Congress Cuts Off USDA Funding for Slaughter for One Year
The effort at the federal level
to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption took another step forward,
albeit a potentially temporary step, when Congress passed the U.S. Department
of Agriculture Fiscal Year 2006 Appropriations bill.
That bill included a provision prohibiting
USDA from using any of the federal funds appropriated for USDA personnel to
inspect horses at slaughter facilities. The
President signed the legislation into law in November. The funding ban takes effect in early March,
2006.
Under the Federal Meat Inspection
Act, all livestock slaughtered, including horses, must be inspected by USDA personnel. Since the ban will cut-off funding for such USDA
inspection, the proponents of legislation calling for a permanent ban on
slaughter expect that buyers of horses for slaughter or horsemeat will no
longer purchase either and the process will effectively be stopped in the U.S.
Since the amendment is part of an
appropriations bill, the funding ban will last only for Fiscal Year 2006, which
extends from
Despite the de-funding
provisions, the Secretary of Agriculture has the authority to permit the three
U.S.-based slaughter facilities to hire their own inspectors and continue to
operate. It remains to be seen whether
any slaughter facility will petition the Secretary for this authority or the
Secretary will grant it if so petitioned.
Primary Bills Providing for
Permanent Ban
Broader legislation permanently
banning horse slaughter has been introduced in both the House and Senate. The House bill (H.R. 503) was introduced in February,
2005 by Congressmen John Sweeney (R-NY) and Ed Whitfield (R-KY). The Senate legislation was introduced by Senators
John Ensign (R-NV), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Arlen Specter
(R-PA), Trent Lott (R-MS), Joseph Lieberman (D-CT), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Carl
Levin (D-MI) and Jim DeMint (R-SC).
Both bills would prohibit the
shipping, receiving, purchase or sale of horses for slaughter for human
consumption. Violations of the Act would
subject a person to penalties of up to $3,000 and/or one year in jail for the
first offense and up to $5,000 and/or two years in jail for a second offense. An offender may also be subject to civil
penalties of $2,000 for each violation.
The bills authorize $5 million for enforcement.
There have been no hearings or
other action on the underlying broader bills calling for a permanent ban.