Buchanan credits colleagues, animal welfare groups in pushing horse slaughter ban into law

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), intent on extending an expiring federal prohibition on the slaughter of horses in the United States for human consumption overseas, successfully realized that goal with a little help from some friends.

“This was a successful team effort,” said Buchanan, co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, in recognizing the efforts of bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, as well as animal welfare organizations, to advocate for the ban’s inclusion in the nation’s recently signed funding bill. “I hope we can build on this success and pass my legislation to permanently end the practice.”

Rep. Buchanan introduced an amendment in the U.S. House Rules Committee last August to prevent the reopening of horse slaughter facilities in the United States by prohibiting federal funding for health and safety inspections, which are required by law at all meat processing plants, according to a Dec. 14, 2017 letter Buchanan sent to House leaders.

“The U.S. Congress has adopted this provision nearly every year since 2005, ensuring that the horse slaughter industry does not return to American soil. Due to this strict funding prohibition, no slaughterhouses have operated in the United States since 2007,” Buchanan wrote in the letter, which included the signatures of 21 other members and urged House leaders to continue current law.

The amendment wasn’t brought to the floor for a vote, but identical language was included as Section 782 in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, H.R. 1625, that President Donald Trump signed into law on March 23 to fund the federal government through Sept. 30.

“The slaughter of horses for human consumption is a barbaric practice that must end,” Rep. Buchanan said after leading the effort to get the language included in the omnibus spending package.

The current federal prohibition on the slaughter of horses for human consumption must be reauthorized each year. To make the ban permanent, Rep. Buchanan on Jan. 3, 2017 introduced the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act of 2017, H.R. 113, which has the support of 209 cosponsors, including lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who also co-chairs the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus. H.R. 113 has been referred to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, and to the U.S. House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.

The Humane Society of the United States, the Animal Welfare Institute and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have endorsed Rep. Buchanan’s efforts to ban the slaughter of horses, as well as the export of horses from the United States to slaughter houses in Mexico and Canada.