Helping Hearts Equine Rescue, Inc

Beginning July 31, 2010, all horses slaughtered for human consumption in Canada must arrive at the slaughterhouse with an Equine Information Document according to a new mandate from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The EID will positively identify the horse with a photo and a description and will also contain a record of medications administered to the horse for at least the previous six months. The owner must sign off on this document.This means horses that have received common drugs such as phenylbutazone won’t be eligible for slaughter.This rule applies to all horses slaughtered for human consumption in Canada including those shipped in from the United States.Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t require this kind of documentation on horses in the United States, it may mean U.S. horses will no longer be shipped to Canada for slaughter. Currently, there are no horse slaughterhouses operating in the United States.According to the CFIA, these new requirements are only the first step towards strengthening Canada's food safety and traceability system for equines.Ilona S. English

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And this is why . . . . . .

January 31, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Canadian Regulations will Curtail Slaughter of North American Horses

CHICAGO, (EWA) – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued the long awaited health requirements for all horses bound for slaughter in Canada. In 2009, 56% of the 93,812 horses slaughtered in Canada were U.S. exports.

The requirements posted on the CFIA website state, “Effective July 31, 2010, it will be mandatory for all CFIA inspected facilities in Canada engaged in the slaughter of equines for edible purposes to have complete records for all animals (domestic and imported) presented for slaughter.”

A January 21st article in the Western Producer indicated that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was cooperating with the CFIA. When contacted on January 28th to determine how the USDA was cooperating, Dr. Cordes, National Equine Coordinator, stated that compliance was Canada’s responsibility.

The European Union (EU), FDA and CFIA regulations have prohibited the slaughter of animals for human consumption that have ever received prohibited substances, but until now, there has been no serious attempt at enforcement.

Of particular concern is the common and widely used prohibited drug Phenylbutazone, also called PZB or Bute. “PBZ is a known carcinogen and can cause aplastic anemia (bone marrow suppression) in humans”, states Equine Welfare Alliance’s (EWA) Food Safety Subject Matter Expert, Dr. Ann Marini, Ph.D./M.D. PBZ is used so prolifically in the racing industry that its administration before a race is noted on racing forms at many tracks.

Also listed is Clenbuterol, one of the most effective FDA approved drugs for treating COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder), a debilitating condition common in horses. Anabolic Steroids such as Winstrol, commonly used in racing and performance horses are also banned, as are drugs used by horse breeders to regulate estrus cycles.

Unlike the EU countries that electronically track veterinary records from birth, the US and Canada have no such system for horses, since they are not raised as food animals. Many slaughter bound horses have had multiple owners, and without a tracking system, it is impossible to guarantee that the horses have not been given prohibited substances. Also, most horse owners do not intend to send their horses to slaughter, as they unknowingly end up in the slaughter pipeline when sold to unscrupulous buyers or are taken to auctions where they are purchased by kill buyers.

The CFIA announcement states, “These new requirements are only the first step towards strengthening Canada's food safety and traceability system for equines.” The EU has indicated this was part of a three year plan to bring third countries into complete compliance with current EU standards. This would mean that horses presented for slaughter will eventually require documentation from birth, assuring they have never received banned substances.

During 2008, in response to the closure of the three US based slaughter plants the previous year, the export of US horses for slaughter in Canada and Mexico soared to over 77,073 and 56,731 respectively. However in 2009, as the world economy declined, exports dropped by 20%. “The only practical means to meet these requirements is quarantine”, explains EWA’s John Holland, “and we estimate that will double the cost of these horses, further reducing the demand.” The CHDC’s Sinikka Crosland added, “The welfare of the horses has not been considered, and horses in quarantine feedlots will be at huge risk of sickness and suffering”.

A Discussion Paper will be released by the EWA and CHDC in the coming days, detailing concerns with the newly announced regulations.

The EWA and CHDC have always warned that our equines are not safe for human consumption and implores Congress to step up to protect the health safety of foreign consumers by passing the legislation before it (HR 503 and S 727) that will stop the export of American horses.

CHDC and EWA urge all horse owners to end their horse’s life by humane euthanasia as we do for all non-food animals in America.

www.equinewelfarealliance.org

www.defendhorsescanada.org

Just a note:  Happily, we regularly receive inquiries regarding home offers for our rescues.   Often however, the potential adoptor, while interested, wants "more" -- more training, more mileage, more background information before they take that step; and conversely, because the horse is a rescue, expects that the adoption fee should be less or non-existent!

Please keep in mind that for the majority of these horses, we do not have the luxury of in-depth background information.  I can often obtain rudimentary information, but the majority of these horses were sold to slaughter.   The information just isn't available.  Keep in mind that we're not a sales barn.  We gather as much information as possible and share it with you, but we can't be as in-depth as a sales barn.  But  we also don't hide facts about a horse - - if we see something - good or bad - -we'll share it on this site and when we speak, I'll make sure you know everything we know.

