More NEWS & VIEWS
WS continued
Highlights of Findings and Recom- mendations
From 2006 to 2010, “U.S. horse exports for slaughter increased by 148 and 660 percent to Canada and Mexico, respectively. As a result, nearly the same number of U.S. horses was transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter in 2010 – nearly 138,000 – as was slaughtered before domestic slaughter ceased.” Note that USDA has no information about the number of horses sent to Canadian or Mexican feedlots be- fore being subsequently sent to slaughter. T ose horses are not included in the statistics quoted. It is also signifi cant that horses being exported to feedlots in Canada or Mexico are not pro- tected by transport regulations during any part of their journey (more on this below). Horse prices declined since 2007, mainly for
the lower-priced horses that are more likely to be bought for slaughter. GAO analysis of horse sale data estimates that closing domestic horse slaughtering facilities signifi cantly and negatively aff ected lower-to-medium priced horses by 8 to 21 percent; higher-priced horses appear not to have lost value for that reason. GAO estimated that the economic downturn was responsible for a 4-5 percent decline in sale prices for all horses. “Horse welfare in the United States has gen-
erally declined since 2007, as evidenced by a reported increase in horse abandonments and
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an increase in investigations for horse abuse and neglect.” T ere is no comprehensive na- tional data available, but several states (Colo- rado, California, Texas and Florida) reported statistics showing a rise in investigations for horse neglect and abandonment since 2007. Colorado data showed that investigations for horse neglect and abuse increased more than 60 percent from 975 in 2005 to 1,588 in 2009. In general, state, local government and animal welfare organizations interviewed by GAO re- ported that the changes have put a strain on resources. Most state, local and horse industry offi cials pointed to cessation of slaughter and the economic downturn as causes for increased neglect and abandonments; some animal wel- fare organizations questioned the relevance of cessation of slaughter to the increase in neglect and abandonments. “T e total number of res- cues and their capacities is unknown because there is no national registry or association for horse rescues. However, both the National As- sociation of Counties and the Unwanted Horse Coalition estimated that the nationwide capac- ity of rescue facilities is about 6,000 horses. T ey also reported that the vast majority of these facilities are already full.” T e U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
is responsible for overseeing the welfare of horses transported for slaughter. It is important
to note that while regulations exist to protect horses during transport to slaughter (see notes at the end of this document), because of the prohibition on using Federal funds to inspect horses destined for slaughter, USDA may not inspect the condition of horses designated for slaughter during transport. T erefore, USDA is restricted to collecting and inspecting ship- ment paperwork and inspecting the conveyanc- es used for transport to slaughter, but not the horses themselves – inspectors are prohibited from inspecting horses during transport even if they know or strongly suspect that a violation is occurring. USDA is further challenged by cur- rent legislative restrictions because: 1) Current regulations setting minimum
standards of care during transport only apply to horses being transported directly to slaugh- ter facilities. T erefore, USDA is unable to protect horses being transported to stockyards, feedlots and other assembly points. In many cases, horses are designated “for slaughter” only on the fi nal leg of what could be a very long journey. USDA responded that it anticipates issuing amended transport rules to include a defi nition of “equine for slaughter” which in- cludes equines transported to assembly points, stockyards, feedlots and other intermediate points, as well as to slaughter. T e amended continued...
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