Please urge state and federal legislators to reject inhumane proposal
 In September 2007, a court decision regarding enforcement of a new Illinois state law shut down the last remaining horse slaughterhouse operating in the U.S. But now some members of the South Dakota legislature have proposed S.B. 170, a bill that would give a state-funded loan of up to $1 million to anyone wishing to construct and open a horse slaughtering facility in the state. This would be a giant leap backwards for the protection of horses in America, and we must do all that we can to ensure that it is rejected.
Before the court rulings that shuttered horse slaughter plants in Illinois and Texas, more than 90,000 horses were killed for meat in the U.S. every year. The victims included former thoroughbred racehorses and unwanted equine companions typically purchased at auctions, as well as wild horses rounded up from the open range. And tens of thousands of American horses continue to be sent over the border to Mexico and Canada for slaughter.
Please let South Dakota's legislators know that the public is firmly against the slaughtering of horses for meat in our country. In addition, S.B. 170, or any similar state legislation, would be nullified by passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 311/H.R. 503), a federal bill that would prohibit the slaughter of horses in the U.S. for human consumption, as well as their export to other countries for the same purpose.
What You Can Do:
1) Please call all members of the South Dakota Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee to let them know that you oppose S.B. 170. You don't have to be from South Dakota to call, because passage of this bill would affect horses and people throughout the U.S. Call (605) 773-3821 to reach the following South Dakota legislators at their Capitol offices:
Senator Jay Duenwald, Chair
Senator Cooper Garnos (cosponsor)
Senator Tom Hansen, Vice Chair
Senator Gary Hanson (cosponsor)
Senator Frank Kloucek (cosponsor)
Senator Jim Lintz
Senator Kenneth McNenny
Senator Jim Peterson
Senator Dan Sutton (cosponsor)
2) Please also call your federal Senators and Representative and ask them to cosponsor and support speedy passage of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S. 311/H.R. 503). Check to see whether your Representative and Senators are co-sponsors of the AHSPA. If so, please call and thank them, and if not, please politely ask them to do so. Get contact info for your elected officials. Also send your legislators a follow-up email via IDA's AHSPA Action Alert.
Talking Points
- Americans overwhelmingly oppose horse slaughter, and this has resulted in closure of the last slaughter plants in the U.S. South Dakota would be out of step with public sentiment if the state legislature passes S.B. 170 into law, and this will reflect unfavorably on the state.
- The overwhelming majority of horses killed for meat would come from other states, including stolen horses and horses sold under false pretenses.
- Given that the federal American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act is anticipated to move in 2008, the loan made available via S.B. 170 would be financially risky. The state could be putting scarce taxpayer dollars into an industry that is likely to be banned under federal law.
- The FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill (which funds the federal government) currently before Congress includes a provision that prohibits the use of federal tax dollars for the inspection of horse slaughter. Similar measures may be included in future spending bills, as well. South Dakota could find itself with a slaughterhouse that cannot operate due to federal funding restrictions.
- The REDI fund, through which the loan would be made, is designed to promote job growth in South Dakota. The fact is that a horse slaughter plant would employ only a handful of low-paid, unskilled workers who are more likely to be a drain on the economy than a boon.
- The establishment of a plant in South Dakota would have negative environmental and economic impacts on the area where it is built. Disposal of blood, tissue, and other waste associated with operating a plant would likely stress pre-existing sewer systems, and the infrastructure may even need expensive updates.
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