Equine Slaughter Issues

Courtney Shumpert, DVM

According to the AAEP, approximately 55,000 horses are slaughtered annually in the US. These horses are taken to a processing facility because they are either no longer serviceable, are ill, dangerous, or their owners are no longer able to care for them.

            The AAEP’s statement acknowledges that: “Our association believes slaughter is not the most desirable option for addressing the problem of unwanted horses. However, if a horse owner is not able or not willing to provide humane care, the AAEP believes that euthanasia at a processing facility is a humane alternative to a life of suffering, inadequate care and possibly abandonment.”

            Here are some reasons NOT to support the bill to ban equine slaughter in the US. The bill does not address financial support for unwanted horses voluntarily given up by their owners. (This becomes important because horse rescue and retirement groups will not have adequate resources without federal funding.) This bill also does not outline a specific plan to stop illegal transport of horses across US borders (if humane slaughter is outlawed in the US) to slaughter plants in Canada and Mexico. Last year, the USDA reported that 30,000 horses were transported to Canada for slaughter and has “no clue” as to how many were transported to Mexico.

            The AAEP also contends that proponents of the bill to ban equine slaughter are “misleading people in describing the procedure” by which horses are euthanized.  (In the US, this procedure is known as captive bolt.) The AAEP contends that: “This is an issue that has to be based on scientific fact. Our goal is to be the voice of reason, because the proponents (of the bill) tend to push this on an emotional level.”

            The bottom line is this – when forming an opinion on this issue, keep in mind that if this bill is passed, veterinarians will likely begin to see a surge in requests to euthanize animals (either way the horses will still die) and INCREASE in the number of mistreated or abandoned animals brought to them by humane societies and adoption agencies. While the humane slaughter of horses certainly is not a pleasant thought, at least it is that – humane. I would rather think of horses being humanely slaughtered at an approved US facility than unwanted animals being transported illegally under the cover of darkness for thousands of miles until they reach a plant in Mexico or Canada, or being left to starve by owners who can no longer afford to feed them. As long as backyard horse owners continue to breed their horses indiscriminately and PMU farms continue to close down, there will be an excess of horses in the US that must be dealt with. Form your opinion on this issue carefully, and be ready to defend your position without getting emotional in an interview. Stay informed – the rodeo industry is counting on you!