We spend a lot of time getting to know these animals before offering them out--evaluating temperament, current training, any physical issues or limitations, as well as getting them caught up on basic care - -vaccines, dental, farriery, Coggins, etc.  Once we have a handle on each horse, I add their info to the website.  Although I professionally run a training facility, since we deal in multiple horses, actual"training time" for the rescues is minimal -- perhaps once, maybe twice a week as time allows.  If you are waiting for a horse to reach a milestone, it may be quite a while. 

If one of our rescues interests you, please expect that you may need to invest in additional training and care to bring him to 'full bloom'.  Please be aware that there will be additional expenditures beyond the initial investment -- just like any other horse. And these animals deserve this investment.

As far as the adoption fees go:   When we set an adoption fee, we consider the out-of-pocket costs for the initial "save", as well as the horse's age, soundness, health, temperament and usability.  At the very least, the adoption fee normally reflects the cost of the kill pen pull fee ,vaccines, Coggins, Dental, Panacur PowerPac.  Also, if a horse does enter a regular training regime,  please do understand that the adoption fee is subject to adjustment as the training advances.  (the adoption fee may go from $500 for that kid safe horse to $750 or more once he's tuned up in and in shape).  Conversely, there are several horses whose adoption fee doesn't reflect all that -- ie: $250 for an aged companion horse that deserves a good, loving home--it certainly doesn't cover all his costs, but it helps, and it's a "good-faith investment" that demonstrates financial ability to care for a horse. We all know they're not cheap!   Rescues are not "free horses" - -sadly,  free horses tend to be treated like. . . . .  free horses.  Too often, the attitude is that the horse isn't worth putting extra investment in because he was a 'free rescue'.

Along with the responsibility we have to the horses in our care, it's also our responsibility to manage the funds that you, our supporters, donate as best we can.  Many, many of you  are very generous in joining us  in saving these horses.  If we can recoup your "investment" in one horse by placing him and then using his adoption fees to save a second life with the 'same' funds - - that's a real win-win situation foreveryone - - especially the horses. 

Finally,if you are considering one of our 'kids', please, don't wait and see how he comes along.   The sooner we can get them placed, the sooner we have room to rescue the next horse, and the next, and the next.  

Jane Smiley, has published a pro-slaughter opinion in the May 1, 2009 New York Times:  It can be viewed at:   http://therail.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/why-horse-slaughter-is-necessary .  The article disturbingly parrots a lot of pro-slaughter rhetoric.   There are many responding comments published both for and against the slaughter issue.  The following is my response, which has been published on the NY Times' website:

Jane Smiley, you've not done your research. There are plenty of comments here correctly listing the figures and facts of slaughter.  These are facts, not emotional diatribes. The truth of the matter is that the slaughter pipeline is inhumane. Pro-Slaughter speak as though slaughter does everyone a favor - - removing abused/starved/neglected horses from the earth, "savings them from more suffering". I have actually had someone tell me that slaughter is the ray of hope for these horses. Sounds very poetic, BUT, most suffering horses don't wind up going to slaughter. They sit in their fields and backyards being starved, still suffering. That's another issue, totally apart from the slaughter issue. Even if a plant were to be opened in every state, people who abuse, will continue to abuse. Slaughter does NOT make that go away. That's another issue that we rescues deal with.

For the majority of slaughter-bound horses, their suffering BEGAN the moment they entered that slaughter-plant pipeline. 'Stable to Table in 7 Days'. That's 7 days of fear, confusion, potential injury, deprivation and discomfort. All of which culminates in an excrutiating death: being dismembered while still potentially sentient and conscious.

I recently spoke with a former USDA Chief Inspector of slaughter plants. He spend 10 yrs overseeing slaughter in a cattle plant. Prior to that he was an equine vet. The PROPER captive bolt method of killing requires that the animal's head be restrained to ensure that the death is humane and quick. This is the way it's done with cattle and other food livestock. Horses are not restrained in the stunning/killing box in that way. There is no economically feasible way to restrain the long neck and head on a horse in a assembly line situation.

The former chief inspector stated that it is his professional opinion that horses suffer due to their ability to move around in the kill box. That it often takes several shots to put the bolt into the brain. That due to the time speed required to accomplish this task in an assembly line environment, some of the horses are not totally brain dead at the time of vivisection.

It is his professional opinion that captive bolt slaughter of horses is more inhumane than the captive bolt slaughter of food animals. There is more pain and suffering for the horses. This is due to their physiques and ability to avoid the bolt. He indicated that cattles heads are restrained when the bolt is being administered, while clearly horses  heads are not.

