidding legitimate horse owners and rescues. For these interests, it’s never been about euthanizing old, sick horses – that’s been a fiction since the start of this debate. This lust for profit is precisely why the industry and its legions of lobbyists have fought so hard to block federal legislation that would end horse slaughter.
We’ve long argued that Congress should enact the SAFE Act (Safeguard American Food Exports Act), to halt the transport of horses for slaughter within the United States and also to our North American neighbors. With Congress last year defunding slaughter in the United States, and the EU’s action to shut down imports from Mexico, there really is no rationale for not banning this trade.
The people of the United States do not see horses as a source of food, and despite all the scrutiny and pressure coming to bear on the horse slaughter industry, it has shown itself to be consistently reckless, unsafe, and inhumane. There’s no redeeming it, and the details documented in the European Commission announcement make that plain.
**
Ask your legislators to help protect our nation's horses through the SAFE Act.
[emphasis mine, VA]
I don't have the means to donate to horse rescues, but I might be able to give some time here and there. I'm definitely going to look into it!
There are all kinds of devious plots and schemes where Republican politicians all over the country are trying to take over Federal lands which belong to all of us, in perpetuity. In my dictionary, that means forever. In theirs, it just means until they can trick enough voters into releasing that land back into the private sector. People of that ilk fought against the establishment of every National Park we have, even the Grand Canyon. Fools. They've already managed to kill off most of the wolves and other predators that keep herds healthy so they can protect their precious cattle to feed hamburgers to the masses and make billions of dollars from our lands. Aaaauuuuugh.
http://wildhor.se/1xaf0Np