Federal legislation to ban horse slaughter and export for slaughter for human consumption is being prepared for introduction in the 1st Session of the 212th Congress.
Although the last slaughter plant on U.S. soil closed its doors in 2007, this is crucial legislation for two reasons:
1. There is a strong movement afoot to return horse slaughter to U.S. soil at the State level.
2. Horses are still exported across U.S. borders to Canada and Mexico for slaughter and shipped live to other countries such as Denmark and Japan. The number of horses slaughtered for their meat is approximately the same as when plants were operation in the U.S. If trends continue it is likely to exceed this figure.
- For information on legislation pending at the State level to ban horse slaughter, go to our Action Alerts page.
- For information on all bills pending, for and against horse slaughter, please see our Legislative Time for 2011.
Paola Frassinetti, an Italian MP, introduced legislation in 2010 which would ban the slaughter of equidae in Italy and which would
change the horses’ definition from “farm animals” to “pets”. The new law would also
guarantee the creation of shelters and sanctuaries for homeless horses.
Italian companies import tens of thousands of live horses
from Poland, Romania, Spain and Latin America every year. These transports last several days
and often infringe EU regulations.
Among those leading the call for a ban is previous agriculture minister of Italy,
Luca Zaia, who says horses should not be eaten and instead "considered
just like cats and dogs."