He reiterated that all of this is his professional opinion. And of course, unless we could interview the horses directly, we cannot ascertain directly from the animals how much pain and suffering they endure for slaughter. We develop our opinions on all things by speaking with others, obtaining information and by observation. My decision is to rely on the veracity and opinion of a man who spent 10 years as a Chief Inspector for the USDA. While he was not directly involved in equine slaughter, he has previous equine veterinary experience with the accompanying knowledge of their anatomy & physiology, as well as a decade of experience with the slaughter-house environment, the equipment, the methods and handling of animals. That confirms the veracity of his statements and opinions to me.

PLEASE, do NOT make the mistate of considering the equine slaughter pipeline "humane euthanasia."  It's nasty, it's brutal, it's inhumane. And it's that way because a few foreign business owners want to make money on our horses.

To make it humane would not be economically advantageous for them. It's a business - - pure and simple. Horse meat sells for $20/lb in Europe and Japan. Horses go to slaughter not because they're unwanted, they go because they ARE wanted, there are orders to fill for upscale diners on another continent. Kill buyers often outbid private buyers for horses. Because they have orders to fill. And No, our horsemeat is not feeding the destittute, it's a culinary treat for the well-off, gourmet palates of Europe and Japan.

The slaughter pipeline is not doing anyone any favors (by taking care of the Unwanted Horse Problem), they are making money, and that's it. On the backs of our horses.

 Lisa Post, Helping Hearts Equine Rescue

A person, prominant in New Jersey's equine community, has been quite perturbed by my anti-slaughter stance and even more perturbed by the line in my email signature that reads:  

 Slaughter is NOT humane euthanasia.  USDA vets have testified that the majority of horses regain consciousness 30 seconds after captive bolt stunning.  They experience the bleed-out alive and sentient.

Tuesday she contacted me again, challenging my opinion that equine slaughter is NOT euthanasia and insisting that I report where I found the FACTS to support my "tag-line".  My old computer had crashed, I had lost the reference, and so I went researching on-line. I found that the phrase can be attributed to Dr. Lester Friedlander.   He is a DMV and was a Chief USDA Inspector for 10 years.   It was set forth in a paper  USE OF THE 'PENETRATING CAPTIVE BOLT' AS A MEANS OF RENDERING EQUINES INSENSIBLE FOR SLAUGHTER VIOLATES THE HUMANE SLAUGHTER ACT OF 1958, Copyright  2005 Ellen-Cathryn Nash for Manes & Tails Organization and Vivian Farrell for Int'l Fund for Horses.

To further confirm the veracity of the statement, I contacted Dr, Friedlander and we spoke by telephone and contacted one of the authors of the paper, Ellen-Cathryn Nash, via email.

IN speaking with Dr. Friedlander, he did state that he had no direct experience with slaughtering horses.  He worked at a cattle slaughter plant in PA.  (However, he started his career as a track vet at Yonkers and Monmouth, so he does know  horses.  As an aside, I guess he's seen more than enough in the slaughter plant as he is now a Vegan!) What he has seen in multiple videos of equine slaughter has formed his opinions.   He states that it is his professional opinion that horses suffer due to their ability to move around in the kill box.  That it often takes several shots to put the bolt into the brain.  That due to the time speed required to accomplish this task in an assembly line environment, some of the horses are not totally brain dead at the time of vivisection.

 Additionally, the email response from Ms. Nash, co-author of the paper states:

Dear Lisa,

I am the primary author of the analysis of the Humane Slaughter Act of 1958. Dr. Friedlander and Vivian Farrel were contributors.

Lester is willing to testify that the captive bolt does not cause insensibility in horses and they are aware of being vivisected. You may continue using your tagline with confidence, however, those are my words taken from him. I also have a sworn affidavit from Lester stating the same.

Thank you for contacting me,

Elle

Ellen-Cathryn Nash
Manes and Tails Organization

I have also revieved the Affidavit from Dr. Friedlander that Ms. Nash mentioned.  It was executed to be presented to the Members of Congress Feb. 29, 2008, urging them to support HR 503 & S. 311.  Soooo, based on my research, I continue to stand behind my tag-line.   Actually, and consequently, due to the challenge from my 'colleague', I have modified it to be more accurate in quoting Dr. Friedlander directly from the Affidavit and to give credit where credit is due:

 Slaughter is NOT humane euthanasia.  "The captive bolt is not a proper instrument for the slaughter of equids, these animals regain consciousness 30 seconds after being struck, they are fully aware they are being vivisected." -Dr. Lester Friedlander, DVM & former Chief USDA Inspector

 This is Helping Hearts'  "Signature Tag-Line" , and I stand behind it 100%.

Lisa.